Love Struck Delusion

Chapter 173 – Lost emotions.

Zeta's POV.

I followed my sister back to her room. Once there she saw me coming and urged.

"Don't talk to me Zeta. I'm fine."

"Your not." I stated back quickly as she shot me a glare and just gave up as I made it to the door. Letting me through I said with confidence.

"Raptor really got to you didn't he?"

Shutting the door and locking it behind her, Pepper replied.

"He knew where my fucking gun was Zeta. And before I even had a chance to get it he already had it pressed against my head. What did you want me to do?"

Giving her a straight face I replied.

"I was expecting you to grapple him or something. You triggered your venom and you shut it back down within two seconds. You were scared."

My sister shut her eyes and ordered.

"Can you just leave it alone?"

"I just never saw you fold like that." I replied back as she quickly reopened her eyes to suggest.

"You would have folded too."

"I already did." I told her as her eyes grew concerned with the answer. Giving me a wild look as she remained by the door she questioned.

"What are you talking about? He threaten you before too? Does he have a knack of pointing guns at people?"

Laughing a bit I replied.

"He has a knack at getting through to people. People like you."

Giving me a soft snap of her lips Pepper begged.

"Shut up."

Approaching my sister I replied.

"You need to be told things directly. Especially when you need to have some chill. I know that and even you know that Pep."

"So what?"

"So I think part of you is going to be a bit nicer from now on. Cause trust me when I say this. Raptor won't take your shit after that. What he said about a fight? He means it."

"Old man like him can't fight." She quickly stated back as I broke out in laughter catching her off guard.

"What?" She soon asked as I quickly replied.

"That old man isn't who you think he is. He's something else and I should know. I already went toe to toe with him once."

Growing lost Pepper questioned.

"What? Why?"

"Cause before all this shit we were in Afghanistan and he wanted to show his troops how to fight. How to counter attacks and stuff like that. He needed a sparing partner and to be honest Pepper I wanted to fight him since I first met him back in Iraq."

"Did you go all out?" She then asked me as I nodded and replied.

"I used venom and everything I had but he still knocked me on my ass. His service record isn't for show. He's the real deal and like I tried to tell you before; you need to watch out. He's a great man but he's not deserving of the shit you give him. He's trying to save our lives." I told her directly as she shut her mouth to go silent.

"I had everyone turn on me since this all started. Everyone but him. And so far he's proved ten times over to me that he's trustworthy. He's not in this for the money or for us."

"Then what does he want?" My sister then asked as I calmly replied.

"He just wants to make the world a better place."

Hearing my words made my sister relax. Reaching over towards her as her eyes darted the ground. I grabbed onto the rim of her hat and pulled it off her head gently. Her orange hair popped out from under as I got a look of sad eyes from her as I lowered the hat to my side to urge.

"Just relax a little. Okay?"

Letting me keep her hat, she looked right back up at me to reply.

"Okay."

Putting it on my head, I said while shooting her a smile.

"You smell."

Widening her eyes she replied.

"Fuck you. You smell. How long since you bathed?"

"A day bitch. Now stop bullshitting me and get your ass to the shower. I know you like them just as much as I do." I told her as she reached over to grab her hat back. Just nodding her head as she took it off me, she replied while walking passed.

"Fine."

With a smile, I watched as Pepper made her way to the bathroom which was on the other side of the room. Looked really nice but I decided to stay back as she walked in to look around. Dropping her bags as she realized she was actually safe for once to relax a little, Pepper gently undid her cloak. Slowly I walked over as she got it off exposing all she had under. My eyes couldn't help but stare as she was clearly packing more then I imagined.

"You armed enough?" I asked her jokingly as she looked back at me to reply.

"You weren't fighting an army by yourself. You think I'd fuck around after what happened to my arm?"

Widening my eyes as she turned her back towards me, I questioned as I saw her AK-47 still hung around her back.

"What happened to your arm by the way? I never asked."

My sister was still god's best looking badass. And she didn't even try to look good. Carefully taking off her AK, I watched in silence as she placed it along the wall next to the shower door. Once placed she replied while bending back up to look at me.

"See for yourself."

Taking a step into the bathroom, I approached my sister as she got off her vest with careful ease. My eyes looked to it with some surprise because it was just like mine. She must have stole it back when she was in Russia. Can't blame her ether. It's the best vest I ever owned. Raptor can agree with that since it saved his life once. Well...maybe it did. I thought to myself as she soon handed me the vest and began to unbutton her red and black plaid shirt. My eyes were staring at the arm the whole time as she slipped out of it exposing a beat up brown tank top and her thin black arms underneath. As my eyes looked to the upper part of her shoulder she urged again.

"Feel right under the blade."

Grabbing her gently, I began to feel around. All I felt was something hard and in confusion I asked.

"Rods?"

Nodding once she replied.

"I got lucky it didn't take my arm off. The doctor who patched me up said it was a miracle. I get pain once in a while but it's a small price to pay. I don't know how I'd survive if I only had one good arm."

Letting her arm go, I just continued to watch as she undid the ammo harness she had on. Some of the clips were missing but I can guess why. Before she went to put it down next to her rifle, she took off this weird wristband she had on her left arm. It looked like a really thin metal plate, but at the same time it looked like a regular wristband. I was curious as to what it was, but I just kept focused as she soon placed it down next to the rest of her gear. When she went for the ammo belt however, I asked as I noticed it had some grenades on it.

"What's your plan now that we're here?"

Looking back to me as she took off her shirt, she replied while handing it to me.

"Get washed. Why are you so concerned? Is Raptor making you keep tabs on me?"

Laughing as I dropped her shirt to the ground, I replied back.

"No."

"Bullshit." She stated as I chuckled and asked again.

"Seriously. What are you planning to do now?"

With the girl half naked in front of me, she replied while undoing her bra.

"I just want to get some sleep after this Zeta."

As it came off I wondered.

"And tomorrow?"

I waited and watched as she quickly got out of her boots. Then without wasting time she went for her jeans and replied.

"Tomorrow I want to just try and figure some things out."

"Like what?" I asked curiously as she began to pull down her pants. My eyes couldn't help but notice she wasn't wearing any underwear. Letting out a small laugh Pepper ordered.

"Don't laugh. I ran out of clean clothes days ago. So go fuck yourself."

With her jeans hitting the floor, I listened as she went on to say.

"I don't know yet."

"You should think about talking with Raptor a little. He's a good guy. You might like him."

Looking me directly in the eyes Pepper replied.

"Like a guy who put my own gun to my head? No your fucking insane. As far as things go between us I could care less if he gets killed tonight."

"But tomorrow?" I asked sensing she was changing face. Giving me a deep stare she replied quietly.

"Tomorrow...tomorrow we'll see."

"He wasn't going to shoot you." I tried to tell her as she quickly turned around to reach into the shower.

"He was sure as shit going too. You saw those eyes? He's a fucking nut."

"Your a fucking nut." I told her back as she instantly replied with a defensive voice.

"I'm...I'm special. I get that okay? But I'm always thinking about what to do next. Him? He just did that shit to get me rattled."

"And it worked Pep." I stated as she let out a soft growl. Keeping some pressure on her I added.

"Raptor does things before thinking. You'll learn that too the more time you spend with him."

"The next time I want to spend time with the guy will have to be in a ring. Cause I want to strangle him after that shit."

Smiling as I watched her turn back around towards the sink, I listened on as she said.

"If he was capable of beating you while you were on venom; I really want to fight him."

"He might kill you if you attack him babe." I tried to tell her as she continued to growl. Then she shouted.

"He's an old fucking hedgehog! Next time I get the chance he won't catch me like he did tonight slipping Zeta! I'll...?" I watched as she went silent. Slowly her body began to shake and I looked in the mirror to see her eyes were red. She bit her tongue as it was clear she wanted to scream. Approaching her from behind, I reached for her arm and ordered softly.

"Stop."

Turning around to face me, I stared at those red orbs directly to state.

"You're not going to do anything. You want to fight him? I'm sure he'll be down for it. But killing each other isn't something neither of you are capable of. He cares about us. He cares about what happens and we wouldn't be here together if it wasn't for him Pep. You're just mad he's probably the first guy to tell it straight to your face."

"Tell what to my face?" She then asked as I smiled and replied bluntly.

"Your a bitch."

Her eyes widened as I said it directly for her to hear. Lowering her ears and losing her red eyes she asked unsure.

"Am I?"

"Yes." I replied with laughter as she looked away very slowly and tried to turn away. Grabbing her by the arm, I pulled her back around and pressed my lips to hers. It was amazing to do this again. Pepper was caught completely off guard as I soon pulled off her lips to whisper.

"You are. But I love you regardless. And this feud needs to end. So tomorrow all I want from you is for you to just relax and leave him alone. You want to talk to him? Say some shit to piss him off cause your mad? Make sure you grab me first so I can at least watch his reaction. But Pep?" Her ears were pointed right up at me as her eyes were soft. Knowing I had her attention, I whispered while placing both my hands on her shoulders.

"Trust me. He's only trying to help. Okay?"

Bringing my right hand forward, I tapped her right on the nose. Her whole face was slightly red as I knew I surprised her with that kiss. But I've been waiting to do that for a long time. So regardless I knew she understood why. Just slowly looking over to the shower she asked.

"Can I get washed now sis?"

Smiling I replied while letting her go.

"Yeah. Get your ass moving. By the way your shedding again." Watching as she slowly left my side, Pepper soon got in the water and turned to stare at me for a good three seconds. The whole time I just continued to smile as she got her hand on the glass door. Once starting to close it she muttered.

"Zeta?"

"Hmmm?" I mumbled back as we locked eyes one more time. Keeping her stance slightly hunched over she replied while shutting the door.

"Fuck yourself."

I caught a smile come off her face as the door shut. With a warm heart I gathered myself and turned to leave the bathroom. After shutting the door I questioned what to do next. I could go see Raptor before he gets to sleep. I'm sure he's about to pass out any second, but I wanted to at least ask him what he was doing when he decided to pull a gun on her. But I could guess why I suppose. Problem now was how was I going to break the news to Pepper? I wanted her to like him for my sake since I loved him. But I barely knew how to say it to her. I'm sure she'd lose her mind if she knew our relationship fully. And the last thing I want is for her to catch us together. That would be hard to explain. I wanted to figure out a story first. Hopefully something good. Or at the least something to gently lead her into it. I don't know yet. This was still fresh and right now I knew I had the time to figure it out for once. Maybe I should at least be smart for once and get some sleep before tackling this.

Looking to the set of beds Pepper and I had now for each other to sleep in. I looked to the bathroom door to ask myself the other question that lingered in my mind.

How do I explain what he is? Do I even bother? Not like I was eased into it when I got shot in the neck. Raptor just did it and trusted me to remain calm about it all. Which I was, but I had no clue what Pepper would think. That old fucking hedgehog? A god? She'd probably fully lose her mind if she tried to understand that. But with her arm clearly hurting her, I wondered if he could help. I'm sure he could after everything else he's done. But would he bother with her at this point? For all I know he's actually mad at her for how she was treating him. I wanted to believe he was more mature then that but I know how he gets. Pepper is a bitch and she knows it. But clearly you can see a soft side in her. She folded when Raptor used some of his power to outclass her back in the hallway. No one gave it second thoughts when he managed to draw her own weapon that fast. She was on venom and she stood no chance. She had to be hiding it. But I'm sure she wanted answers. And I'm sure she would at some point ask. Or at the least I knew she would try to beat them out of him. But god was she in for a rude awakening if she tried to fight him. But I don't know for sure. Pepper is a perfect user. She might have a chance. But I guess I won't know till it happens. I know Raptor wouldn't kill her if she fought him, but I knew Pepper wouldn't stop till she was dead. It's not her style and she has never been beaten in CQC. But I know my sister. She respects force. Kinda why I think she's getting a little bit softer now with him. Raptor slapped her across the face with his strength. She knew she was scared and she knew she was beat. So she stopped. Now she knows he can't be fucked with as easy as she thought. If she loses to him in a fight and I mean a good and real one. She'll submit. She might even like him after. If she didn't at least a little already.

Letting my bag rest on the ground, I laid back and decided to just fold my hand for the night. I was tired and this would be the time to actually get some rest without worries. Raptor can wait.

As my eyes began to go heavy, I thought about Cody. Another perfect user and I have yet to see anything come from him. I was really curious what that little kid could do. Besides talk an ear off.

Cody's POV.

"Ahhh that was great." I said to myself as I got out of the shower at last. Grabbing a towel from a nearby stand near the shower, I quickly got dry and opened the door to look out into the main room. My eyes rested on Raptor as he was asleep already. That dog of his was at his legs just as passed out and it made me tired just looking. Once I was dry, I got on my underwear and my combat pants. Then made my way out into the main room while fixing my hair.

"Guy doesn't miss a beat." I whispered as I was impressed he fell asleep so fast. I'd be sweating if I knew I'd have to share a bed with a merc I just met. Guy must be trusting. Or maybe he was something else. I have yet to figure it out, but I was curious. Hopefully in a few days I could get some more information. This dude was a legend and regardless I knew my place. Step one is to gain some more trust. Hopefully tonight will be peaceful. I still was tired regardless of all the stress. So as soon as my hair was fixed, I sat down on my side of the bed and looked to my bag. Resting it on the nightstand next to me as I laid back, I lifted up my hat and stared at it for a second before placing it down on the ground. Looking to my right, I again looked at Raptor. My eyes widened when I suddenly felt cold.

"Oh shit." I whispered as I got under the covers. Even under here it was cold as ice cubes. What the fuck? I wondered as I stood up to put on a shirt I had. Trying again; I laid down and just began to focus on zoning it out. It took some time but god was it fucking cold. In confusion I reached over and placed my hand over his back. My whole mind went wobbly as it was clear the temperature was coming off him. In utter loss for words, I pulled my hand back and just took my care to stare at the back of his head. What the hell was causing that? I wondered as I decided enough was enough and for me to just try to rest. There was no way that was natural. Just what the hell was he? I tried to ask myself as I soon found a spot where I felt comfortable.

Shutting my eyes, I couldn't help but think about it. I know some users get hot when the venom is in their veins, but as far as I knew he wasn't a user. Or was he? God knows. He's been at war for years. Has a service record that rivals the best out there. Guy might be one and he might not know it. Or maybe he does. Fuck this was unreal. With the hair on my back standing up, I soon felt my head go limp. Let tomorrow bring warmth. Cause I wasn't built for this.

mT Shadow.