Nothing Special V (Nothing Special 5)

Tech looked up with wide eyes, unsure if he’d heard Day right. “Are you serious?”

Day stood up. “Congratulations, Tech. I’m proud of you. You’ve been working hard and it showed.”

Tech stood and let Day embrace him in a strong hug before he gathered his belongings. “I’m going to go downstairs and administer some oxygen to God while he’s waiting for Ruxs and Green to finish interrogating the guy you didn’t send to the hospital. See you in the morning.”

Tech looked at Steele to see a look of extreme pride and relief on his face. He’d obviously been thinking, like Tech had, that’d he’d blown his one shot.

“I hope you have someone in mind to replace you in the office. You’ll start shadowing the Enforcers immediately. We got to get you properly trained how to react in every situation. You got the chops, Tech, you just need to know how to reign ’em in, control them, and use them collectively with the rest of us. Promise me, no more caped crusader acts.” Syn smirked.

Tech nodded, his throat tight with relief. “I promise, Sarge.”

Syn put his coat on over his gun holster and walked towards the door. “I gotta say. I thought I was gonna keel over from shock when I saw you take down that first guy. Un-fucking-believable. I haven’t seen a Russian Sickle since my days of watching wrestling in the eighties.”

Steele laughed, clasping his hands together. “That was the move to end them all,” he agreed with Syn.

“Damn straight.” Syn waved a lazy salute and left them alone in the office.

Tech smiled when he felt his chair yanked closer to Steele’s and maneuvered so their thighs were intertwined. “How are you? You had a big night.”

“Yeah, I guess I did,” Tech said softly.

Steele got up and pulled Tech with him. “Let’s go. It’s after three and we have to be back in the morning. Besides, Ruxs and Green will probably be in interrogation for a while if this guy is slow to sing. I need a ride.”

Tech wanted to beg Steele to come home with him, he didn’t want to be alone. He was right, it had been an extremely eventful night and his body was exhausted, his mind restless. If he could curl himself up against Steele’s warmth, he might actually get a little sleep. But it was their first date and their first time being intimate; he didn’t want to appear clingy.

“Stop me by Ruxs’ so I can grab a change of clothes since it’s on the way, and you won’t have to bring me by there in the morning,” Steele said matter-of-factly.

Tech hid his smile while they walked through the parking lot. He was thankful to have the decision of asking Steele to stay the night out of his hands. He wasn’t ready to leave his company yet.

Steele

Their hands still clasped together, Tech let them into his home, and they walked inside for the second time that night with one word that started with S on both their minds… and this time it wasn’t sex. It was sleep… well, two words… shower and sleep. If they were lucky, they’d get a good three hours. Steele put his weapon under one of Tech’s pillows while Tech put his in his nightstand. He followed Tech into the bathroom while he turned the nozzles on. He undressed quickly and waited for Tech to finish. When Tech reached his arms up and pulled off his shirt, he heard the sharp intake of breath and the grunt of pain.

Steele was in front of him in a heartbeat, looking for the damage. The pain coming from the action of lifting his arms, he’d say it was Tech’s midsection or ribs. “Where are you hurt?”

“I’m not hurt,” Tech bit back.

“Don’t do that. It’s not necessary. Did one of them get a hit in on you?”

“No. He charged me. It just knocked the breath out of me, that’s all.” Tech turned to step into the shower and Steele let him since he’d be following right behind him, anyway.

He stayed behind Tech, letting the large showerhead relieve some of the strain of the fight. A street fight was rough. Once the adrenaline wore off, your body was quick to take notice and remind you of every hit you’d received and thrown. He wrapped his arms around him from behind and it wasn’t long before Tech sagged back against him. Steele kissed him gently on the back of his neck, feeling Tech’s wound-up body tremor against him. He needed to breathe and calm down. “Relax. It’s okay. Breathe, Shawn.”

“Oh god,” Tech gasped, his chest rising and falling erratically under Steele’s hands. “Oh no.”

“Don’t fight it. Let it go.”

Tech spun around, wrapped his arms around Steele’s neck and pulled him into him just before the wave of tears hit him hard. Steele held him as tight as he could, knowing exactly what Tech was feeling. He’d experienced his first taste of action and his body had flooded with excessive amounts of hormones, with adrenaline and cortisol. But when the mind realizes the danger has passed and the fight or flight response dissipates, then the psychological reaction appears… tears.