Love Struck Delusion
Chapter 304 - I did promise.
Raptor's POV, Twenty minutes later, Ron's bar.
Ron was surprised to see me with such a large group of people, but he somehow still smiled and put on a cheery voice as he asked me on the approach.
"I wanted to stop in and see you. How are you Ron?"
Patting me on the shoulder he replied.
"I'm good. What's going on with all the folks you got here?"
Chuckling I replied with Zeta coming up to my side.
"Something special."
Ron never met Zeta, but when he did I saw his whole posture change. It was clear he found her attractive enough to get his tongue caught from saying something back. Taking her chance, Zeta stated.
"Nice to meet you. Raptor talks about you a lot. My name is Zeta."
Still flabbergasted, I added just to see his reaction.
"She's the one."
Jumping to the thought of it, Ron replied.
"Really? Wow…..just wow. It is nice to meet you. I had no idea what you looked like up till now. I wasn't expecting you to be so beautiful."
Blushing a bit, she said back to him.
"Oh wow thank you. Do you mind if we take a seat?"
Almost instantly Ron replied.
"Of course! Sit wherever you want! Please!"
With Zeta thanking him again and heading for the nearest booth with the rest of my friends, I took a moment to hear from him as he still eyed Zeta.
"She's one smoking ace Raptor."
Laughing a bit I replied.
"Thanks Ron."
Looking back to me now, he wondered.
"What was I saying? Oh yeah. What's the special occasion? Are you two having a baby?"
Smiling, I replied back while slowly looking away from the bear.
"Actually yes."
Ron for a second thought I was joking and began to laugh. However he picked up quickly on how I actually said that back to him and widened his eyes a moment later to question.
"What?! Are you serious!?"
Now looking back at him, I replied.
"I'm serious."
With a show of force and emotion, the bear ran into me and picked me up in his arms to shout out in shock.
"You're serious?! Are you fucking with me!?"
Now being twirled, I laughed out.
"No! I'm not fucking with you! Holy shit Ron!"
Putting me back down, he shouted back.
"I'm sorry! I just…!?"
Letting out a loud chuckle, Ron managed to control himself again, but now had the energy of a ten year old. Rushing behind the bar; he screamed out to everyone.
"Free drinks! Come place your orders! This is a celebration!"
"Fuck yes!" Pepper replied as she jumped on the chance to begin her assault.
With more and more people getting riled up, I made my move to where Zeta was. Reaching her side I asked her.
"What do you want?"
With her hands on her stomach, she looked back up at me to reply.
"Just a shot of the strongest thing he's got behind the counter. If I'm doing only one take, I want it to be a good one."
Nodding my head to show my approval, I turned back towards the bar before saying back.
"Sounds like a good idea. Ron!?"
I shouted out over all the noise. With the bear looking back at me while shaking, I placed the first order. Hopefully by the end of the night we'll have him running on empty.
Marcus's POV, Eight Months later, Afghanistan capital.
Things were going along well with the middle east ever since Raptor took his first term. It's only been months, but he's shown a lot of people, most importantly the world; of his ability and humanity. His kid was only a few weeks from being born and thus far he's been able to keep his word to her, but without setbacks of course. He's still burned emotionally from all of this life, and without question could never truly fix or even hide it.
However he is a figure. He's not a tyrant like Archer was. He's turned his home around and without a doubt he's been happy. Yet there were some things he's been worried about. Mainly when it came to Zeta's past. So far nothing has happened but he has become more cautious. The rebellion was a thing of the past now that he's reformed the government. He's maintained a good mass of combat ready fighters and even organized a sort of law system. It's more or less the same as it was before. His soldiers were protectors of anything unjust and he was indeed still the acting commander of said troops and operations. He'd be that for the next four years regardless of if he wanted to or not.
He's also been waiting for that other wolf to report about Hunter. Problem wasn't her fault. Hunter was very intelligent and has covered her tracks well. Anytime Vetra locks on she manages to escape somehow. I doubt she'll ever truly lose her, because Vetra enjoyed the chase. What mattered was completing her task. Zandro though has been in touch. He had confidence it would end someday soon. It would take a miracle for Vetra to lose her scent. It was all just a matter of time.
Now with myself, I stood outside Raptor's room. I knew he was in there because the night was coming to a close and I needed an answer. So with that in mind I took a step through the door to find him getting undressed by the bed. In the process of taking off his shirt, I took a second to let him realize I was there. When he got the shirt over his head his eyes had locked onto me. Giving him a smile I greeted back.
"Long time no see."
He wasn't angry or anything. He was just thinking about the situation. Keeping my voice low and calm, I told him bluntly.
"I need an answer Raptor."
He kept silent as I took a step forward to state.
"Things have gone well for you since we've last spoken. I've done my best to leave you alone and give you the time needed to think it through, but it's come to an end and I have to ask you again."
Looking me back in the eyes, I asked him carefully.
"What do you want to do now that you're here?"
I could tell he had an answer ready because once he heard me ask him again; he replied back.
"I don't want to die. I'm sorry but I can't leave this life behind. I have a family coming. Zeta's due within a month Marcus."
Nodding my head I told him.
"And that's okay. I understand. I've been watching. I'm….I'm happy for you."
Raptor now looked slightly torn. I think he was expecting me to act differently to his answer, but thankfully I wasn't; so I went on to say to him.
"I don't want that for you."
"Then what do you want from me Marcus?"
Now at his side, I reached out with my hand aimed at the bed. Nodding his head he urged me calmly.
"Go ahead."
Sitting down next to the hedgehog, I informed him of my intent.
"I want you to reconsider taking my position. Or at the very least I want you to still be my demi. If you plan to continue living this life then I would like to offer you everything you'd ever need to protect your family in the coming future."
I could tell Raptor wasn't agonist such things. He was just concerned with Zeta. Reaching out to touch his shoulder, we locked eyes once more. In a confident tone I said to him softly.
"She'll understand. You know that. Have you talked about it?"
Nodding he replied.
"A few times, but at the end of the day she just wants what's best for me. Best for the family we're about to have."
"Plenty of people have seen you do some crazy shit Raptor. No one has questioned you since this all ended?"
Giving me this shake of his head he replied.
"It's taboo to them Marcus. What I could do and what I was frightened most. The few it helped won't dare speak to me openly about it. No one else has to know and even if someone came to me with suspicion and tried to get me to expose the reality, I would only have to deny and continue to play dumb. Gods aren't real. What we do isn't real. Only a few people can handle thinking otherwise is possible. For everyone else it would drive them to the brink of insanity."
He was correct and I knew the truth of what he was trying to say. Nodding my head, I proceeded to say to him.
"So it would be easy enough to live with."
"The issue is just that Marcus." Raptor fired back as I went silent to what he was about to say.
"The problem is living. I wouldn't age. I couldn't die from that or the issues mortal bodies have over time. Potentially I could outlive Zeta and my soon to be daughter. The thought of that isn't something I want to ever see happen."
For a moment we just stopped. Both of us managed to look elsewhere as we collected our thoughts going forward. With my mind at ease I looked over to see him slumped over onto his knees. With his back facing me I got an idea to break this scene. With my voice displaying a hint of interest, I mumbled under an already quiet whisper to my friend.
"You know….you still owe me a date with that girl."
I saw his ears twitch the moment he registered what I just said. With it he sat up to question.
"Excuse me?"
Playing my part I replied.
"The girl we met at the bar? You know which one. You said you thought she had the hots for me. Can I cash in that chance? Might be a nice change of pace for both of us. You've been so busy lately and I'd bet you'd like the night out to yourself."
Almost laughing he informed me.
"The change of pace that would lead to Marcus is one I'm not so sure you're into."
"Oh?" I replied with a small chuckle as he quickly laughed it up to state back.
"I'm serious. If she likes you remotely there is a good chance you're going to have to go all the way with her and I'm not bailing you out when it happens either."
"I won't need to be bailed out. I'm asking you to spend a night out with me. Come on. You know I'm not normally about this."
"Which makes me wonder why you're so interested all the sudden." Raptor said to me back as I shook my head.
Getting up from the bed, I now stood above the man. Looking up at me with a small smile I asked him.
"So?"
He was seriously considering the outcome if he agreed. Inside I was still nervous about this kind of thing, but I knew this could only backfire if he said no. With his eyes looking me over he soon replied.
"Okay, but I warned you."
"Just get dressed." I urged him as he reached back down to pick up his shirt. Once he threw it back over his head I reached down to grab his wrist. Looking up at me in confusion I smiled and told him bluntly.
"Hold on."
Like a snap of my finger Raptor fainted. He fell over and with that so did I. I fell down pretty rough, but thankfully the floor was carpet. When I reopened my eyes I felt this spike of pain jabbing at the back of my skull. Reaching back to hold the spot as my reaction, I sat up very carefully and put my other hand up to feel under my nose. When I looked back I found the back of my hand covered in blood. Thankfully the pain leveled out in a matter of a few seconds, but that was worse than the first time for sure. Giving a mortal like him back all he had took almost everything out of me. I was even starting to regret egging him on to do this bar date.
Slowly getting back up on both my feet, I took a deep breath and looked back at Raptor. Gently putting my hand back on him, I applied some force and shook him till he was awake. The reaction he had was the same as mine and once he saw me standing there again did he decide to ask me in anger.
"What the fuck was that?"
"Made an executive decision? Relax for a sec. Let me catch my breath."
Sitting back up, Raptor replied.
"I didn't ask for this."
"Just trust me will you? You don't have to outlive your family if you don't want to. Just accept the power and let's move on." I urged him as he felt his head. Stretching my body out I looked back at him to wonder.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel like I didn't get much of a choice in this matter."
Slapping him playfully on the arm, I begged him.
"Please just shut up about it. You're not taking my place if you don't want to. Just be my demi and let's go back to the way things were."
Once he was recovered, Raptor stood up to mutter as he went for his boots.
"Ohhhh fuck."
"You'll get used to it soon. Just try not to think about it."
Putting on his right boot, he replied.
"You're an asshole. I hope you know that."
Smiling and chuckling at his response, I knew things were okay when he proceeded to ask.
"Are we just…..ahhhh you know what I mean. Are we just jumping to the bar and hoping she's in?"
With the hedgehog almost ready to go, I waited till he had adjusted to the feeling of the power before questioning his previous idea.
"Do you think you can just jump that kind of distance in your condition?"
Shaking his head and heading over to his dresser, Raptor replied while opening the top draw to grab his Glock.
"You got a point. You just want to meet me outside then?"
"What's wrong with being your escort? No one's gonna look twice at us."
"I'm the fucking president Marcus. People always look twice when I'm around."
"Doesn't gloss over my point." I chuckled as he let out a sigh to then reply.
"I guess it wouldn't be a problem. You're already dressed for the part so I assume this was all intentional."
"The world may never know." I joked as he took a second to fix himself up proper. Once he was all set and the gun was tucked behind his back did he unlock the door and beg me.
"Just pray that Zeta went home. I don't want to put her under any more stress."
"I'll be right at your side. Don't worry about me." I urged him back as he turned the knob to snicker sarcastically.
"Yeah right."
When we got back in the hall he began to make a move for the main lobby. I was calm and collected the whole time and when we began our trip down I began to notice a few wandering eyes taking notice. With Raptor a foot in the lead we were ushered through to the outside world where a few of the men guarding the entrance had stopped us to ask.
"Commander Voltz? Where are you off to sir? I thought you were going to bed. Don't you have a meeting tomorrow?"
Nodding his head Raptor replied.
"I do, but that's not till later in the day and I forgot I owed this man a drink or two. Since I have the downtime, I figured it was best to repay that debt. We're heading downtown for an hour or two."
The guy at the door leading into the capital was quickly convinced by the story. However he still asked the million dollar question.
"Do you guys want an escort? Just for security reasons Commander, you know there should always be a unit close by in case of emergencies. If you can hold up for a few minutes I can have a team assembled to tag along."
Shaking his head Raptor replied.
"That's not necessary corporal. We're just going out for a drink then coming back. If it's any help to ease your mind; I'm carrying just for those types of concerns."
With the kid a small push away from being convinced, both Raptor and I looked back when we heard from behind.
"Oh! Can I come with you guys?"
When I looked back, I locked eyes with this very small but extremely cheerful rabbit. Raptor had to have known her because he questioned in confusion shortly after.
"Ryker? What are you doing up at this hour?"
Stopping right between him and I, she replied back honestly.
"I was just on my way out and I saw you guys. And you know I like to drink from time to time. If it's okay with you I'd like to tag along."
"Am I driving you back too this time?" He asked her back with a small smile as she happily replied.
"Maybe."
I just chuckled at her energy. Raptor on the other hand looked back at the guard to wonder.
"If she comes can you consider her my escort for this night?"
Looking down at the small rabbit he questioned.
"Are you combat trained private?"
Nodding she replied.
"Yes sir. I did my basic."
Giving me another look and then going back to Raptor he asked him one last time to be sure.
"Are you sure you want to leave your safety in the hands of a…?" Raptor cut him off the second he caught on to what the guy was trying to insinuate.
"In the hands of what?"
Ryker knew clearly what was going on and looked wide eyed at Raptor as the corporal lost his voice. With seconds passing without him returning an answer, Raptor went on to order.
"You're dismissed."
The kid just nodded out of respect and replied while backing a step away.
"Yes sir. Sorry sir."
Leaving us alone now, I looked back at Raptor to tell him.
"Defensive maybe?"
Giving me a small glare he replied back with a hint of anger.
"I hate it when someone looks down on another based on ether their sex or their appearance. Six foot seven or four foot three, it shouldn't matter."
I just nodded as the rabbit who stood next to me looked at him to say out of respect.
"You didn't have to do that for me Commander."
Locking his attention back on her he went on to ask her back.
"And if I didn't? Ryker, would anyone else have said anything?"
Lowering her eyes she replied.
"No…..probably not. It's just no one has before."
Approaching the young girl, Raptor knelt down to urge her softly after collecting himself.
"Let's just get out of here. Okay?"
Looking back into his eyes she smiled and things seemed to go back to normal. Hopefully things will continue to go well tonight. The last thing I wanted is for this to get out of hand at any point. Because I was already getting worried for my own reasons.
With Raptor finding us a ride we left the capital. I sat in the back as the rabbit took the front with him. Looking over to him she asked.
"So we're going to Ron's?"
Shaking his head as we were on the road he replied back with a smile coming back to his face.
"Nah we got other plans."
Giving him this confused look back Ryker went on to ask him why. I just closed off my hearing to the rest of the conversation that followed.
mT Shadow.