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“You guys wanna hit the bar?” Wolf asked, glancing at the three men with him.
His pilot shrugged. “Sure.”
Slider gave an easy smile, but there was something dark in his eyes that confused the men with him. “No thanks, I’ve got a couple things I need to do. You guys go without me.”
Mav’s eyes narrowed, watching the older man curiously, before slowly asking, “You think Ice would be interested in going?” The three’s confusion only mounted when Slider winced, ever so slightly, hand twitching.
“No, he said he had some paperwork to do tonight, didn’t wanna be disturbed.”
“Aw, c’mon. We can’t let him do paperwork on a Friday night!” Wolf whined as he shared a worried look with Wood. Something was up, made obvious by Slider’s evasiveness and Ice’s absence, and it had worry churning in their guts.
They started towards Ice and Slider’s rental housing as a group, Slider trying to dissuade them as they walked. “Guys, c’mon. Ice said he didn’t want anyone bothering him. He’ll probably be all set to go out tomorrow night. You don’t want to make him mad.”
Mav chuckled, patting Slider’s arm. “Wouldn’t be the first time, Sli. Something’s not right, and we want to know what.” He sent Ron an inquisitive look at that, Hollywood and Wolf stopping beside him as they all waited to see what Slider would say.
Slider hesitated, before shaking his head with a barely there sigh leaving his nose. “There’s nothing wrong, guys. Ice is just tired and asked to be left alone. Please just leave it?” He pleaded.
Mav felt his hackles raise, though he wasn’t sure why. “We won’t bug him, Sli. We just want to make sure he’s alright. Once we see he’s okay, we’ll head out, alright?” It was obviously not alright, because as soon as Maverick started walking again Slider groaned and reached out to grab him. Mav easily ducked the larger man, racing the last few yards to Slider and Ice’s front door, the other three on his heels. He tried the knob, scowling when he found it locked.
“Open up, Slider. I’m not leaving ‘till I see Ice.” He growled stubbornly at the older man. Slider sighed, knowing a losing battle when he saw one, and unlocked his door. Maverick barreled in, eyes quickly scanning for his wingman. The living room and kitchen were empty, so he headed for the bedrooms and bathroom.
“Mav!” Slider hissed angrily behind him. The urgency in his tone made Pete stop and look back at him. Hollywood and Wolf also glanced at Slider in concern. Mav considered his anger, watching his eyes. It wasn’t anger at him specifically, he couldn’t see Ron as a danger to him, not anymore. It was more…protective. For some reason, Ron thought Ice needed protecting. The thought made Maverick’s blood run cold.
He didn’t know what his face was doing, but Slider softened on him, approaching to lay a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Just…let me see him first, okay, Kid? Please?” Mav nodded dumbly, sharing a worried look with Rick and Leo as they watched Slider disappear down the hall.
“What do you think’s up?” Wood whispered curiously. Slider’s quiet tone had effectively muffled them all. Now they were scared of being too loud, though they weren’t sure why.
“I don’t know, but I’m gonna find out,” Mav murmured, listening for a second before heading towards the bedrooms. Holly and Wolf shared a conflicted look as they tried to decide whether to stop Pete or go with him, before their curiosity got the best of them and they found themselves following. As they approached Ice’s closed door, they stopped, listening to the conversation happening inside.
“…’m going to kill him.” Slider’s voice.
They all shot each other puzzled looks. Who?
“It’s fine, Sli. Honest. Nothing I’m not used to.” Ice sounded exhausted.
What in the world happened?
“You shouldn’t be used to this, Tom.” Slider growled.
“It doesn’t really matter if I should be used to it or not. I am and there’s nothing you can do to change it.” Ice snapped defensively. He must have heard it, too, as his next words were much softer. “I’m sorry, Ron. I know you just wanna help but please just leave me be. Please.” Their concern deepened at Ice’s soft plea, none of them had ever heard him sound like that before, close to begging.
“Ice,” Slider’s voice is gentle and filled with regret, “Mav, Wood, and Wolf are waiting in the living room.”
“ What!? Why don’t you open with that, Slider!? What do they want?”
Slider sighed, before, “I said that you weren’t up for going out tonight and they got suspicious.” Then, in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood, “I tried chasing Mav down, but he’s pretty slick.”
Ice huffed a breath, though whether it was in anger or amusement, they couldn’t tell, and then he groaned.
“Can’t you tell them I’m asleep? Sick? Dead? Something?”
“I don’t think it’ll help the situation any if I tell them you’re dead , Tom.” Slider’s voice was undeniably amused. The listeners shared a look. They couldn’t help but notice when he switched from “Ice” to “Tom,” using the pilot’s given name as a soothing tactic.
Ice grumbled something unintelligible, and Slider continued. “Besides, Mav said he’s not leaving ‘till he sees you, and you know how he is.”
“Stubborn brat.” Ice grumbled fondly.
There was a long moment of silence. “So?” Slider finally asked.
Ice groaned again. “I don’t know, Sli! I don’t want to think right now.” They heard the creak as he presumably sat on his mattress, his next words too soft for them to hear.
“ Hey ,” Slider’s voice was a sharp reprimand, “don’t say that, Tom. Ever.”
A soft sigh. “Sorry. I just–every time I see him it’s like I’m back there again, trapped. I don’t know what I’m saying. You can go out tonight, have fun. You don’t have to deal with me.”
“Enough of that,” Slider murmured. “I’m not ‘dealing with’ you.” A pause. “Maybe I should let Mav in, he might be the only one stubborn enough to pound sense into your thick skull.”
“Thanks.” They can hear the eye-roll in Ice’s voice.
“Alright, I’ll go get rid of the troublemakers somehow.”
Before he can overthink it—or think at all—Mav lunges for the door, opening it before Slider gets a chance to. Wolf and Wood tumble in after him, wincing as they do so.
Way to make an entrance, Mav. Very smooth.
As the door swung open and they shoved into the room, Ice jumped to his feet, paling as he flinched, reflexively putting Slider between himself and the door. The obvious fear in the normally controlled Iceman had them freezing in concern, watching him. Slider sent them all annoyed looks, though he didn’t seem surprised to see them.
“Fellas.” Slider growled, voice as clear a warning as his eyes— do anything stupid and I’ll kill you . “Thought I told you to wait in the living room?”
Mav, naturally, answered him first. “Look, we’re sorry, we are. But we couldn’t stay there not knowing what was wrong one second longer!” He didn’t mention that they’d barely stayed there a second to begin with. Mav began moving slowly closer to Ice. “Will one of you please tell me what is going–” Mav abruptly trailed off as he caught sight of his wingman. He was finally able to see why Slider had been so mad earlier.
“Ice! You’re hurt!” He moved forward the last couple of feet, slowing and raising his hands when Ice automatically flinched away from him, tensing. The older man watched him warily but didn’t move as Maverick slowly continued his approach. Hollywood and Wolf remained frozen behind him, not wanting to overwhelm Ice. Mav knew when they were able to see Ice’s face though, after Slider shifted so he could keep an eye on his pilot and Maverick, as well as Wood and Wolf. He could tell by the audible gasps and hiss, though thankfully neither said anything yet.
He lifted a careful hand to Ice’s chin, mothering instincts passed down from Goose coming in full force. Ice allowed his head to be moved, though his jaw remained clenched as Maverick examined him. Mav’s fingers brushed over the large, darkening bruise on Ice’s left cheek, gaze flicking over his body for any more injuries.
“Tom, what happened?” Pete asked, meeting his eyes in concern.
“Nothing, Mav. Took a nasty fall, is all.”
“Yeah, right onto someone’s fist.” Wood muttered darkly behind him. Slider sent them another warning glance as Ice tensed, and the pilot’s next words were much gentler. His gaze softened, posture relaxing as he murmured, “Ice c’mon, you can trust us. What happened?”
“Nothing that concerns you.” Ice growled, mask slipping neatly back into place. It would have worked if they hadn’t already seen it down.
“Bull,” Mav announces, reaching for the older man’s hand. “C’mon, let's put a cold compress on it, I bet it’s starting to hurt.”
Before Ice could argue Maverick had grabbed his hand and dragged him from the room, the other three following after sharing an amused look.
Pete led his patient to the couch, gesturing to it.
“Mav…” Maverick rolled his eyes, placing his hands on Ice’s shoulders and turning his doe-eyes on him, full force.
“Please, Tom?”
Ice bit back a groan as he gave in, allowing Maverick to gently push him onto the couch. Mav ducked into the kitchen, Wolf following him, while Slider sat on the arm of the couch next to Ice. Hollywood took a seat in a chair across from him, not wanting to crowd the tense man.
He watched worriedly as Tom began unconsciously tugging on the hem of his left sleeve, fingering the fabric anxiously as his eyes flicked around the room. Rick realized why when they heard a noise from the kitchen–why did he trust Wolf and Mav alone?–and Ice’s gaze leapt immediately to the door. He was looking for an escape.
Ron also seemed to notice the look and placed a staying hand on Ice’s shoulder, silently reassuring him. Ice settled, ever so slightly, leaning into the hand on his shoulder as his eyes snapped to Mav and Wolf when the two entered.
Wolf trotted over to the chair beside Hollywood, taking in the situation and deciding alongside his pilot not to crowd Ice. Mav, on the other hand, sat next to Ice, though he left some space between them. His brow furrowed when Ice instinctively tensed, before relaxing just as quickly.
Moving slowly, Mav raised the ice pack to Ice’s cheek, the older man automatically grabbing it from him. Despite wincing slightly at first, after a few moments Ice relaxed as the painful heat that had been radiating from the bruise dulled into more of an inconvenient twinge.
They were quiet a few moments, but Maverick had never been overly fond of silence.
“Ice, what happened?”
Ice hesitated for a fraction of a second, before shrugging.
“Had a disagreement with someone.”
Slider couldn’t stop the chuff that left his lips, meeting Ice’s cold glare with one of his own.
“Uh-huh.” Mav murmured, obviously unconvinced.
“Your knuckles aren’t bruised,” Wolf pointed out gently, leaning forward to stare the pilot down. Ice winced at the observation, averting his eyes as a sigh left his nose.
He shifted to place the ice pack on the coffee table so his hands were free and it’d be easier to escape , glaring holes into the floor.
Swaying unconsciously towards Slider he murmured a weak, “Got lucky.”
Maverick rolled his eyes, glancing at Slider. The RIO wasn’t giving them anything, but he had the distinct feeling that without his presence Ice would’ve bolted by now. Seeing that the others weren't going to say it, Maverick plowed ahead.
“Why didn’t you fight back?”
“Mav, would you leave it?” Ice snapped, eyes flashing familiarly. At least Maverick knew how to handle this version of the pilot. “There was a disagreement, I got hit, and left before it could escalate. That’s all.”
“But this has happened before.” Hollywood murmured. It wasn’t a question.
Slider finally spoke up, glaring at them, “Just how long were you three listening to a private conversation?”
“Long enough to know that not only is this a regular thing, it’s something Ice allows to happen!” Mav snapped back, unashamed.
Ron felt Ice tense under his hand, and he sent Maverick a sharp, warning look.
Before he can reprimand the pilot, Ice is snarling, “What makes you think I allow it?”
“The fact that this is apparently something you’re used to? Why don’t you report it? You obviously know him.”
Ice flinches slightly, and Mav is close enough to see soft tremors race across his frame.
“How long has this been going on, Ice?” Mav’s tone is far sharper than he wants it to be, but the anger towards Ice’s attacker is beginning to leak into his words.
“Easy, Mav.” Holly murmurs, eyes trained on Ice as the pilot presses into Slider’s side.
Maverick ignores him.
“How long?!”
At his risen voice Ice flinches, but unlike earlier it’s full-body, back into Slider. The RIO moves his hand to wrap his arm around Tom’s shoulders. His voice is low and firm.
“Lay off, Mav. He doesn’t have to tell you anything.”
Mav’s first instinct is to fight him, but he turns to Wolf upon hearing his name. He meets the RIO’s eyes, easily reads the silent message conveyed with a glare and a tilt of Wolf’s head. He looks back at Ice, feeling guilt well up when he registers that the other pilot is shaking .
“Ice, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” He sighs through his nose, shifting away from the pilot. “I’m sorry.” He makes sure his voice is low and soothing, hands in his lap, watching as Slider ducks his head to murmur something against Ice’s hair. The words ease the pilot to some extent. The tension gradually leaves his shoulders, but the light shaking doesn’t cease.
Mav shares a concerned look with the pair across from him. They watch as Ice’s hands flex, the pilot blinking hard a couple of times, eyes glassy. Their concern mounted, but they didn’t dare say anything. Slider seemed to be successfully calming his pilot with practiced motions, allowing Tom to stay tucked protectively under his arm as he murmured to him, grounding him.
Slider bit back a sigh. As much as he wanted to be mad at Maverick for spooking Tom, he couldn’t find it within himself to be. The pilot, while going about it the wrong way, was simply showing his concern. However, Ice was always tense after one of these “meetings,”—Slider couldn’t help his snarl at the word—and even more high strung than usual. Sometimes something as simple as a door slamming nearby was enough to send him spiraling into a panic attack. Luckily Ice trusted Mav. If he didn’t he would have never let the pilot this close to him when he was feeling this vulnerable. Wouldn’t have stayed here at all if he didn’t trust all of them to some extent.
Slider wondered if they knew that. Maybe a shovel talk was in order.
He’s broken from his thoughts by Ice’s voice, low and weak. Submissive.
Enough to drive Slider to murder.
“I’m sorry, I…” Ice shakes his head, not leaving Ron’s warmth as he whispers, “I shouldn’t have–”
“No, Tom.” Mav cuts him off gently before Slider gets a chance to. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, I shouldn’t have pushed or raised my voice. Slider’s right, you’re not obligated to tell us anything. It’s just–” Maverick breaks off, running a frustrated hand through his hair as he says, “We’re worried, Ice. All of us. We don’t like the idea of someone hitting you for no reason.”
Ice sends him a confused look at that. It makes their hearts hurt. “What makes you think there was no reason?”
Maverick rolls his eyes like it’s obvious. “Because it’s you , Ice. You’re not the type to provoke anyone, or do anything that would justify them hitting you. Me?” Maverick’s lip quirks, “Possibly. But never you, you’re too level-headed for that kind of thing. And you don’t mess up–”
Ice flinches hard at that, paling. Maverick jumps, shooting Slider a panicked look. The RIO winces, one hand reaching down to unclench Ice’s fists while his other tightens his grip on his pilot’s shoulder to ground him.
“Easy, Tom.” The murmur passes his lips almost unconsciously as he tries to prevent Ice from ripping his palms open; however he doesn’t have the right angle to do so without possibly hurting the blond.
Across from them, Hollywood slowly rises from his seat, shooting a quick look at Slider for permission before moving to kneel in front of Ice, ignoring the other man’s flinch. His motions are all slow and carefully coordinated as he reaches up and grabs Ice’s hands, thumbs gently opening his fists. He’s not bleeding, but it’s a near thing with how hard he’d pressed his nails into the skin of his palm, and Hollywood swipes his own thumbs across the abused skin in an attempt to soothe the sting.
Looking up into Ice’s eyes, Wood can’t help the flash of emotion that emerges due to how pitiful the normally confident pilot looks. The bruise along the left side of his face is dark and ugly, angrier in one spot high on his cheekbone. It takes Holly a second to realize the darkest spot is from a ring , and he clenches his jaw to keep from saying anything for the time being. The other pilot is still shaking, he can feel it now as he holds his hands. But his eyes are the worst part. Normally azure eyes are now a dark, fear-filled navy and his pupils are blown wide. The foggy gaze is a sharp contrast to the typically clear and dangerous look. Rick realizes with a start that the other man is spiraling.
“Ron,” He whispers, voice low, helplessly meeting the RIO’s worried gaze. Ice’s breathing is starting to pick up. “Ron, I don’t think he’s here anymore.”
Slider curses softly, shifting to pull away from Ice and his pilot whimpers, flinching at the move, though he doesn’t do anything to stop him. Slider immediately shushes him, keeping one hand on Ice’s shoulder as he takes Hollywood’s spot on the floor in front of his pilot. Ron uses one hand to grab both of Ice’s to ensure he doesn’t start hurting himself again, while his other moves to Tom’s unbruised cheek, gently cupping his face in an attempt to make eye contact. He brings Ice’s hands up to his chest, allowing Ice to feel his heartbeat and breathing as he tries to bring him back.
“Easy, Tom. Easy, you’re alright. Come back to me, Kid. You’re okay, you’re safe. I’m here. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” The words leave a sour taste on his tongue. He already let something happen to the blonde. “Shh. It’s okay, Tommy. You’re okay. I need you to look at me, Tomcat. You’re okay. You’re safe, Tom.”
Slowly, he sees Ice’s eyes clear. The younger man blinks, jerking automatically away from the hand on his face as his mind races to process his surroundings. Ron slowly brings his hand back down, clasping Tom’s wrists as he waits for recognition from the pilot. Ice’s gaze flickers around, gaze taking in the others in seconds before bouncing back to meet Ron’s.
Slider holds still, allowing Ice all the time he needs to process what’s going on, grateful that the other three are staying still and silent.
“Ron?” Ice’s voice is rough and achingly weak as he blinks confusedly at his RIO. “What…?”
“You had a panic attack, Kid. You’re alright. Just breathe for a moment, ‘kay?”
“I…” Tom keeps his focus on Ron, allowing the older man to anchor him as his racing mind finally slows enough to comprehend everything.
He has a headache and there’s the familiar painful warmth of a bruise forming on his left cheek. His palms burn slightly enough that the pain is almost negligible, and Ron has a grasp on his wrists so he must be alright as far as that goes. His RIO is kneeling in front of him. In their housing. Mav, Wolf, and Hollywood are at 9, 11, and 12 o’clock. Shoot.
His first thought is to flee as his cheeks burn, now with shame. He ducks his head, focusing on where Ron holds his arms. He tenses, ready to bolt upright and leave, but a low, “Easy, Tom,” from Slider discourages the notion. Slider might let him run, but there was no way the others were leaving this alone now. Now that he’d broken down. Flinching and panicking like a child. Over what? Getting hit? His father has hit him all his life, why is this time so different?
Because people care.
Despite his mixed feelings about the idea, he can’t deny that it’s true. Aside from Ron, who’d been his best friend for years, and occasionally Nick, no one had ever cared what his father did to him. To have people suddenly hovering, watching him with gazes that were achingly gentle and concerned , was just too overwhelming. He felt his throat close up, meeting Ron’s eyes again pleadingly. He saw the older man’s gaze soften in understanding, before he was suddenly wrapped in Slider’s arms. The position familiar and comforting and safe .
Slider felt his pilot relax against him, blowing out a slow sigh into Ice’s hair as he held him. He knew that the others had more questions than answers at this point, and was just glad they weren’t pushing Ice again. It had taken months of friendship for Ice to be comfortable mentioning his father around him. And a couple of years before Ice actually admitted not just the neglect, mental and emotional abuse, but also the physical. The day after Tom had told him that—how his face was sometimes a myriad of colors, how sometimes he hit the wall so hard movement, no matter how small, ached—Ron had gone to the gym and nearly destroyed a punching bag, since apparently murder was “wrong.”
He stands by the notion that what goes around comes around, and the admiral definitely has something coming for him.
Ice shudders in his arms, and he shushes him as he catches movement in the corner of his eye. He turns his head, lips pressing into Ice’s hair, to watch Maverick. The younger man slowly eases closer, licking his lips nervously as he glances to Slider for assent. Slider raises an eyebrow, watching calmly as Mav sidles up against Ice, their shoulders brushing.
Ice jerks in his hold, pressing closer to Ron in surprise, the hands wound into Slider’s shirt tightening their grip. But just as quickly as his pilot panicked he relaxed again, allowing Maverick to box him in. Slider blinks in surprise and relief, shooting Pete a gentle look, lips twitching in a faint smile.
Maverick relaxes when Ice does, looking relieved as he settles against his wingman. He watches as the shaking that had been plaguing the blonde slows to an occasional tremor, grip on Slider loosening. Glancing at Hollywood and Wolf, he sees their blatant concern as they wait, feeling useless while they keep their distance.
“I’m sorry–”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for. Just breathe, alright?” Slider murmurs, tracing the blond’s spine with one hand.
Ice huffs a sigh against his shoulder, but makes no move to pull away.
“I shouldn’t have freaked out. I’ve dealt with this all my life, I should be used to –”
“No one should be used to this, Ice.” Mav murmurs gently. Pieces begin to fall into place. “Ice, did your father do this?”
The silence that follows his question is an answer all by itself, and Maverick curses. Glancing at Holly and Wolf, he can see their gazes burning with barely restrained anger.
“Ice, that’s assault . Why don’t you report him?” Wolf asks, voice carefully even.
Ice finally pulls back from Ron’s warmth to glare at the duo across from him.
“What good would that do? He’s an admiral , he’s got connections. He’d probably figure out how to talk his way out of it. And if he found out I accused him and endangered his reputation?” Ice’s gaze went distant for a moment, and the blond shuddered, his voice dripping with fear as he murmured, “I honestly don’t know what he’d do.”
Mav’s jaw clenched as he sucked in a sharp breath through his nose. The undiluted terror in Ice’s voice made him want to either kill whoever hurt him or just hug the other pilot and never let him go. Honestly, at the moment he was leaning towards the killing part because no one should be that scared of their own father. He knew that, and he’d had a terrible childhood.
Across from him, Wolf and Wood seemed to be thinking the same thing. Their fists were clenched as they stiffened, and if looks could kill the admiral would no longer be a problem.
Ron’s jaw clenched, but his voice was low and soothing as he rubbed Ice’s hands, whispering, “Hey, Tomcat, don’t get stuck in your head again, Kid. It’s alright.”
Ice blinked, coming back to them far more quickly this time as he sighed, pulling a hand free from Ron’s grip to run anxiously through his hair.
“I’m sorry. You guys don’t have to stay here, you can go out–”
“Nope.” Maverick cut him off, popping the ‘p’ as he continued, “We’re not leaving you alone. It’s movie night.”
Mav glances across the room at Wolf and Holly, relieved to see agreement in their expressions before they even say a word.
Wolf hops to his feet. “I’ll go pop some popcorn.”
Holly huffs with an amused smile, also standing and heading down the hallway.
Slider grins, shooting Mav a grateful look as he eases to his feet, one hand on Ice’s shoulder.
“Alright, then. Scoot over, my knees are already mad at me for sitting on that floor.”
Mav snorts, moving to the end of the couch, as Ice shifts to allow Slider his previous seat. “You getting old, grandpa?”
Slider reaches behind Ice to flick Mav in the ear, grinning at the offended yelp the action draws, allowing his arm to remain along the back of the couch.
“Watch it, Shortstack. I can still beat you three ways to Monday if I feel like it.”
Maverick, like the mature adult he is, simply sticks his tongue out at the RIO. He’s saved from another flick by Hollywood coming back, pillows and blankets in his arms which he promptly dumps on Mav.
“Hey! Why are you guys ganging up on me?!”
“Who else would we gang up on?” Holly asks rhetorically, pulling most of the blankets off Mav, throwing some at Ice and Slider and keeping some to make a nest on the floor in front of the couch.
“Yeah, Pipsqueak. You’re our go-to victim.” Wolf grins from the kitchen doorway. “Didn’t anybody tell you that?”
Maverick shoots him a quick glare and a finger, much to the other’s amusement.
Ice watches the goings-on with a wariness that slowly eases into hesitant hope. Beside him, Slider gets a hold of the remote, and Ice has to bite back a smile when, after a quick channel surf, his RIO lands on one of his favorite movies. It started about twenty minutes ago, but none of them seem to mind.
Maverick stands, stepping carefully around Holly to enter the kitchen with Wolf.
Said RIO comes back after a couple minutes with bowls of popcorn that he cheerfully passes out. Maverick’s on his heels with glasses of water, three of which he sets on the coffee table, which had been pushed to the side. The other two he hands to Slider, along with a couple of aspirin.
Slider sets one glass on the side table to his right, holding the other out to Ice with the pills.
Ice shoots his RIO a hesitant, pleading look.
Slider’s gaze softens, but he doesn’t give in as the other three settle in their spots.
“Just take the pills, Ice. It’s okay. Everything worked out, right?” It won’t do anything to you. Slider’s eyes add. It’ll make you feel better. You’re safe. We’ll be here when you wake up. Just relax. He can’t hurt you anymore. Not here.
Ice sighs, but takes the pills, relaxing into Slider’s side and turning his gaze back to the movie. As he eats popcorn alongside his surrogate brothers, he finds himself settling.
He feels Mav gradually tilt into his left side, head on his shoulder as the young pilot eventually starts dozing. Wolf and Wood are tangled in their nest on the floor, between the couch and the front door, whispering and occasionally throwing popcorn at each other.
Slider remains steady as a rock to his right, and Ice leans his head back against his RIO’s arm, allowing his chin to rest on Mav’s head.
He falls asleep feeling safe and warm, for the first time in his life dozing off completely surrounded by brothers.