Throwing it way back to high school days with The Trio!

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"Hey," Donovan said.

Though Carter would never in a million years admit it out loud, she loved his voice. She loved the deep and smooth rhythm of it. Loved how it didn't matter what she was going through if she heard him talk to her he could make her struggle lessen even a fraction.

Carter shook her head. A month of dating and she loved his voice. She cringed at how sappy she sounded in her own head.

"Hey," she said. "Where are you?"

"I'm out with Brock having dinner. What's up?"

Carter looked at Donovan's apartment door and then down to the plastic bag of takeout she held. She lifted her head and glanced down the hallway to Link's apartment.

"Nothing," she said. "I won't bother you during your dinner. Have fun with Brock."

"Carter-"

"I'm hanging up now, you don't have to apologize for having a brother."

Before she knew Donovan would say that he would cut his dinner short or something else that would make her feel guilty towards Brock, she hung up. Pocketing her phone, she walked to Link's apartment and knocked. He opened the door, his eyes widening with surprise.

"You busy?" she asked.

Link smiled but it faltered as he sent a look down the hall towards Donovan's apartment. His shoulders sagged and Carter knew his thoughts before he even spoke them.

"Did you go to Donovan's, find out that he's not there, then come here?"

"Yup."

Link dropped his gaze from her and Carter punched him in the shoulder lightly.

"I went there to invite him to come over here so we could all have dinner together." She lifted the bag. "We now have to eat all of this and I ordered for four people knowing how much Donovan eats."

Link perked up and stepped back so that she could enter. She didn't fault him for his assumption, besides Donovan, she knew that friends were new territory for him. As it was for her.

Taking spots on the opposite side of the couch, Carter set the bag of food down between them.

"What did you get?" Link asked.

"Since I don't know what takeout either of you likes yet-"

"What?" Link asked. "You don't have every bit of data about us and our preferences memorized?"

Carter threw a pillow at his head and Link laughed as he tried to duck but it hit him in the ear.

"I'm not that bad," she said.

"Carter, you're the worst. I went years without anyone putting together who I was and you figured it out within a week. I assumed you've spent the last month cataloging everything else about us."

"Not everything," she said, kind of hating that he knew this about her.

She liked to know things, it made her feel comfortable. Knowledge meant understanding and the capability of handling whatever situations that might arise. Knowledge meant making sense of people and the world. Captain taught her that. The more she knew the more she could foresee problems.

Link grinned. "But mostly everything."

Carter didn't say anything and Link laughed again. Though she didn't mind it all that much because when he laughed it was never at her but with her. That felt rare in her life.

"I brought sandwiches from Maggie's," Carter said. "Because I don't know anyone who doesn't like sandwiches."

"I don't either. I love sandwiches."

Carter laid out the different types and Link picked one. They both ate, neither feeling the need to speak. Though she'd never imagined it possible, she felt comfortable sitting and eating with Link. It had been years since she'd had friends and had been afraid she didn't know how to have them. But right then, she didn't feel that worry.

"You don't wear your glasses at home?" Carter asked.

"No. It's the one place where I don't have to."

"Makes sense."

Link smirked. "Another bit of information for your database."

"I'll hit you with another pillow."

"Okay, okay. I just think it's funny."

"It's what I do."

"Yeah, I noticed."

Uncertain, Carter broke from his gaze. "Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"No. Donovan does the same thing. Only he has a reason, you're just strange."

Carter grabbed a pillow, reached over, and started hitting Link with it. He huddled into a ball, shielding his head with his arms as he laughed.

"I take it back!" he shouted. "Okay, I take it back."

Relenting, Carter sat back and Link waited a second before he uncurled himself.

"I should have just left when I realized Donovan wasn't home," she said.

"Then you'd have to eat for four people all by yourself."

A lump formed in Carter's throat and she swallowed hard, focusing on not letting the image of the empty apartment overtake her thoughts.

"You okay?" Link asked.

For a moment, she thought of not saying anything, thought of brushing it off. But he was her friend, what kind of friendship would it be if she didn't share the truth with him? She took in a breath and let it out, gathering her courage.

"Captain went back to work today," she said. "The President has a two-day trip and so... So Maggie will be with me at night but she works late."

"Oh." Link shifted and then hit his foot against hers. "I'm glad you came over then. My mom works late and without Donovan it would be lonely."

Carter nodded and felt the tightness in her throat lessen. The pressure in her chest she knew would never go away. Years of her reality had formed a permanent weight that always grew in size when Captain left. Most days when he walked out the door the weight would press down on her heart until she saw him walk back through the door at night. Trips were a heavy pressure that lessened only with the sound of his voice on the phone.

"I do have homework to do," Link said.

"Same."

As if in an unspoken agreement, they finished off their sandwiches and pulled out their work. Carter sat with her legs tucked under her, her computer on her lap. The only thing that broke their silence was the occasional ding of Link's phone. Carter never had to ask who it was, the glint in his eyes gave him away.

After an hour of work, Carter set her computer down and stood, stretching her arms above her head. Link looked up from his work.

"Break?" he asked.

"You have ice cream?"

"I think so."

Together they journeyed to the freezer to see if Link had something sweet worth eating. To their luck, there was half a carton of ice cream. With two spoons, they plopped down onto the couch next to each other, sharing the carton.

"How do you know if you're in love?" Link asked.

Carter snorted. "Yeah, not the person to be asking that question."

Link nodded. "I'll ask Donovan."

"I'd be curious to know his answer and how he got to it."

Link eyed her, his spoon in his mouth. "You don't think he loves you?"

"I think we've been dating for a month and the word love has a lot of weight and shouldn't be easily said."

"That makes sense."

"Do you love Maddy?"

"Yes."

Carter couldn't help but love and admire the surety in which Link spoke it. It wasn't hesitant like the boy she knew he could be about most things. It was simple to him.

"But you asked how do you know?" she said.

"Yeah, because I didn't know if it felt different to you than to me. I figured everyone discovers they're in love in different ways."

It was a thought Carter had never thought about before. Though rarely did she take the time to contemplate the nature of love and how it might change from person to person. The only love she knew and trusted was that of Captain's to her and hers towards Captain.

Even her love for Maggie felt scary, though she knew she loved Maggie. Still, there was a part of that love that felt a little guarded.

"It might be," Carter said. "I'll let you know when I know."

Link nodded and dug his spoon into the ice cream before holding the carton out to Carter. She took it absentmindedly while staring across the room at the display of photos. It might be weak but dwelling on the thought of love unsettled her. It was a factor that she knew made a person vulnerable. She didn't know if she felt ready for that type of vulnerability.

So instead, she looked at the photos of Link growing up. She paused on the one of Link and Donovan from their middle school graduation.

"How did you handle it when Donovan had hard days?" she asked.

Link frowned at her confused then followed her line of sight to the photos.

"Oh. I didn't have to," Link said. "Donovan didn't have bad days."

"Of course he did. He was older than everyone and bored a lot of the time. He had to have bad days."

"Nope. You know Donovan, nothing gets to him."

For a long moment, Carter simply stared at Link. Six years and Link truly believed that Donovan had never had a bad day in all that time. She focused back on the photos and understood. In them, she saw Link, a young, vulnerable boy thrown into a new and unexpected reality.

"I'm going to say this with all the love of a best friend," Carter said, holding out the carton to him. "But you're a little slow sometimes."

Scowling, Link took the carton. "What are you talking about?"

"Link, how did Donovan react when your father was reelected?"

Link glanced away in thought. "He was chill about it. I didn't handle it well but he was who he always was. He even went for a run afterward."

Carter loved Link, she really did but he could be a bit dense. No, that was too harsh, he simply had been shielded but had never seen the person holding up the shield.

"I'm telling you this now because you should know but Donovan didn't just protect you from people, he protected you from himself as well."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Donovan probably had hundreds of bad days, but he never let you see them. He stayed level-headed and calm at all times so you never had to feel the burden of his job."

"Is this speculation or fact."

"It's fact based on things Donovan has shared."

Link handed Carter the carton and stood. He wore a troubled frown and Carter felt her stomach clench. She'd wanted Link to understand the other side of Donovan but now she wasn't sure if that was her place at all.

Link left and Carter sank back on the couch, dropping her head back. There was no denying it, she kinda sucked at this friends thing.

*****

Voices roused Carter from her doze. Not remembering where she was or who was talking, she remained completely still in her curled-up state. As she put names to the voices, she remembered she was at Link's and had fallen asleep on his couch when he hadn't returned from his room.

Though she knew she could move or alert Link and Donovan to her awake state, the tone of their voices made her pause, not sure if it was a good time.

"Why didn't you tell?" Link asked.

"Because you are my job."

"Does that mean that I'm not also your best friend?"

"You are."

"Then you should have told me when you were struggling. I could have... I don't know, not fixed it but at least helped you in some way."

"I appreciate the thought but I wasn't going to put my troubles on the shoulders of a kid," Donovan said.

"I was a kid. But I'm not now. I haven't been for a couple of years. You didn't have to keep it to yourself."

"What is this about, Link? I know you understand why I kept things from you. Why is it a big deal?"

"Because you're my best friend and I don't know if I've ever been yours!"

Carter stopped breathing at the outburst, her heart tearing at the raw pain and hurt in Link's voice. The silence that followed stretched on until Carter had to let out her breath.

"Do you really believe that?" Donovan asked quietly.

Link sighed heavily. "Yes. No. I'm not sure, but thinking about the fact that you might have had so many bad days and I never once even noticed... What type of person does that make me? What kind of friend?"

"Do you want to know what I did on the bad days?" Donovan asked.

"Called your brothers because you couldn't talk to me."

The statement didn't sound bitter, simply resigned to the truth.

"Yes," Donovan said. "But I also hung out with you. I'd never been big on video games growing up but I played countless hours with you because I needed you, I needed your company. I needed to not feel alone and sitting with you and yelling at the screen helped me get through those hard days."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. You're my best friend Link. You always were and always will be."

Carter couldn't see but she guessed from the rustle of clothes they were hugging each other.

"I'm sorry for yelling," Link said.

"Don't worry, it's what brothers do. Now that we have solved this we can tell Carter she can stop pretending to sleep."

Carter winced and slowly rolled over to find both guys looking at her, Link with a smirk and Donovan with raised eyebrows.

"I didn't want to interrupt," she said.

"Interrupt the conflict you sorta created," Link said.

"Well, yeah. But look, you resolved it and are closer than before."

Donovan shook his head at her while Link rolled his eyes. She'd accept those reactions, they were mocking but at least they weren't resentful for causing the problem.

Reaching for her phone, she checked if she'd missed any calls or messages from Captain but found none. She took in a breath and reminded herself that the time change would affect communication.

Noticing the time, she realized how late it was. She packed up all her things and slung her strap over her head.

"Now that everything is okay again," she said. "I have to go home. Link, thanks for the ice cream and company."

She moved to the door but Donovan intercepted her.

"I'm driving you home," he said.

"It's okay, I can take the metro."

"I want to drive you home."

Something in his expression made her pause. She looked at Link and he shuffled his foot in response. He'd told Donovan why she stopped by that day and its significance. That must have happened before the question of their friendship was brought up.

"Okay."

On the drive to her home, Carter didn't speak. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what she wanted Donovan to say. She figured from his silence that he was at a loss as well on what to say. So they spent the time staring out at the streetlights and passing cars.

When they arrived at her apartment, Carter inspected the windows but found them all dark. Maggie must still be at the deli. Which made sense, it wasn't too late for her to be finishing closing up.

"Thanks for the ride," Carter said.

She climbed out and closed the door, expecting Donovan to drive away. But instead, he got out of the car and came to her.

She didn't know what he planned to say but to her surprise, he didn't say anything instead he hugged her.

For the space of a breath, Carter didn't react, not sure if she wanted this comfort because if she accepted it then she'd be admitting her fears and in doing so expose her vulnerability.

Donovan tightened his hold and Carter wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him.

"Tell me he'll be okay," she whispered. "Please tell me he'll come home."

When Donovan didn't respond right away, she knew he was trying to weigh whether telling her a statement that he couldn't promise would be what she needed or not.

"He'll be okay," he said next to her ear.

The words in his soothing voice alleviated a little of the pressure in her chest.

"He'll be okay," she repeated.

Donovan let go of her and she stepped back. "Umm... thank you."

"I'll wait until you're inside."

At her front door, Carter looked back at Donovan standing by his car. He nodded to her, one last silent encouragement. She went inside and flipped on a light, bringing a bit of warmth to the darkened space.

Dropping her bag by the door and stepping out of her shoes, Carter walked into the small hallway but went into Captain's room. She crawled onto the bed and curled up with one of his pillows.

Despite the uncertainty of the future, she fell asleep, comforted by Donovan's reassuring voice in her head and the scent of her father around her.

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Hey there my little hot pocket!

(Are you the food or are you pants pocket that's been set on fire? It's up to you, which fits your personality more)

OH GOSH!! AGES! IT'S LITERALLY BEEN AGES! I can't believe how long it's been since we've seen the Trio.

I didn't even think  about how much I missed them until I wrote this. Also I didn't expect it to be so cute between Carter and Link, their dynamic is really special.

But that's my thoughts, what did you think about it? Or what are you emotions over it? 🗯💬💭🎉

Honestly, I can't get over how long its been since we've spent time in this era of their lives. Also how different they feel to me at this time period. There's something about this time that's so... innocent? I don't even know how to describe the word. Wholesome? Heartwarming?

I don't know, but it's something that I definitely think we need more chapters of.

Do you agree:

Heck yes! Bring them on!

I've been telling you this more months!

Sure, but I like the other chapters more.

No! ZANDER! ZANDER! ZANDER AND PANDA!

Let the wars of different opinions begin!

Ha, like you would go to war over something like this, I know you are better than that.

Me on the other hand, sure I'd go to war over a simple opinion!

Though it does depend on what the opinion is and how strongly I oppose it...

So maybe war is on the back burner, which means its always simmering and could be turned into a kitchen fire if I pour grease on it.

Ah, a metaphor for my life.

Not really but whatever.

But if you say it's not I'll definitely fight you!

Vote, comment, follow, I know that's sudden but its to distract you from my behind attack! *jumps onto your back and tackles you* SURPRISE!

Okay now for something normal. Here are my shout out comments from At Fault!

☺️

🥰🙈

Also this is just a comment from A Secret Service that I had to share because I just go 🥰 when I see it.

It works so well! Carter and Donovan protecting Link!