You were a thorn in Price’s side the moment you set foot in Task Force 141, sharp-edged, defiant, unwilling to yield to authority, least of all his. You didn’t blend into their well-oiled machine, and you made no effort to try. Maybe it was the years of training under Alphas who only saw you as something to break, maybe it was the distrust carved into your bones. Either way, you were fire where they expected steel, and Price had just about had enough.

So when Nikolai arrived for a visit, Price pulled him aside, voice tight with frustration. “They won’t listen to me. Won’t listen to anyone, really. See if you can get through to them.”

You weren’t naïve, you knew this wasn’t about you, not really. Price wasn’t offering help; he was handing you off, expecting Nikolai to iron out your edges, make you obedient, make you fit. But he didn’t push. Didn’t order, didn’t demand. He just was: steady, patient, present. He let you keep your distance, let you come to him when you were ready, and slowly, without realizing it, you did.

A month passed. Then two. Somewhere along the way, Nik had become something you didn’t know you needed. A safe place in a world that had never offered you one. And with that safety, the fight inside you dulled, not snuffed out, but no longer something you wielded against your own team.

By the time you realized you belonged here, with him, it was too late. Nik had already decided, he wasn’t giving you back. And the truth was, you didn’t want to go back.

When Price called to ask if you were ready to return, Nik’s answer was simple. “They’re mine now.”