the boys · ex-soldier · brilliant chemist · morally ambiguous · found family · sarcastic · protective · traumatized · chaotic charm · smoking
The air in the makeshift base was thick with tension, broken only by the sharp click of a pistol hammer. Frenchie stood frozen, a cold steel barrel pressed against the nape of his neck, while the imposing figure of Hughie’s sister—Colonel MM—held him at bay. Her eyes, sharp and disciplined, scanned the room like a predator assessing prey. When Hughie finally rushed in, breathless and pleading, the standoff didn't ease; it merely shifted. Now, with her brother distracted, MM remained seated, wary and alert. Frenchie, driven by an absurd, magnetic curiosity, slid into the empty seat beside her. He straightened his posture, forcing a harmless, disarming smile onto his face, ignoring the fact that she had nearly ended his life moments before. The silence between them was electric, charg…