A/N: So this chapter I wanted to focus on Clay and Emma's relationship. I also wanted to give you a more family feel in this chapter. It took me forever to write because there were so many fluffy moments and for me that takes a lot of effort. I'm used to writing more dark moments. This story though is fully written. There are a total of ten chapters before it will come to an end and then a sequel will be written. Enjoy!
Chapter 6
Clay was gathering his things as they were about to land. He was very happy that they were finally getting back home. He was looking forward to seeing his new house and showing it to everyone. He was also looking forward to seeing Yoder. They had talked many times over the past two months and he was very happy that Yoder was almost all healed up. Clay was happy that nothing else had happened on base for the rest of their tour. The guys had been very protective of him. He wasn't even allowed to get his own food just in case someone tried to slip him something again. It was going to be good to be back home where he could get his new place set up and go back to doing missions. Being stuck in medical for a full tour was not fun at all. He was finally healthy again and would be cleared by their Doc Monday to return to duty. What Clay was worried about though was the team and the tension within it.
Everyone could tell that there was tension within the team, especially between Jason and Ray and Clay had a good feeling it had to do with him. The very last thing Clay wanted to do was cause problems for the team, they were his family, his brothers, he never wanted to be the cause of stress or a fracture in their family. Clay couldn't help it, he just didn't trust Vic, but maybe he would have to suck it up and try to get to know him. Maybe he could build trust with him, afterall Ray vouched for him and Ray was a great judge of character. If it hadn't been for Ray pushing Jason to have him on the team, he would be stuck in Charlie. He owed it to the guys to try his best to put whatever feelings he had towards Vic to bed and try to get to know him.
Jason walked over to Clay as he was finishing packing up. He was very happy to be getting back home where he didn't have to worry about someone trying to attack Clay one way or the other. He was also looking forward to the few days break from everyone. The tension within the team was draining and he just wanted to get home.
"You alright Sunshine?"
"I'm good."
"Really? Because you looked pretty lost in thought there." Jason said, as he sat down on a crate.
"I don't like being the cause of tension." Clay admitted.
"You're not. We've had problems over the years we've been friends, Ray and me always work it out. It's not you."
"Come on dad, we're fracturing and you know it. Ray and Vic spend all their time together. Sonny refuses to talk to Vic unless he has to. You and Ray aren't talking, Ray doesn't want to talk to me. Trent and Brock are keeping to each other to avoid the landmines everywhere. Hell, even Full Metal is hanging out with other people. It's a damn fucking miracle that we're all on this plane and no one is in a box. All of this started because my issue with Vic. This is completely my fault and maybe it is a good thing that I'll be teaching Green Team. Give everyone the chance to gel back together."
"It is not your fault. You are not the first person to have a problem with someone on the team. It happens all the time on Tier One teams, it happens on any team when you get different personalities in a group. You don't trust Vic, something feels off with him and you aren't the only one that feels that way. Yoder got the same vibe, that's two highly trained operatives getting a bad vibe from someone. That's not something I take lightly, especially because he is around my family."
"Regardless, it started between us and it needs to end. That's the only way the team is going to get back to proper function. From now on, I'm just gonna treat him like I do everyone else and who knows, maybe one day it will be natural. Fake it until you make it right?"
"That's generally not a rule for making friends."
"Ya well it is today. I mean, the guy made it this far right? So he had to make it past the application process for Green Team, the interview, he had to make it past Big Chief and the other instructors and SERE training. He got through all of that just like every single one of us so how bad could he really be?"
"Him giving you dirty looks doesn't really inspire confidence in me." Jason countered.
"He's not the first person to give me a dirty look and he won't be the last. I get judged all the time because of my name, we could have just gotten off on the wrong foot. Maybe a fresh start is what everyone needs. At least then I can say I tried if it doesn't work out. I owe that much to the guys."
Jason let out a sigh before he gave a nod. He hated that Clay was right, but he was. If Clay did everything he could to make it work, it would be easier for the guys to accept that they needed to switch Vic out for Yoder. Still, he hated that Clay felt like he needed to be the bigger man in this when he was the one with the bad vibes from Vic. Still, and like always, Jason would support Clay and his decisions. Clay finished packing and when the plane touched down him and Jason made their way down towards the others as the plane moved down the runway.
"So family barbeque at my new place tomorrow?" Clay said to the others.
"Um, I don't know man." Ray said, and it was clear that everyone was not feeling time together. Clay couldn't blame them after the tour they just had.
"Come on Ray, we cannot keep denying Vic the deliciousness of Sonny's barbeque." Clay said with a warm smile.
"Would be a crime for the new guy to miss out." Trent said. He wasn't sure what brought the change in Clay, but he was more than happy to try and get back to normal.
"Kids can go swimming too if they want. It's a walk out beach, they can go two hundred yards before it starts to get deep for em." Clay added.
"What do you say Eric, a barbeque at Clay's new place tomorrow night?" Jason said, to Blackburn as him, Mandy and Davis walked by.
"Sounds good. Text me what I can bring and when and where." Blackburn said.
"Me too and if Sonny is taking requests, I would kill for some ribs." Davis said with a warm smile.
"Alright, alright. I'll cook, but the kid is supplying the beer and none of that hoppy shit." Sonny said to Clay.
"Oh take it up with Vic." Clay said with a smile.
"Why me?" Vic asked, confused.
"You just did your first tour with us, you have no idea how many cases of beer that cost you." Clay said with a smile.
"Twenty-two, I was keeping track." Brock supplied.
"Seriously?" Vic asked.
"Every rookie gets the honor of supplying us the beer." Sonny said.
"Be happy it's only twenty-two, I had over thirty. They even made me buy a case of beer for getting in my first helo crash with them." Clay supplied.
"That's just wrong." Vic agreed.
The doors opened and everyone started to make their way out. They saw Yoder standing there with a warm smile on his face. Clay instantly spoke as he went over to him.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm good, I get to go back to work on Monday for active duty." Yoder answered, as he pulled Clay in for a hug.
"That's awesome man, me too. Who are you going to be rolling with?"
Clay knew that Team Seven weren't all ready to return to active duty yet so Yoder would have to be floating for a few more weeks at least.
"Don't know yet, I'll find out Monday." Yoder answered, as he pulled back.
He gave the guys a nod as they headed off the plane. The guys, except for Vic, all gave Yoder a pat on his shoulder as a welcome.
"Tomorrow I'm having a barbeque at the new house. You should come by and bring Ali. I'd love to meet him." Clay said, as the guys started to head out. Jason stayed though, as he was gonna grab some food with Clay.
"Um, maybe." Yoder said, and it was clear he was unsure how the other guys would react to it.
"Bring him, they don't care. Come on, it's been three months, I want to meet him. And you get to check out my new place with barbecue and beer. How can you turn that down?" Clay said, with a big smile.
Yoder let out a small sigh before he spoke. "Alright, we'll come by. Text me the info."
"It'll be fine, don't worry." Clay said.
"He's right, we don't care if you are gay. Just be you." Jason added. It wasn't his place to jump into a conversation, but he didn't want Yoder thinking he had to keep parts of himself hidden either.
"Alright, I'll bring him. Text me the address and if there's anything I can bring. And as much as I would like to keep chatting, I'm actually here because I get to help unload the plane." Yoder said with a warm smile.
"The joys of being on medical leave. Don't worry come Monday you'll be back to being badass." Clay said with a smile.
"That makes two of us." Yoder said, as he gave Clay's shoulder a pat as he headed off to the plane.
"Let's get out of here." Jason said, more than happy to get away for the next three days. They both headed off for the gates as Jason spoke. "Why don't we head over to your new house and check it out. Afterwards we can grab some breakfast before going over to the apartment and grabbing what you need."
"Sounds good. It will be nice to see the house in person."
"You haven't seen it?" Jason asked, surprised that Clay bought a house without even looking at it.
"I've seen the photos and I've driven by it a few times. I've had my eye on it for a while. I was hoping it would go up for sale one day. I've seen a virtual tour of it."
"Wow." Jason said, completely shocked. Clay was not the type of person that did anything without research or looking into it properly. The fact that he would purchase a house, a major life decision, without actually seeing it was blowing his mind.
"Every now and then I do something against my nature. Besides, it's the view of the ocean that is the appeal. If the inside if ugly and not at all like the pictures, I can just fix it up. It passed inspections and the roof is only two years old. The high ticket price is because it's a hundred feet of sand going to the ocean. That's why I bought the house." Clay explained.
"It will be nice to be able to hear the waves against the beach. Plus, we'll now have one hell of a party house." Jason said, as they walked out of the gate.
The second they were around the corner Jason couldn't help the huge smile on his face. There sitting on the tailgate of his truck was Emma and Mickey. The second the kids saw them, they both got off the truck and headed towards Jason and Clay.
"Hey, what a great surprise." Jason said, as Mickey ran into his dad's arms.
Clay pulled Emma in for a hug as Mickey spoke. "Em picked me up from school. She said we were gonna surprise you guys."
"How did you get here?" Jason asked, as they switched kids.
"I drove Clay's truck. He left the keys for me." Emma answered, as she hugged her dad.
"You knew about this?" Jason said to Clay.
"For months now." Clay said, as he hugged Mickey. "How's school?" Clay asked Mickey.
"Good. I got an A on my math test."
"Nice job man." Clay said, as he high fived Mickey.
"Good job. What about you Em?" Jason asked, as they headed off for the trucks.
"Everything in school is going well. I'm home for the weekend before I have to get back."
Clay wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulders as they went to Jason's truck.
"Sounds good. Clay's got a new house that we are going to check out real quick before we grab some food. Tomorrow we're having a barbeque at the house with the whole team. They are gonna be excited to see you guys." Jason explained.
"Sounds good." Emma said, with a warm smile.
"I'm excited to see the house." Mickey said.
"Me too man. I'll take my truck, do you want to follow me?" Clay said to Jason.
"Sure."
"I'll go with Clay." Emma said.
"Yes shotgun." Mickey said, as he headed over to the passenger side door. The others gave a smile and a slight chuckle at that.
"I'll see you there." Clay said, as him and Emma made their way over to his truck.
They all got in and headed off for Clay's new house. Both trucks had small talk going on in them. When they arrived at Clay's house, everyone was shocked at how beautiful it was. It was mostly all one level, with the exception of the back facing the ocean, it was two levels. It was a pretty blue color with a single car garage, but room for four more cars in the driveway. They all got out and headed over to the right where the gate was to head into the main property.
"This place looks great." Jason said, as Clay unlocked the gate.
They walked in and instantly saw the in ground pool with the patio seating. They headed to the main door and walked into the beautiful home.
"Wow." Emma said, as she took in the room.
The living room and kitchen was all an open concept. There was a built in real fireplace in the living room to provide some warmth in the winter. The back wall was all windows that were sliding so you could open up the whole room to the outside if you wanted to. The downstairs had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, all were very well done. They headed upstairs to see another full kitchen and living room, along with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The Master Bedroom was massive with its own balcony and master bathroom with a separate glass shower stall and a jacuzzi tub big enough for three people. In the upstairs living room there was a double french door leading to the massive back deck that went all over the back of the house.
"This place is amazing." Jason said, as they walked out onto the deck.
The deck had patio furniture already. The best part was the view. You could see nothing but blue ocean water for miles in the distance. They headed down the stairs to see more seating, an outdoor kitchen and a bar. There was also a fire pit off to the right of the deck. There was a wooden walkway all the way down to the public section of the beach. The whole backyard was nothing but sand.
"This is better than the photos." Clay said, as he took it all in. He couldn't believe this was his house. He had dreamed about owning a house like this, but he never thought it would happen. Now thanks to a very successful book he was able to achieve the impossible and buy his own slice of heaven.
"You have enough room for a volleyball net." Mickey said.
"Ya that sounds good. Have some games of beach volleyball." Clay agreed.
"This place is unbelievable." Emma said, as she took it all in.
Jason wrapped an arm around Clay's shoulders as he spoke. "It's a piece of heaven. I'm proud of you son."
"Thanks Dad. And I have spare keys for everyone, you guys are welcome here anytime you want."
"Really? Awesome." Mickey said with a big smile.
"Alright, let's go grab some breakfast. We got a lot of work to do today to get this one all moved in." Jason said, looking to get them started.
He would have loved to spend the day sitting outback, but they needed to get Clay moved out of his apartment. Afterwards, he would be having a beer sitting outside with a nice fire going. One thing was for sure, this was the best way to be spending his first day back from tour, with his whole family.
XXX
It was six that night when everyone within Bravo had arrived at Clay's new house. The day had been great with Clay, Jason, Emma and Mickey hanging around outside and going into the beach. It was around two in the afternoon when Ray and Naima showed up with the kids. The kids were already in their bathing suits and were very excited for the beach, not that Clay could blame them; it was his favorite part too. Sonny had taken his rightful place at the grill getting the ribs and burgers cooked. It smelt amazing and the guys all couldn't wait to chow down. Clay had gone and grabbed a beer for himself and one for Emma. They hadn't had any beer yet, both opting for waiting until they started to eat. Compared to some of the guys. Clay headed back over and went to hand Emma the beer when Jason's voice stopped him.
"Hold up, what are you doing?"
"She's nineteen, I didn't think you would care." Clay said.
"Drinking age is twenty-one last time I checked." Jason commented back.
"I've had beer before Dad." Emma said.
"Not under my roof."
"It's not technically your roof." Ray pointed out.
"Not the point." Jason said, with a pointed look at Ray.
"Alright how about this, if she can knock Vic on his ass, she gets a beer." Clay suggested.
The guys gave a chuckle to that. "You actually think she could knock me down? Seriously?" Vic said, as he laughed.
"Oh I'm serious." Clay turned to look at Jason. "How about it?"
"Alright, fine. If she can get Vic on his back, she's earned the right to drink tonight." Jason easily agreed.
He wasn't worried, there was no way in hell that Emma was going to be able to take Vic down. Even though Vic was on the smaller side, he was still a highly trained Tier One operator. There was no way.
"Really?" Vic said, shocked that Jason was going to allow this.
"What's wrong, you scared little boy?" Emma challenged.
Clay just smirked. This was going to be so good. He knew that Emma would be fine and he was excited to watch Vic get taken down by, in Vic's opinion, a girl.
"Of a girl? No, not now, not ever. You won't take me down, all you will get is tossed on your ass." Vic said in a slight condescending tone.
"You know that is just exactly why I don't like you. Let's go little boy." Emma said, as she put her hair up in a ponytail so it would be out of her way.
The guys all ooed or awed as Emma got ready. Vic looked over at Jason as he spoke. "Am I going to be in trouble if she gets hurt by accident?"
The last thing Vic wanted to do was get in trouble because it was Clay's stupid idea.
"You won't be. Clay on the other hand will be running hills until he's bleeding from his eyeballs." Jason said, with a pointed look at Clay.
Clay just shrugged his shoulders, he knew Jason wouldn't make him run hills even if Emma got hurt. Plus he wasn't worried about Emma getting hurt. Vic gave a smirk at Clay as he headed over to Emma. Clay knew Vic was going to be trying to hurt Emma just so he would be in trouble. Clay spoke as he pulled out his cell phone so he could record this.
"Il laisse tomber ses épaules quand il va se déplacer dans cette direction." (He drops his shoulders when he goes in that direction.)
"Merci mec." (Thanks bro.)
"What did you just say?" Vic asked, not speaking french.
"He said you should learn a new language." Emma said with a smirk.
"Oh man this is gonna be good." Sonny said, as he pulled out his own cell phone to record it.
"Whenever you guys are ready." Clay said, looking to get things started.
Everyone watched as Vic didn't even hesitate to go after Emma. Emma watched for what direction Vic was going to go in. She saw his right shoulder drop just slightly and then she made her move like Clay had taught her. She shot out her right fist and landed a solid punch on Vic's nose, blinding him for a second. She then grabbed his right arm and shoulder and then flipped Vic over her back, he landed on his back, but she kept her hand on his arm and she twisted it, rolling Vic onto his stomach and she held his arm straight up in the air, twisting it so he wouldn't be able to move.
"Oh!" Sonny yelled, with a big smile.
Everyone cheered as Emma stood there over Vic, who had a mouth full of sand and blood coming down his face. Clay could tell he was pissed, but it was so worth it.
"Damn, she's just as deadly as you." Full Metal said to Jason.
Emma let Vic's arm go as Jason spoke, looking at Clay.
"You taught her how to fight?"
"Who me? I would never." Clay said innocently.
"Bullshit." Sonny commented.
Emma walked over to Clay, who handed her a beer as she spoke. "Well I did win."
Clay and Emma clicked their beers together before they took a drink and headed off to grab some food.
"Well, you just got played brother." Ray said with a smile.
"Ya, ya I did. But, it was fun to watch." Jason said, before he looked over at Vic, who was clearly pissed off about all of this. He had sand stuck to his face and blood was going down it from his nose. Emma had landed a solid punch.
"Go on inside and get cleaned up. I'll make you a drink and get you some ice for your nose." Jason offered.
Vic didn't say anything, he just headed inside.
"Man, he's gonna moop about that for the rest of the night." Trent commented.
"He'll be fine. It's all in good fun. Let's get some food before it gets cold." Jason said.
Everyone got up and made their way to grab something to eat. The younger kids had already eaten earlier so they wouldn't have to wait so long for the food to be ready. Jason had to admit he was unsure about Clay's idea for a family barbecue at first, but now he could see it really was a good idea. This was exactly what they needed to move forward and forget about the train wreck that was their last tour.
XXX
It was roughly an hour later when Yoder walked through the backyard to join the others with his boyfriend Ali. Clay gave them both a warm smile as he saw them walking in. Everyone turned to see who Clay was looking at, as he made his way over to them. They all recognized Yoder, but they were not expecting to see Ali.
"Hey, you guys made it." Clay said, as he went and gave Yoder a hug.
"I told you we would. This is Ali. Ali, this is Clay." Yoder said, as he pulled back.
Alex, aka Ali, was the exact opposite from the men that Yoder had dated in the past. He was short, roughly five foot five, and only a hundred and twenty pounds. He was known as a spinner, when Yoder normally dated more muscular manly men. Ali was very much man pretty, but more pretty than Clay. He had soft porcelain skin, with short black hair around the bottom, but had it a bit longer on top so it was styled with a bit of a wave to it. Both of his ears were pierced with black gemmed studs. He was also wearing soft makeup and his lashes were as long as Emma's. As for his clothes, he had on a black lace t-shirt with black skinny jeans and black stiletto high heels. He could have easily passed for a woman he was that pretty.
"It's great to finally meet you." Clay said, as he went in for a hug.
"Same. I have heard so much about you." Ali said, warmly.
"Bro, this place is amazing." Yoder said, as he took in the outside.
"It's amazing on the inside too. You should check it out." Clay said, before he turned his attention back to Ali. "Ali, this is Bravo. That's Sonny, Ray and his wife Naima and his daughter Jameelah and RJ. Then we have Trent, Brock and Cerberus, Full Metal, Lisa, Mandy, Vic. That is Eric our Commanding Officer, and last but not least, Jason, my dad and my kid brother Mickey and my sister Emma." Clay said, pointing to each one.
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. And thank-you for everything you do for this country. It's truly amazing." Ali said, sincerely.
"It's nice to meet you. We got beer and food if you are hungry." Jason said, doing his best to get used to Ali's look and not letting it show.
He told Yoder to bring his boyfriend with him so he could be around people that wouldn't be bothered by him being gay. He didn't expect for his boyfriend to look like this. He was still ok with Yoder being gay, that wasn't a problem to him at all. What counted was how you could handle yourself in the field and if you could keep your brothers safe. Yoder had proven he could do that, and that was good enough for him.
"Appreciate it. I would not say no to a good beer." Ali said.
"I got you." Yoder said, as he went and grabbed them both a beer.
"You're pretty." Jameelah said with a big smile.
"Thank-you Sweetie. You are a beautiful little girl. How old are you?" Ali said with a warm smile.
"Six. How old are you?"
"I'm twenty-five." Ali answered as Yoder handed him a beer.
"Ah a real beer, not that hoppy crap. You're alright." Sonny said proudly.
Ali gave a laugh at that, as Yoder had one of the craft beers that Clay liked to drink
"These are good I'll have you know." Yoder said in his own defense.
The guys all gave a chuckle to that before Naima spoke. "It's getting late babe, I gotta get the kids home."
"Awe, do we have to?" Jameelah whined.
"Yes we do unfortunately. It's already past your bedtime and we still need to give you both a bath from all the salt water you both have been swimming in. Don't worry, Uncle Clay isn't going to move. You can always come back to play on the beach again." Naima said.
"Ok." Jameelah said, but it was clear she wasn't happy about it.
"Don't worry, you guys will be back soon enough. And the next time you do come by I'll probably have that volleyball net too. I can pick up some badminton racquets too and we can have some real fun." Clay said with a warm smile to his pseudo niece.
"Yay!" Jameelah cheered as she went and gave Clay a hug. Jameelah turned to Ali as she spoke again. "Will you be there?"
"Oh honey you could not keep me away from a good game of badminton. I'm a killer at it." Ali said with a big smile.
"I want you on my team." Jameelah said with pure confidence.
"You got it honey." Ali said with a wink.
"It was lovely meeting you both. I'm sorry it had to be so short." Naima said, as she took RJ.
"It's no problem. It was nice meeting you and the little ones." Yoder said with a kind smile.
Naima and Ray got to work on getting the kids all organized and into the car. Mickey turned to his dad and tugged on his arm for Jason to come down closer to him.
"Ya?" Jason asked.
"Is that a guy or a girl?" Mickey whispered just loud enough for his dad to hear him.
"It's a guy." Jason whispered back.
"Why is he wearing makeup and girl clothes?" Mickey asked, confused.
"It's his style. I'll explain later."
Jason knew this was going to be confusing for the younger kids. He suspected that Ray was going to be having a similar conversation with Jameelah within the next day or two. He would explain it all to Mickey tomorrow so he would understand.
"Can I go watch TV now?" Mickey asked.
Jason gave a nod and Mickey headed inside. Jason looked back up and saw that Clay had an arm around Emma's shoulders and they were heading for the beach, Cerberus right behind them. Cerberus hadn't left Clay alone since the moment they had arrived. Yoder and Ali had headed inside, Jason figured they were going to look around. The guys all watched as Clay and Emma sat down in the sand where the water wouldn't get them. Emma had her left leg bent up and Clay wrapped his arm around her knee, putting them close enough to chat.
"Doesn't it bother you?" Vic asked, Jason.
"Does what bother me?" Jason asked.
"Clay clearly having feelings for your daughter. I mean, doesn't it bother you that he wants in her pants?" Vic asked.
The question caused all of the guys to laugh, Jason included. Ray came back confused about what seemed to be so funny.
"What's so funny?" Ray asked.
"The rookie thinks Clay is trying to fuck Emma." Full Metal explained.
"Way off base on that one there brother." Ray immediately said.
"Oh come on, look at them. They've been flirting all day, they've been drinking after each other. She even went into the bathroom while he was in the shower." Vic said slowly, like he had to spell it all out for them.
"That's his sister. They only see each other as siblings. You just heard Clay call her his sister to Ali. There are zero sexual feelings between them." Jason said.
He knew it was a little different, their relationship. At first he was concerned about any romantic feelings between them, but it was proven pretty quickly that they didn't see each other in that sense. They were brother and sister, but they were also like best friends. Clay had no problem helping with homework, or going to the mall shopping. He could talk about girly stuff without a single hesitation. Clay being so easygoing made them closer.
"I don't know any siblings that are that close." Vic said, still unsure. He didn't care either way, but it was another spot he could use to try and pull Clay away from the team.
"They're siblings but they are also best friends." Davis said.
"Ah, excuse you, Clay and I are best friends." Sonny corrected.
"You are his guy best friend, Emma is his girl best friend. It's different. With you he can talk about his work and girls, get drunk and do stupid things. But with Emma, he can talk about his intellectual interests and get a girl's perspective with relationship problems. He gets to listen to her gossip and have a different type of conversation. Everyone has a guy and girl best friend, that's just how it works." Davis explained with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I can talk about his intellectual interests." Sonny said, slightly offended.
"You can't even pronounce the name of the book he is reading." Davis challenged.
"That's because it's in another language. I swear he carries those books around so he can kill someone with it when he runs out of ammo. I've seen phone books smaller than that thing." Sonny said in his defense.
"It's like two thousand pages. It's a very old book that was originally in five parts, but all of the volumes were put together in one book a few years ago. I don't know, Clay's really into it. I stopped trying to understand his tastes in books." Jason said.
It seemed like when he finally figured out what genre Clay liked to read, he would read something completely different.
"He has an eclectic taste." Yoder said, as him and Ali came back outside.
"Meaning?" Full Metal asked.
"Meaning he loves to read anything with words in it. Once on tour Clay read through the three books he had brought, I walked in on him reading the dictionary. He just likes to read and once he reads it he can recall it." Yoder said, as he sat down. Ali sat down on his leg and leaned against his shoulder, putting an arm around Yoder.
"Really? I didn't know that." Jason said, that was something he should have known.
"He doesn't talk about it, honestly I don't think he even notices all that often. I always suspected he had a photographic memory or even an eidetic one, but he's never had an interest in being tested for either. It's why he can recall everything in an operation file from reading it just once." Yoder said.
"He's never said anything." Ray said.
"And he won't. Brian and me have asked him in the past about it, but he's always blown it off. Honestly, I think it's a combination of him not really seeing the signs because he's on the spectrum and him just not interested in knowing." Yoder said with a shrug.
"I can understand not seeing it fully because of his mind, but he always has questions and wants to know everything. This is something pretty big to ignore." Jason said.
"You know what he can be like when it comes to self-discovery. It takes him a bit to really want to dig deep, especially when it comes to his mind. He loves that he is smart, I mean he's a certified genius, but it scares him at the same time. His mind remembers everything he reads and sees, that wouldn't be a big deal if he was a sheltered author. He's not though, he's been seeing horrific things since he was a small boy and all of that is locked away in his mind. I think he's scared that if he goes searching for answers or learns something new about his mind, even if that is confirming what he suspects, that it'll unlock all of those boxes. He has a hard enough time functioning with his mind every day and getting the noise quiet. He doesn't want something else he has to cope with. Brian and me have always just played along. It wasn't worth pushing when his mental health was on the line."
"It's something to keep an eye on. If he doesn't want to get tested, that's his choice. I'm not going to push it." Jason said. He wasn't going to push Clay to do anything he wasn't ready for. If he didn't want to know, then he didn't have to know.
"As for his taste in books, he likes to read anything. He actually learnt Mandarin just so he could read a book that held the record for being on a global best seller's list the longest. At the same time, he'll read romance novels or medieval novels. He loved reading the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I'm thinking for Christmas this year I'm gonna get him the Harry Potter series. He's never even seen the movies. Same as the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings."
"Really?" Ali asked.
"Yup, he always says there's no point in seeing the movies when he can read the book. I'm still trying to teach him the joys of watching entertainment movies and tv shows, versus educational ones." Yoder said.
"He watches football now though so that's progress." Trent commented.
"He reads while pretending he is watching football." Sonny corrected.
"Still progress, he used to leave the room." Ray commented,
"It takes time. He'll get there." Jason said.
He knew Clay still had a long way to go before he was fully social, but at the same time Jason was really proud of how far Clay had come. He still had some areas that he needed to work on, like Yoder said, he wasn't good with entertainment movies and TV. Jason felt like it would help to quiet his mind if he could just get Clay to see it can be good for him. There were plenty of times where Clay needed to turn his mind off, and if he didn't have a book, TV or movies was a great way to shut your mind off from the world. Clay was reading to escape reality, TV and movies could do that for him as well. He could still escape within that reality.
"Still don't get how he would be interested in talking gossip with Em." Sonny commented.
"Wait, they're talking gossip?" Ali asked, as he sat up straight.
"Probably." Sonny said with a shrug.
"Girl, why am I still sitting here? I love me some gossip." Ali said with a big smile as he got up and kicked his feet out of his heels and headed towards Emma and Clay.
Yoder smiled as he watched Ali go and join his little brother on the beach. Ali sat with his back towards the water in the sand with Clay on his right and Emma on his left. Both Emma and Clay smiled as he joined them so Yoder knew they weren't talking about anything too personal. Yoder turned his attention back to the guys.
"I apologise now for any questions your kids are going to have about myself or Ali." Yoder said.
"You never gotta apologise for that brother. There's nothing wrong with you being gay or with Ali. As for questions, RJ is too young and Jameelah thinks he is amazing and has really nice clothes." Ray said with a warm smile.
"Mickey has questions, I'll explain it to him tomorrow. Don't worry about it. It's important that he learns about different people in the world. I don't want him to be intolerant or ignorant about different sexualities and races. Neither one of you should have to hide or feel like you have to be someone other than yourselves." Jason added.
"I appreciate that." Yodder said with a smile.
It was really nice to finally be around people that didn't care that he was gay. He wasn't sure about bringing Ali here with him tonight. He knew Ali was different then most people would expect and he didn't know how the guys would react to it. He was very happy that he had been brave enough to bring Ali with him. It warmed his heart to see Ali and Clay getting along so well too. He knew Clay would be fine with it, he was always fine with unique people. It was just another reason why Yoder loved him.
Everyone spent the next few hours talking and just relaxing on the beach with a fire going. It was just before midnight when Ali, Emma and Clay came back up to join the others. Ali was instantly at Yoder's side and Yoder gave Ali a small kiss to the lips as he sat down on his leg again.
"Ali was telling us about his show tomorrow night." Clay started, as he grabbed him and Emma a water before sitting down next to Emma.
"It's going to be awesome, he has a great voice." Yoder said proudly.
"You sing Ali?" Jason asked.
"I do. Tomorrow night I will be headlining a drag show at one of the gay clubs. Emmy and Clay said they were gonna come too."
"Really?" Yoder asked them.
"Hell ya, wouldn't miss it." Clay said with a smile.
"I'm looking forward to it. Especially because this one." Emma said, as she poked Clay's arm. "Will have to dress up in drag to be allowed in. And that is something I have to see." Emma had a huge smile on her face at just the idea.
"Ho what?" Sonny asked, with a huge smile.
"It's not the first time I've dressed in drag. I've done it a couple of times with Yoder back in California. It's no big deal." Clay said, as he sat back.
"Oh please tell me you are going to take pictures." Sonny said to Jason.
"Oh there's going to be many, many pictures." Jason had a huge smile on his face at just the thought of seeing Clay all dragged out. That's when something just clicked in his head. "Wait a club? How are you going to get in?" Jason asked, Emma.
"Oh, I don't need an ID to get in." Emma said dismissively.
"Ya and she'll be with me so you know she will be safe." Clay added.
"I know she will be. I don't believe they are just going to let you in without an ID." Jason commented.
"She'll be fine." Clay said with a smile.
"Ya, I'm thinking someone has a fake ID." Full Metal said.
"Who me? I would never." Emma said innocently.
"Bullshit." Sonny said.
It was clear to everyone that Emma had a fake ID and Clay totally knew about it. Jason was letting it go for now, and only because Clay would be with her. It was something to discuss later though. One by one they all started to head out to their own homes. Within an hour the fire was put out and everyone left at Clay's were off to bed.
XXX
Jason and Mickey were sitting on the couch Saturday night waiting for when Clay and Emma would come out of their bedrooms. It was still so weird to Jason that Clay had this house all to himself. He knew he was given a key and told he could crash here whenever he wanted, same as Emma and Mickey, but still, it was Clay's house. He had managed to get a house right on the beach, it was unbelievable. Jason had no idea Clay was even interested in writing, let alone having a successfully published book. It was insane, and he couldn't have been prouder of him. Jason was already going to be stopping off at a bookstore on his way home tomorrow to pick up a copy of Clay's book. There was no way in hell that his son was going to have a published book out there and he wasn't going to read it. Or leave it anywhere but on display on a shelf.
"How much longer are they going to be?" Mickey asked.
Jason couldn't blame him, it seemed like they had been getting ready for two hours now. He had promised Mickey that they could order food and watch the hockey game tonight once they had this place to themselves. Mickey was very much looking forward to it. Jason was looking forward to it as well, but also for when Mickey went to bed and he could sit outside with a beer under the night stars. He might even get a little fire going to keep him warm. They had finally heard heels on the floor making their way towards them.
"Finally." Mickey said.
Jason knew they were going to a drag show. He knew that all males would have to dress up in drag to be allowed in, but that did not prepare him for the sight that walked into the room. Emma looked amazing, as always. She looked so much like Alana it sent a pang right through Jason's heart. She was wearing high heeled boots with red skinny jeans and a black halter top with her black leather jacket over top. She looked stunning and the father in Jason was going on high alert. The only reason he wasn't demanding that she go back and get changed was knowing that Clay would be there with her. Plus, they were going to a gay club to watch a drag show. He seriously doubted she was going to be hit on by any guy tonight.
What was blowing Jason's mind was Clay. He also had on black heeled boots, but his were stilettos and went over his knees. He had black leather tights on that were underneath a black sequin dress that just covered his ass and bits. To top it all off, he had make up on, including some glitter on the side of his face. Jason couldn't help the huge smile on his face as he spoke.
"Well, I always wanted another daughter."
"I look fabulous and you know it." Clay said, as he snapped his fingers in a circle around himself and spoke in a stereotypical gay voice.
Jason laughed as he got up and pulled his phone out and started to take some pictures. "Oh this is going to be the team's Christmas card."
Clay gave a laugh to that.
"You have to admit Dad, he looks pretty good." Emma said proud of the work she had done.
"She's a miracle worker." Clay said with a nod in Emma's direction.
"Miracle worker? She's a freaking witch to be able to turn you into this. Come on, give me some photos. I swear I will keep them to myself."
There was no way in hell was Jason ever going to let Clay and Emma get out of here without a photo. He needed to get photos of this. Clay and Emma both smiled as Clay put his arm around her. Jason snapped some photos as they changed positions, but Jason's favorite had to be when they both bent forward a bit and blew him a kiss. Jason could not believe how confident and comfortable Clay was dressed like this. If it had been him, he would never have made it out of the bedroom, especially in those heels.
"Can we go now?" Clay asked, with a smile.
"Alright, go and have fun. Em, listen to Clay please and no drinking and driving." Jason said, as he looked at them both.
"We know. I'm going to be the sober driver tonight for everyone." Clay said.
"Ya and I'm not old enough to drink so you don't have to worry." Emma said with an innocent smile.
"And that would be completely believable if it wasn't for the fact that Clay will be sober tonight. If you didn't have a fake ID you would be the sober driver. Nice try though." Jason pointed out.
"Damn, Dad figured you out right quick." Clay said, with a teasing smile to Emma.
"It's like being raised by a lie detector." Emma said with a warm smile back.
"You two be safe and call me if something happens." Jason said, completely serious.
"I got her, I promise." Clay said, with all joking aside.
"I know. Have fun you two."
"See ya Dad." Emma said.
"Night Dad." Clay said, as he tossed his arm around Emma and they headed out.
Jason turned to look at Mickey and Mickey just shook his head. "I will never dress like that."
Jason couldn't help but laugh at that. Mickey was a lot like him, without the interest in the military. He was a jock, a manly man, and Jason knew there was no way in hell he would ever dress in drag. That was what made Clay so special. He was so comfortable with his sexuality, he didn't care if people thought he was into guys or not. It also went to show just how good of a friend and brother he was, that he would dress in drag just to go and see a drag show that his brother's boyfriend was in. Jason didn't think he would be able to do it any more than Mickey.
"Pizza time?" Jason asked, already knowing the answer.
"Heck yes!" Mickey cheered as he went and grabbed the TV remote.
Jason pulled his phone out and dialed the pizza place around the corner. He knew he wouldn't have to worry about either Emma or Clay, they would be safe with each other, plus Yoder would be there as well. Jason could just sit back, relax, eat some pizza and watch the game with his son.
XXX
Clay and Emma pulled into the parking lot of the club. Emma was super excited to see her first drag show, the girls back at school were going to be so jealous. Emma was also excited to be spending some one on one time with Clay and she would be able to get to know Yoder more. She could tell that Yoder meant a great deal to Clay and she wanted to have the chance to get to know him and his boyfriend.
"You ready cutie?" Clay asked, Emma with a warm smile.
"Hell ya."
They both got out of Clay's truck and headed towards the short line up. Clay knew that within the hour the line up would be going around the building. They were getting here a little bit earlier so they could spend some time with Yoder before the show started. Ali would already be backstage getting ready, so this way they could keep Yoder company. Emma pulled out her fake ID and Clay just smiled. He was sure he was going to be hearing about Emma's fake ID when they got back home or in the morning. There was no way Jason was going to let that one go. Just like there would be a conversation about him teaching Emma how to fight. Clay would also have to confess to teaching her how to shoot, but that was a problem for another day. Tonight was about fun and that was exactly what Clay was going to do.
They headed inside and Clay instantly spotted Yoder at a table right by the front of the stage. They both made their way over to Yoder and both Clay and Emma smiled at seeing him. He was all dressed up himself with make up, a tight black cocktail dress and red stiletto heels. Yoder stood up and gave Emma a hug as he spoke.
"You guys made it. You look beautiful."
"Thank-you, you look fabulous." Emma said, with a big smile.
Emma had never been in a gay club before and she was not disappointed with this one. It was gorgeous. There was dance lighting on the ceiling, all pointing towards the dance floor just off to the right of the stage. There were velvet booths all along the walls with tables in the middle. The bar was all glass, even the bar top and it had different color changing lights all around it. This place was set to impress and Emma was very much impressed.
"Looking good Firecracker." Yoder said to Clay.
"You always outdo me." Clay said with a warm smile.
"I don't know, you look pretty sexy tonight. I think someone had some help this time around." Yoder said, as he took Clay's appearance in.
"Em has a gift." Clay agreed, as he held the chair out for Emma to sit down between them.
"A serious one by the look of things. How was your day?" Yoder asked Emma.
"It was good. I got a front row seat to watch Dad and Clay arguing over who makes breakfast."
"Seriously?" Yoder asked Clay with a smile.
"Apparently it's his thing. He kept saying, I make breakfast." Clay said with a shrug.
"He does make breakfast. Whenever he gets back from an op or tour he always cooks breakfast every morning he is home. Mom used to say it was the only thing he knew how to cook." Emma said, with a slightly sad smile at the reminder of her mother.
Clay reached over and placed his hand on her knee and ran his thumb over it to provide some comfort to her. He knew the loss of her mother was still fresh even after all these months. Emma gave Clay a warm smile of thanks and Yoder changed topics.
"The barbecue went well last night I think."
"I told you it would. The guys all liked Ali." Clay said; he knew Yoder had been worried about how the guys would handle seeing Ali.
"Ya they did. I was surprised. I know he's not what a typical person would expect."
Yoder was surprised himself that the guys had all taken to Ali so well. He knew that Ali was a lot to swallow, especially if you were a manly man like most frogmen were. Ali had been a surprise to Yoder himself. He always dated buff men, he always dated tough bottoms. Guys that could easily pass as being straight and they were always in the closet. Yet with Ali, he was so different. He loved being out, he was so out of the closet he couldn't even see the closet. He had been out since he was twelve years old when he started to wear women's clothing because it reflected who he was. It had taken a bit for Yoder to understand that Ali wasn't transgender, he didn't feel like he was born in the wrong body. He just loved how powerful he felt wearing a pair of heels. He loved how women's clothing felt against his skin and the style of it, right down to the underwear. Ali had brought a light to his life though and Yoder was seriously falling in love with him.
"He's amazing and you look great together." Emma said.
"He's not like anyone you have ever dated and that's a good thing. Your past boyfriends have all been assholes that would refuse to even look at you in public. He's out and proud and he makes you smile and laugh. That's all I care about." Clay said honestly.
"Thanks brother. He makes me happy. Now we just gotta find you someone."
"Naw man, I'm not looking for anything right now. I got enough to focus on with work."
"And you?" Yoder asked, Emma with a friendly nudge.
"No one right now. I have been busy with my school work. It's my first year in College so I want to make sure I get a good grasp on it. There's plenty of good looking guys, but I'm not looking to just hook up with someone that just wants to be fuck buddies. I'm worth more than that."
"You're worth a hell of a lot more than that." Clay instantly said.
"Which is why I am happy to be single until someone wants to wine and dine my ass." Emma said, as the waitress came over to take their drink orders.
Clay ordered just a pop while Yoder ordered another beer and Emma got a cosmo. She wasn't going to be drinking much, only just a couple. She knew her dad wasn't too happy with her drinking outside of the house, especially when she wasn't twenty-one. Clay was here though and she knew he would be ok with it, hence why she got to even come here with her fake ID. The three of them talked until the drag show started. Once it did their attention was fully on the stage. The three of them all smiled as Ali was one of the performers on stage. He was a natural talent and you could tell he loved every second up on that stage. Clay looked over at Yoder and he could see nothing but pride and love in his eyes. Yoder and Ali had only been together for five months, but it was clear he was already well on his way to love. Clay was so happy for him.
Ali was up on stage for roughly ninety minutes, the length of the drag show, before he made his way over to the table. Yoder was instantly up on his feet and pulling Ali in for a kiss, one Ali happily kissed back. Once Yoder pulled back, Ali made his way over to Emma and pulled her in for a hug as he spoke.
"You both look fabulous."
"So do you! I can't believe how amazing that was." Emma said, over the music.
Ali went over and gave Clay a hug as he spoke.
"Thank-you. It is always so much fun to be up on that stage."
"You were great." Clay said, warmly.
Ali accepted the drink that Yoder had ordered him, but he drank it in one go without sitting down. With the glass empty he grabbed Yoder's hand as he spoke.
"Honey, I did not bring you here just for you to sit down."
Yoder had a big smile on his face as Ali pulled him to his feet and they headed off for the dance floor. Clay looked at Emma and he could see that she wanted to dance just as badly.
"Just so you know, I'm not good." Clay said with a big smile himself, as he stood up.
"What white guy is?" Emma teased, as she took Clay's offered hand.
"Ouch." Clay said, as he laughed, guiding them over to the dance floor to join Yoder and Ali.
Yoder was dancing behind Ali, and Emma went right over and started to dance in front of Ali. Clay joined them, standing behind Emma and together the four of them tore up the dance floor. They were having so much fun, they had no idea that tonight would be the last time the four of them would ever be able to have fun together. It would also be the last moment that Emma would be able to cherish of her older brother just being carefree and having fun.
XXX
Jason and Clay were heading into work after saying goodbye to Emma and Mickey that Monday morning. Jason had decided to use this time to talk to Clay about a couple of things regarding Emma.
"Spill it, when did you teach her how to fight and when did she get the fake ID?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Clay said, innocently.
"Don't, don't even. I know you two talk about a lot of things, things I don't want to know about. And I will forever be grateful for the fact that you enjoy talking about her friends and guys that she likes. But there are things that I also need to know, like illegal IDs and her being able to fight. Talk, now."
"Alright, fine." Clay started with a smile. "About six months before she moved to New York I started to teach her some self-defense moves just in case something ever happened. I also taught her how to disarm a guy with a knife and a gun. I also taught her how to shoot should she need to know. The fake ID she got it at sixteen."
"No she didn't. I would have known, Alana would have known." Jason instantly said.
"And yet, you both didn't. The first fake ID was pretty crappy, a bunch of high school kids made em in photography class. A little side business, but it was enough to fool the security at a college frat party. Second fake ID is much better she got it from a reputable ID creator before she headed off to New York. It states she is twenty-one. It gets her into bars and clubs. And yes I have known this whole time and have always gone with her to make sure she is ok."
"So you both have been keeping this from me this whole time. I kinda need to know these things Sunshine." Jason said, keeping his tone even so Clay wouldn't think he was in trouble.
"I know, but it wasn't my place to rat on her. And I had just joined the team about a month ago. I always made sure she was safe and she always went when I could go with her. When she was getting ready to move to New York, she picked up a proper fake ID. I obviously couldn't go with her so I made sure she could defend herself. I also gave her a special nail polish that she could wear, it changes color when you dip it into your drink and there's a roofie in it. She doesn't tend to go out much though so don't worry. She said she wants to focus on her studies and not parties or guys."
Jason let out a long breath as he digested the information. He knew Clay was looking out for Emma. Clay knew better than Jason did what it was like to be young in this century. Still, he hated the thought that his little girl was out there on her own in a big city like New York.
"I am grateful that you taught her what you have. And I do feel better knowing that she is able to defend herself and is safe with her drinks. I don't like her going out to parties and drinking. I'm never going to like it."
"I get it, but she really doesn't go out much and she doesn't tend to drink much. She thinks it's a waste of money to get so wasted you're sick the next day. And she doesn't do any drugs. You and Alana raised her right. She's smart and she knows what she wants in life. She's not going to risk it for anything. And there's not even a guy that she is interested in, so you don't have to worry about any dudes."
"Good. But I want to know if something happens or something comes up. You don't have to tell me everything, but I'd like to know if she is out at a club or a party. If something were to happen I need to be able to know where she is."
"I get that. It's why I have a tracker in her phone." Clay said with a smirk as he looked over at Jason.
"You what? You put a tracker in her phone? Does she know?" Jason said, shocked as he glanced over at Clay.
"She does not know and of course I put a tracker in her phone. I taught her how to be safe and how to defend herself, but she's not invincible. If I don't hear from her when I'm supposed to, I need to know I can find her. I haven't ever had to use it, she always texts or calls me when she gets back from going out. But it is there just in case."
"You're sneakier than I thought." Jason said, proudly.
"Hey, that's my little sister. I'm not about to just let her go off into the world without knowing where she is. We've seen too much shit in this world to have rose colored glasses. The tracker keeps my sanity and works as an insurance policy. You can't tell me you don't feel better knowing that it's there." Clay challenged.
"Of course I do. Thankfully I have a genius for a son." Jason said with a proud smile.
Jason felt better knowing the full story about the fake ID and the fighting. He was also proud of Clay for taking it on himself to teach Emma some self-defense moves. It was something he wanted to do with her, but Emma didn't seem interested. Jason didn't care who taught her how to fight as long as she knew how. Plus with the tracker, it would make it easier for him to sleep at night. If something were to happen they would be able to find her through her phone. It was time that could save her life. Once again Clay was proving why he was the best big brother his kids could ever ask for.
XXX
Clay was sitting at the back of the plane reading while the guys were all getting sorted after the mission. It had gone well, better than Clay had expected it would. Working as Bravo Two felt so natural to him and it seemed like him and Jason already had a strong shorthand. Jason had asked Clay's thoughts before giving his own. He had explained everything that Clay had questions about, not that that was any different to how he normally was with him. Still, this time around it felt different, because he was being trained to take over. Vic had kept pretty quiet, they didn't really work well together, something that was made pretty clear early on. If Vic was supposed to be his number two, they had a long way to go. It didn't bother Clay too much, because he didn't ever see himself using Vic as his number two. That spot was going to be Yoder's, now and always.
Jason came over to Clay and he couldn't help but smile as he saw him reading. Jason sat down and gave Clay's shoulder a nudge with his own. Clay smiled, as he put his book down.
"You know I just started." Clay said with a small shake of his head.
"I know, and I'm sorry I know you like the time to reset. I just wanted to talk to you about something personal for a moment."
Clay put his book down to the right of him as he spoke. "What's going on?"
Jason spoke as he handed Clay the envelope that he had in his hand. "I picked these up a couple of months ago and I've been waiting for the right time to give them to you. I've already filled them out and I just want to let you know that there is no pressure at all. If you don't want to sign them, you don't have to. Nothing changes between us."
"What are they?" Clay asked, as he opened the envelope to pull out the papers.
The first thing he saw was the word adoption written on the top of the page in bold black letters.
"I would like to make it official and adopt you as my son. Only though if you'd like that."
"You want to adopt me?" Clay said, softly as he took in the paperwork.
This was crazy. Clay never expected for Jason to do something like this. Clay had never even thought about getting adopted by Jason. Clay felt like Jason was his father, he knew Jason felt the same, he never thought he would want to make that official.
"I would love to make it official. But like I said there is no pressure on my end. If you don't want to do that, then that's ok. Nothing is going to change between us."
The very last thing Jason wanted was for Clay to feel pressured into signing them. Jason wanted to make it official, because he loved Clay and Clay was his son. He would have loved to adopt Clay and let the whole world know.
"But what about work? Would this affect you? Would people think you are compromised?" The very last thing Clay wanted was for this to jeopardize Jason's career.
"This wouldn't affect work at all. No one is going to question my loyalty to the teams or think in any way that I am compromised. You don't have to worry about favoritism or any repercussions. This is just taking our relationship and making it official. But like I said, there's no pressure. If you don't want to sign them, you don't have to. This is the only time I'm going to bring it up. The ball is completely in your court, there's no pressure. Nothing will change between us. I promise son. This is just if you want to. I'm good either way."
Clay gave a nod. "Can I think about it?"
"You got all the time in the world. They don't expire." Jason said with a warm smile before he gave a wink and stood up.
Clay watched as Jason headed off to get himself set up in a hammock. He looked down at the papers in his hands and he saw Jason's signature on it. He was shocked that Jason wanted to make it official. He also wasn't sure what to feel about it. It wasn't that he didn't want to make it official, he did, it was just that he was scared. He didn't want Jason to have problems at work, but he also didn't want Jason to regret it later on. He was scared that once it became official, Jason would regret it. Ash didn't want him, his mother didn't want him, so why would someone like Jason want him? Clay knew it was his own insecurities that were keeping him from signing the papers. It was something he would need to work out before he could ever sign these papers. Clay put them back into the envelope and placed them in his bag. One day he would sign them. One day he would make it official and he would change his name to Clay Hayes. One day.
A/N: I am just curious, would you like me to do a side story that is all about Yoder and his relationship with Ali. It would go into Yoder's background, him dealing with the crap he gets for being gay in the military. It would also cover how him and Ali met and Ali's own background. Let me know if you'd like me to write a little side story with them.
As for Ali's look, think of something similar to James Charles.