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Two weeks go by, nothing happens and Devin finds absolutely nothing in the woods surrounding both of our friends' property. He goes to Lewis's and Tom's place every other day to search around, going into the thick woods at night and staying until he gives up any search for that night. Devin doesn't speak about exactly what he's looking for, on the rare occasion Axel or Tom are curious and ask, my boyfriend gives the simple answer that 'It's classified, I can't tell you.' None of our friends appear surprised or disappointed with this answer, all knowing what Devins job is and that he can't always give specific answers to questions. However, Seán and Lewis are appearing much more twitchy than usual. At night, after dinner and we all sit in the living room to chat or watch a movie, Seán is always alert and muscles will jump or a limb can't stop moving. At every loud noise, a thud or a coyote, the Irishman will grip anything in his hand tightly and take a few breaths as if to calm himself down.

Axel and Zyon are constantly sitting on his lap or cuddling closer, more so than I've seen so far. They don't always look their main dom in the eye and if Axel does accidentally, he'll lower his eyes and kiss Seán on the jaw. Zyon is kneeling far more than he usually does when guests are here. Normally when we visit, Zyon will shy away from kneeling in front of us and just sit on Axels or Seáns lap. Yet, the sight of him on his knees with his nose in Seáns crotch is getting more regular. When Lewis and Tom come over, the brothers will quietly speak while caring for the wilder horses. Lewis won't allow Tommy out of his sight, my submissive friend is only able to go to the barn Zyon and Axel work in when outside. Otherwise, he must stay at the pool, on the porch to wait for his fiancé, or in Lewis's lap inside. Tom doesn't seem very bothered by his lack of freedom around the property, he listens carefully when Lewis will grunt or growl out an instruction and will make sure to be less of a brat.

It seems the more agitated and restless the men get, the more Submissive our friends get. I don't understand this, but I know no one is being abused. I have never seen them be genuinely afraid of Seán or Lewis, no bruises that didn't have a fun and hilarious story of breaking rules or a tease that went too far. No one is timid and scared, they all act normal. So, I don't get this odd situation. Devin has been watching the interactions with more care than previously, seeing something I don't as he has professional training locked in his mind. However, my Dominant hasn't mentioned a thing to me. In fact, when he catches me watching him study our friends, he'll distract me with playful teases or deep kisses. I know Devin doesn't want me to see him eyeing our friends in such a suspicious manner, that he doesn't want me to be upset.

Yet, I can't help being bothered and offended on our friends' behalf when I notice Devin using certain elements of his training on them. Understanding why he's doing it never comes to me, no-one here knows anything and I've told him this, but Devin just shakes his head and shuts the conversation down. He tells me he can't help it, that he's required to look in the least suspected areas and he needs to be prepared for the unexpected. He's on a mission, a deployment and his mind is automatically switched over to his training. We nearly got into an argument about this, yet Devin sensed it and kissed me before he gave the excuse of going searching when he left the room to cool down.

He has work to do, I understand that. Why he has to target our friends isn't what I get, but I'll have to deal with it. Because Devin won't stop, even if he did stop doing it so obviously, to myself at least, he'd still have this silent suspension about them and somehow that seems worse. This way I know what he's doing and won't be very surprised if he admitted his unnecessary suspension, if I wasn't aware I may have reacted poorly. As long as they, our friends, don't see Devins stares or how he studies them, it shouldn't be a problem, even if I don't like it. Axel, Zyon and Tommy wouldn't appreciate it if Devin suspected their men in whatever he's searching for, it seems as if he's mainly focused on the brothers and they'll show their displeasure in that. Seán and Lewis probably wouldn't care, they don't let much get under their skin and seem to just brush everything off. I doubt they'd be overly bothered, maybe disgruntled but they wouldn't start a fight over it. Both of them rarely physically fight, unless a stranger works them to it or speaks badly about their boys. The other submissives and Axel though, will no doubt be angry enough to start a verbal argument to defend their Dominants and I'd do the same, it's hard not to get riled up when someone who works so hard for us is being talked badly about. If Devin was spoken about in a suspicious manner, I'd speak up and give whoever a big insult and fight.

I'm just worried about Devin, our friends and all our friendships. I want Devin to be able to do his job well and for everyone to be safe. I hope no one notices what Devin is doing, mainly because I want everyone to trust him as they do now. They get along with Devin and they accepted him right from the start, we've had no major arguments or lack of trust. Devin showed he loves and cares for me, that's all our friends really needed to like him. Besides, his personality is amazing and they were quick to accept him into my life as well as theirs. I want that trust to grow, not be held back by something dealing with his job. Seán and Lewis are already irritated by the government involving themselves on the men's property, knowing Devin is watching them with a careful eye would only agitate them further.

It's on a nice, cool Saturday that things change. Lewis had decided that he and Tom are staying the night, Seán simply grunting with a nod when Zyon begs for him to let the couple stay. Seán didn't put up much of a fight on the manner, easily giving in. Axel had requested my help in bringing down blankets for them, since the house only has one guestroom. The far right couch folds out into a comfortable little bed, Lewis will have his feet hanging off but he'll have a decent sleeping spot. Tommy had asked to help Axel and Zyons chores, he likes being around the horses and petting them, but Lewis refused that to instead keep his short fiancé on the porch. I stayed with Tom to keep him company as Devin went to help and ask the other Doms more questions. While we waited, Tommy mentioned that Lewis is stressed about Devin's investigation and not knowing what my boyfriend is searching for, the Scotsman doesn't like being kept in the dark about his own property. I tried defending Devin, make it clear that Devin is only following orders, but Tom quickly backtracked to say that Lewis wasn't angry at Devin, just not knowing what was happening.

He reassured me that the tense and restlessness of the brothers wasn't because of Devin or our presence, they dislike the military ordering for investigations on the properties without warnings or asking permission. They have no anger or dislike for Devin, Tom even said that Lewis enjoys Devins company and likes my boyfriend. I didn't speak up about the suspension Devin has been watching Tom's future husband with, feeling guilty for keeping it from him and knowing that my own dom is targeting his training on Lewis and his Irish brother.

The middle of the day is where things get odd. At lunch, the Dominants gather us on the porch, Axel serves a plate of drinks and sandwiches. Tommy is in Lewis' lap, Zyon in Seáns and Axel is leaning against the Irishman with a thick arm over his shoulder. He feeds bites of the sandwich he pulled off to Seán while Zyon nibbles on his, Tom giggling as Lewis feeds him then takes a bite himself. Devin has me on his thigh, making sure I eat two of the lunch meat sandwiches by rewarding me with a cheek kiss everytime I take a bite. There's a small lull in our conversation as everyone eats, Axel refilling Zyons ice water for him. Then, out of nowhere, the brothers suddenly start moving. Lewis moves Tom to the swinging chair connected to the ceiling by thick chains and Seán places Zyon in Axel's lap as both men stand up, bodies tense and I hear low, barely there rumble. I have to strain to even focus on the sound as Lewis passes me. Devin moves to stand up, obviously concerned as everyone sits up, startled at the abrupt movement. Axel just grabs Devins arm, insistently, yet gently pulls him to sit back down.

"It's okay, nothing's wrong. They've probably just noticed something in the barn. Nothing to worry about. They'll be back in no time, right, Tom?" Axel doesn't seem to believe himself as he looks over to Tom, voice confident yet his eyes flick to the retreating backs of the brothers as they march towards the left barn.

Tommy bites his lip, fingers coming up play with his double collars, his eternity one and a cute blue lace trim one with a little heart tag and a circle ring. He wears it purely because he likes collars, both in meaning and fashion. However, he messes with them when he's nervous as I've grown to notice. His green and blue eyes stay on Lewis's shrinking figure as the man gets further away, nodding a bit too quickly. "Yeah, sure! Lewis is helping with a fussy older horse, I'm sure they're just checking on how he's doing. Everything's okay. Really."

Zyon clings to Axel's neck, watching with wide eyes as Devin furrows his eyebrows and slowly sits back down. I agree with the unspoken confusion he has. The men didn't even say anything, just up and walked away. How can they be so sure the brothers are just checking a horse? Instead of eating, we all watch the barn where Lewis and Seán were headed. There's no movement inside or in front of it, no sign of either the Irishman or Scotsman. However, merely minutes later, they appear from the back of the barn, Lewis messing with his pants as Seán rolls his neck and shoulders in a way to relieve tension. It's an odd scene to watch and my immediate thought after seeing it is, are they having an affair? Then instantly cast that idea from my head, their brothers and love their partners way too much to do something like that. The thought alone was disturbing, and I'm disappointed I even put consideration into it, even for a slight second. The picture of Lewis adjusting himself after disappearing with Seán put a bad thought in my head, it appears as if they just had a quick blow job. I know it's stupid to think, especially since they're brothers.

The whole thing strikes me as unusual, but I have no idea what counts as odd when it comes to Lewis or Seán. No matter how many years I've known them, they've always been specifically unpredictable to me. I'm not around them very much, considering the distance between mine and Devins apartment and our friends' country homes. Axel and Tom, sometimes Zyon will mention certain things the dominants do throughout the day, it's mainly yard or property stuff. Yet when we visit, Seán and Lewis will do specific actions. Such as roam around the fields for a few hours or go check the fence along the tree lines, the things they do always have an excuse of fixing a fence or checking for wild animals. It doesn't always appear to be just a random check for broken pieces, it seems to be a habit and a need to go around. Especially now, they haven't done either of those things on the request of Devin, my boyfriend had warned them of something dangerous to keep everyone safe. So, the past few weeks, the brothers haven't been out and doing their normal rounds. This just seems to irritate and make them restless.

When Lewis comes to gather Tom in his arms, his submissive goes easily, leaning into the Scotsman. Tom asks the question I was aiming to ask, "What happened?"

Seán answers instead of Lewis, grunting out the response as he sits back into his place next ro Axel and Zyon. Axel leans into him, kissing his jaw, Zyon grabbing the larger man's arm to wrap around Axel and play with the thick fingers. "Had ta take a leak."

My eyebrows furrow, both of them had to pee at the same time? They're that synchronized? Devin is thinking the same as me, as I see his head tilt slightly in his confusion. He doesn't mention that there's at least two bathrooms in the house, serving me my second sandwich. No one else seems too bothered or confused by the response, either nodding and continuing to eat, in Tom's case he just kisses Lewis and holds the glass of water for his Dom to drink from. Lewis humor's him, drinking from the glass to see Tommy grin.

The odd actions continue throughout the day, with Lewis or Seán walking outside for a few minutes either alone or together. We played in the pool about two hours after lunch, Devin playing basketball with me in the water and Zyon and Tom cheering for me, while Axel is Devins cheerleader. Lewis and Seán sit on the stairs, watching us and tossing the ball back when it bounces to them. They're in the water, and had played with us before going to relax on the stairs. Axel and Zyon join the game, Zyon on my side with Axel teaming with Devin, Tommy keeping score. During, I happened to loop over my shoulder when Tom glanced behind us, and immediately saw the brothers missing. Tommy didn't appear too concerned and I assumed they went inside to dry off, so I went back to playing. The time passes quite fast and no one really pays attention, distracted as we are. However, once Devin and Axel agree that it's getting time to go inside, we pout and climb out of the pool. This is when Devin notices the missing men, he actually pauses as he guides me into the house to dry off, looking around.

Zyon distracts us, grabbing my hand and pulling us inside. "It's your turn to pick the movie! Come on!"

Seán walks in just as Devin and I come back downstairs after changing, Lewis directly behind him. Instantly pausing at the state of them, both are dirty and covered in a thin layer of sweat, the swimming shorts they had on are ripped and torn off of their bodies. They need to cover their crotches to keep anything from swinging around. Zyon and Axel are quick to grab one of the towels we used to dry off, covering Seáns hips with it, Tommy does the same for Lewis. Devin has that look again, where he's thinking over what's happening. I can only wonder what happened to them as they pass us to go upstairs, Seán telling Lewis he can have the master bathroom to shower. Axel watches them, glancing at Devin as Zyon and Tom share a concerned look, Zyon quietly speaking to Tom.

"What happened?" I gain attention with my question, and Zyon is, surprisingly, the one who responds the fastest.

"Horses." He blinks, pauses, then more hesitatingly, "the horses probably..fought them."

Tommy stifles a laugh that comes out as a snort as he turns his head away, Axel smiles warmly. My boss kisses his subs head, then turns back to us to explain further. "There's a few males that get riled up, I assume some of them decided to bite at the guys. Probably nothing to worry too much about, I'm sure they took care of it."

Devin watches them, not appearing very convinced, yet he shrugs and picks me up to walk over to the couch to dump me on my back playfully. I giggle and laugh, and the action seems to break the strange tension as our friends laugh. They sit down with us, Zyon bringing over a stack of movies to watch while Axel makes dinner. Devin choses a fun animated movie for me and my submissive friends, kissing my lips. The brothers come down halfway through, Axel already in the kitchen and I suspect that the two giants had spent some time upstairs talking. Seán lays down with Zyon, kissing at his subs neck. Lewis is pulled down in Tommy's corner nook, the blue haired man moving to cuddle into the Scotsman lap. I've been situated on Devins chest, my hip and thigh being caressed by his big hand.

It's peaceful, we're silently watching the film, the noise of Axel moving in the background comforting as well as the smell of whatever he's cooking. Then, of course, Devin can't leave well enough alone. "What went on out there?"

Seán looks over at us, calm as can be. "Fight broke out, bad matin attempt. One of them got too close to us. Got it calmed down now."

Lewis nods along to that, mouth and nose hidden by Tom's bright colored hair. From what I can see of his expression, he isn't bothered by anything, calm and relaxed. Tommy, on the other hand, is actively ignoring the conversation, visibly forcing himself to stare at the tv as one would probably do if nervous. Zyon isn't paying attention, singing along to the catchy song the main character is singing. I can hear Axel drop a heavy metal utensil in the kitchen, straining my neck to peek over Devins shoulder shows my long time friend sighing slowly, as if to calm himself, then bending to pick up a metal bowl, placing it in the sink. I shift to get up, wanting to check on him or see if he wants help, but Devin keeps me against his side and I reluctantly lean back on his chest.

Dinner goes by with no weirdness, Axel pulls Seán aside to speak with him, but nothing else. Axel makes a bigger feast than he did last night and the brothers eat much more than I've witnessed them eating. Lewis polishes off two full plates and Seán goes for a third, yet Axel quickly whispers into his ear and the man stops, his expression said he wasn't very happy with that though. Devin takes me upstairs once he's finished with his food and made sure I'm stuffed and full, he has me shower, brush my teeth and change into comfortable shorts with one of his long sleeves that falls to my mid thigh. I'm in bed, watching him lock the door and fold his thick uniform pants on the dresser with a hoodie, placing his boots at the end of the bed. He sighs as he falls next to me, smiling when I scoot against him to lay on his collar bone.

"Are you going out tonight, Daddy?" It's an unneeded question, I know he is.

He hums, "yeah, Baby. Need to. Things are getting frustrating for me."

"How's that?"

Devin doesn't respond instantly, thinking of what he can say and what would be too sensitive. "I just can't find what my superiors are wanting. And then there's some... weird shit happening. I need to find something before they send more people, and that would do no good for my search. It's frustrating."

I nod, feeling bad he's having a hard time. I know it's not a good feeling to be missing something important and run the possibility of failing, I have faith Devin will find the creature he's been sent to find. He's great at whatever he does and he always returns home with a proud smile, hopefully he'll have the same about this one. Rubbing his chest, I press kisses along his throat, aiming to bring some calmness to him.

"You'll do it, Daddy. I have faith in you."

He kisses my head, squeezing me. "Thanks, Panda. Needed to hear that."