Martha looked like she was going to say something more, but she was interrupted by the sound of someone walking down the stairs.
It had to be Chad.
Bracing himself like he was about to take a punch, Peter listened as Chad made his way toward the kitchen.
“Mom? Dad? I thought I smelled—”
Chad froze in the kitchen doorway when he saw Peter. They stared at each other, and Peter examined the expressions flitting across Chad’s face. Surprise, anger, and—thank God—happiness.
“Chad. We need to talk,” Peter said.
Chad took a deep breath and nodded. “Do you want to come up to my room?”
Peter nodded, walking away from John and Martha without a look back. He and Chad climbed the stairs to Chad’s bedroom, and when he stepped inside Peter felt a rush of affection.
The room was exactly like he’d imagined it would be: plastered in omega posters, each one more tacky and insipid than the last.
Peter imagined Chad in here as a teenager, jerking off and popping his knot left and right, and his cock hardened.
“So what do you want to talk about?” Chad asked, sitting down on the bed. He pulled his legs up to his chest and leaned his back against the wall, looking up at Peter with a blank expression.
“You disobeyed orders,” Peter said, crossing his arms and affixing Chad with a stern stare.
“I did.” Chad held his gaze. His upper lip was stiff and defiant.
“This is a problem."
Chad barked out a laugh, but then he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall like he was exhausted.
“Does that happen often?” he asked, eyes still closed. He opened his eyes and clarified before Peter could answer the question, “I mean, do you just kill anyone the people who hire you tell you to?”
Peter couldn’t help but flinch at the pain in Chad’s voice, and at how personal the question was. Peter braced himself and told the truth.
“I used to, when I was younger. That’s how the whole mercenary thing started,” Peter said truthfully. Chad’s eyes went wide. “But these days we only take legal contracts.”
Chad went from shock to anger like a switch had been flipped.
“I was told to shoot an unarmed civilian in the back,” he snarled, his eyes blazing. “How the fuck is that legal?”
Peter had never been good at countering moral fury. Ignoring it, sure, but coming up with an argument to defend himself other thanI don’t carehad never been his strong suit.
“The laws in the UES are different than they are here. You wouldn’t have broken the law by shooting him. It wouldn’t have been right, but it was legal.”
Chad swallowed and looked away. When he looked back at Peter, his expression was hard.
“I don’t want to work for you anymore.”
“You’ve already been fired.” Peter didn’t know why he said that.
“I don’t want to be with someone who thinks it’s okay to murder people for profit.”
Peter didn’t really have an answer for that.
“So what are you saying?” he asked. He moved over to the bed and sat down next to Chad, their shoulders brushing. Chad moved up the bed until he was sitting in the corner, the space between them speaking volumes.
“I know that we have some kind of connection, and the sex is great, but I’m not sure I actually like you. I think rushing into this was a mistake.”
Peter felt Chad’s rejection like a stab in the gut. Sharp and blinding, it hurt more than anything he’d ever endured in the field. He feltwounded.
