THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 2 Read online

  THIRDS Beyond the Books Volume 2

  By Charlie Cochet

  Flash Fiction Stories in the THIRDS Universe

  Return to the THIRDS universe with another collection of flash fiction stories inspired by prompts submitted by fans. Reunite with favorite THIRDS characters to explore even more of their hidden adventures and personal moments, and take the opportunity to learn more about them through this series of stories recounting the humor, heartbreak, friendship, hardship, and love these characters experience behind the scenes. Complete your THIRDS experience with these tales of stolen moments.

  Table of Contents

  Blurb

  Prompt #26

  Prompt #27

  Prompt #28

  Prompt #29

  Prompt #30

  Valentine’s Day special

  Prompt #31

  Prompt #32

  Prompt #33

  Prompt #34

  Prompt #35

  Prompt #36

  Prompt #37

  Prompt #38

  Prompt #39

  Prompt #40

  Prompt #41

  Prompt #42

  Prompt #43

  Prompt #44

  More from Charlie Cochet

  About the Author

  By Charlie Cochet

  Visit Dreamspinner Press

  Copyright Page

  Prompt #26: From the last hot seat series, I would LOVE to see Dex and Ash at that assembly Cael was talking about, you know, with the head smacking, trash talking, all while Sparks or whomever else is trying to give a presentation.

  “I’M GOING to die.”

  Dex looked at his watch. Fifteen minutes? Yep, he was going to die.

  “You’re not going to die,” Sloane muttered. “Stop fidgeting.”

  “It’s a thing, you know. Dying of boredom. It happens.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” Despite Sloane’s stern expression, Dex could tell he was amused. At least someone was.

  Dex slouched in his seat. Could they have picked more uncomfortable chairs? Why not just bring in a bunch of jagged boulders and have them sit on those? It was probably so their victims couldn’t fall asleep. Bunch of sadists. Sadists in Converse.

  “I’m not going to make it. It’s been fifteen minutes, Sloane,” Dex hissed quietly. “Fifteen minutes and I swear I’ve grown a beard! I can’t make it through another hour and forty-five minutes of enhanced algorithms and statistical anomalies. Ben Stein sounds like a freakin’ auctioneer compared to this guy.”

  “Would you shut your trap,” Ash growled, leaning over Sloane to jab a menacing finger at Dex. “You’re an embarrassment to this team.”

  “Screw you, Simba. Just for that—” Dex reached into one of his tac pants pockets and pulled out a packet of gummy bears. “—you’re not getting any.”

  Ash narrowed his eyes. “You can’t eat those in here.” He frowned at Sloane. “Tell him he can’t eat those in here.”

  Sloane sighed and turned to Dex, his voice flat. “You can’t eat those in here.”

  Dex opened the packet and popped a couple in his mouth. “Mm, gummy goodness.”

  Ash arched an eyebrow at Sloane. “You wanna try that one more time, with some fucking feeling?”

  “Like he’s going to listen to me. Just go back to pretending you were paying attention.”

  Dex laughed through a mouthful of gummy bears. He pointed at Ash. “Ha!”

  “You’re disgusting.”

  “I’m going to the bathroom before I strangle him.” Ash stood and walked the narrow aisle in front of Sloane. At that moment Cael sat up, and Ash paused. With Ash stopping, Dex felt a stretch come on, so he stretched his muscles, along with his aching legs, just as Ash walked by. Oh shit!

  Ash stumbled over his legs, catching himself before he could hit the floor. There were a few chuckles around them, and Dex braced himself. If looks could kill, Dex would have spontaneously combusted.

  “It was an accident!”

  Ash grabbed a fistful of Dex’s shirt. “Accident, my ass.”

  “Sparks is glaring at you.”

  Ash swiftly let go, straightening when he caught sight of Lieutenant Sparks standing at the end of the row, her eyes narrowed at him. He pressed his lips together and held a hand up before he continued down the aisle.

  “He is going to murder you,” Sloane muttered, leaning casually into Dex.

  “It was an accident.” Dex finished off his gummy bears in case he wasn’t alive enough later to eat them. If this damn assembly from Intel didn’t kill him, Ash certainly would. He shoved the empty bag into his pocket when something struck him across the back of the head. Hard.

  “Ow! Son of a fuck monkey!”

  “Agent Daley!” Sparks snapped, and the whole place went silent, even Agent Nerdy McNerdisson standing at the podium. Crap on a cracker.

  “Is there a problem?” Sparks asked, her patented I-will-stab-you-with-my-stiletto expression on her face.

  “No, I um, was just surprised by Agent uh, genius guy up there. I mean, predictive policing. It’s all so very… Minority Report.”

  “Yes, well, perhaps you can keep your fanboying to yourself for the moment.”

  Dex gave her a salute. “Yes, Lieutenant.”

  The assembly continued, and once the attention was back on what’s-his-name, Dex turned his head. Ash held a fist to his mouth, and Dex could tell it was so he could keep himself from laughing.

  “Leave it, Dex,” Sloane warned.

  “How can you say that. Shouldn’t you be defending my honor?” Dex jutted out his bottom lip. “It hurt.”

  Sloane shook his head. “Sorry, but this assembly’s already removed my will to live, so you two are on your own.”

  With a smug grin, Ash pulled out a packet of Doritos from his pocket.

  “Oh, so I’m not allowed to eat, but you are?”

  Ash shrugged. “This is a grownup snack for grownups, not a five-year-old’s snack for a man-child like you.”

  Dex pulled out another bag of gummy bears from his pocket and opened it up. He grabbed a green one, and gave it a salute. “You’re a brave soldier, but a sacrifice must be made.” He licked one side and flicked it at Ash.

  It stuck to his cheek.

  The horrified look on Ash’s face had Dex almost peeing his pants. There were muffled snickers and laughs around them. Rosa had tears streaming down her face, and Letty looked like she was about to explode. Dex could just imagine what was going through Ash’s head. He had Dex’s saliva on his face. Sloane covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders moving from his silent laughter.

  Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Sloane, get it off.”

  Biting his bottom lip, Sloane reached out and plucked the gummy bear. Dex took it from his fingers and popped it in his mouth.

  Ash made a gagging sound. “Oh my God, I think I’m going to be sick.”

  With a chuckle, Dex went back to snacking, wondering what the hell Ash was doing, nibbling on the end of one of his Doritos. What the hell is he doing?

  “Snack warfare,” Ash declared, chucking the Dorito at him like it was a Chinese star. The thing hit Dex’s hand, and he almost jumped out of his chair. Holy shit! He was actually bleeding! Granted, it was minor, but Ash had actually drawn blood.

  “What the hell, man!” Dex licked his sore spot. Mm, cheesy.

  “Dex.”

  “He stabbed me with a Dorito, Sloane. A Dorito.” How the hell had Ash turned a snack into a weapon?

  “Aw, poor, Daley.” Ash leaned over Sloane and made like he was rubbing his eyes. “Boo hoo. You started it.”

  “No, you did, telling me to shut up.”

  �
�You tripped me.”

  “It was an accident.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Bite me,” Dex hissed. Ash reached over Sloane, and Dex readied himself, slapping Ash’s hand away. Sloane smacked both their cheeks.

  “Ow.” Dex sat back and rubbed his barely stinging cheek. “You hit me.”

  “What the fuck, man?” Ash frowned at Sloane.

  “No. You know what? It’s bad enough I have to sit through one of these things, but I am not going to sit here between you two while you go to war with your snacks and act like a couple of school children. If I hear one more peep out of either of you before this damn torture session is over, I swear I will have you on equipment duty for a month.”

  Dex and Ash quietly sat back in their seats. Sloane was pissed. Dex ate his gummy bears. His pocket buzzed, and he gingerly reached for his phone. It was a text from Ash containing nothing but an emoji of a hand giving him the finger. Trust Ash to have an emoji for fuck you. Well, looks like this assembly wasn’t going to be a total loss after all.

  Prompt #27: In the mood for the Seb/Cael relation/friendship, it would be nice to see how was their first date (with Cael telling him he’s in love with Ash and Seb talking about his feelings for Hudson).

  “HEY, YOU okay?”

  Seb’s soft words snapped Cael out of his trance. He hadn’t even realized Seb had pulled up outside his apartment and parked the truck.

  “Yeah, sorry. Just coming down from my booze buzz.” He was grateful he wasn’t alone. The alcohol was wearing off, and his heart ached fiercely from Ash’s rejection, yet again. Tonight hadn’t gone at all as he’d hoped. Not that he’d expected Ash to change his mind or declare his love, but he’d hoped Ash would at the very least say something. The more Cael thought about it, the worse his heartache became. And then the anger set in.

  “You sure you’re okay? You look like you want to hurt someone.”

  Seb’s bright green eyes were filled with concern, and Cael felt horribly guilty for what he’d done back at Dekatria. He’d never meant to use Seb like that. It was a stupid, childish thing to do.

  “I’m okay,” Cael assured him with a smile. “A bit worn out.”

  Seb chuckled. “Your brother certainly knows how to throw a party.” He unfastened his seat belt, and Cael did the same, his heart fluttering when Seb took hold of his hand. “I had a really great time tonight.”

  Cael felt his cheeks grow warm. “I had a great time too.”

  “You’re an amazing dancer. You and your brother make it look so easy.”

  Should he pull his hand away? Cael didn’t know what to do. It felt wrong, yet pleasant. He’d told Seb the truth. After Ash had left Dekatria, Cael had done his best to put Ash out of his thoughts and have a good time. It was Dex’s birthday party, and he worried his brother enough. He didn’t want to spoil Dex’s party with his drama, so he concentrated on having fun.

  Why should he feel guilty about holding another guy’s hand? Ash had rejected him, and Seb was single. You feel guilty because you wish you were holding Ash’s hand instead. Cael ignored his pesky thoughts.

  “Dex and I have been dancing since we were kids. Music was always big in our house.” He smiled at the memories of him and his brother with enough hair spray in their hair to destroy the ozone, dancing around to cheesy pop songs. “Dad would play his records. Dex would jump around to his MTV, singing into his hairbrush and teaching me how to do the same.”

  “You’re very lucky,” Seb replied wistfully. “You have a great family.” He seemed to catch Cael’s puzzled expression because he quickly put a hand up. “Not that I don’t have a great family. It’s just been tough with Ethan’s mutism and Dad’s condition. We didn’t get to have many family moments.” His eyes got a little glassy, and Cael leaned over to pat his arm.

  “I’m so sorry, Seb.” Cael couldn’t imagine having to go through what the Hobbs family had gone through. Although Cael didn’t know the whole story, he’d heard enough from Calvin, Seb, and Hudson over the years to know the family had lost everything two years after Ethan was born when Mr. Hobbs ended up in a wheelchair. At the time, the doctors hadn’t classified Pre-First Gens. They ran test after test but couldn’t figure out why Mr. Hobbs was in agonizing pain.

  With no Therian aid, the Hobbs family lost their home. Seb had to get a job while in junior high and all through high school, along with Rafe, so they could move their family from the small van they were living in, to a small apartment in a rough neighborhood.

  “Sorry.” Seb shook his head in embarrassment. “Jeez, listen to me. Cute guy in my car and I’m bringing up family drama.” His face looked flushed, and his smile was bashful. Cael had never pictured Seb as the type to be shy around guys. He was a tiger Therian and even bigger than Ethan. Tiger Therians had a reputation for being fierce, but they also had a very affectionate side. Seb had always been sweet with him, even if they didn’t see all that much of each other outside the job.

  Wait, did Seb just call him cute?

  Cael worried his bottom lip between his teeth. Seb was very handsome and a wonderful guy, but it wouldn’t be fair to either of them if Cael didn’t put a stop to this before someone got hurt. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Seb leaned into him. Cael’s hand instinctively went to Seb’s chest to stop him.

  “I’m sorry, Seb. I really like you, but this can’t happen. I’m in love with someone.”

  “Oh.” Seb pulled back, drawing his hand away with him. His head cocked to one side as he studied Cael. Something in Cael’s expression must have said it all, because Seb looked sympathetic. “Oh. He doesn’t feel the same way?”

  If it were only that simple. “That’s the worst part. He does, but he can’t tell me why we can’t be together.”

  Seb let out a heart-wrenching sigh. “I understand.”

  He turned his head, his gaze out the window but at nothing in particular. There was a deep heartache in his eyes, and that’s when Cael realized.

  “Seb? Are you still in love with Hudson?”

  There was no hesitation on Seb’s part. “Yes.”

  Cael was stunned. It had been years since Seb’s relationship with Hudson ended. It had been heartbreaking. They cared about each other, that much was obvious to everyone, but Cael had no idea Seb was still in love with Hudson.

  “Have you talked to him about it?” Cael asked gently.

  “I tried endlessly. He refuses to discuss it. After things died down, when I was still in Archives, I tried to talk to him. I got as far as pulling him into his supply closet in his lab. I thought if I could just get him alone for a few minutes, he’d hear me out.” Seb sat back against the seat, his gaze lowered.

  “He said what was broken between us could never be mended and we needed to accept that and move on.” Seb closed his eyes for a moment before turning to look at Cael, his pain squeezing Cael’s heart. “When I look into his eyes, I can see how much he still loves me. I can see how it’s killing him. I tried to move on, I really did, but I couldn’t. I keep waiting, hoping that he’ll forgive me.” He shook his head. “I know I’m an idiot for not letting it go, for not letting him go, but I can’t.”

  Cael wished he had words of comfort to offer Seb, but he was hardly an authority on successful relationships. There was so much for him to think about where Ash was concerned. Would Ash expect him to wait? If so, how long? Was there even any chance at all for them? How long did Seb plan on waiting for Hudson to come around?

  “Anyway, it’s late. Let me walk you in.” Seb got out of the truck and walked around to help Cael out. With a smile, Cael took his hand and hopped down from the enormous truck. Seb walked him up the steps to the front door. Cael’s buzz was long gone, and his heart was heavy for the both of them. He turned and leaned in to give Seb’s cheek a kiss.

  “Whatever happens, I hope your heart finds the happiness it deserves, Seb.” He met Seb’s gaze. “You deserve to be happy, whether it’s with Hudson or someone else. Thank you for tonight an
d for being such a good friend.”

  Seb returned Cael’s kiss to the cheek before replying. “Any time you need me, you just call.” He smiled warmly, little creases forming at the corners of his green eyes. “Whoever this guy is, I hope he gets his head out of his ass real quick. Maybe you can get Ash to give him a friendly push. He’s always got your back.”

  With a wink, Seb was off, and Cael stood there, his heart splintering.

  Ash had more than his back; he had his heart. All Cael could do now was hope Ash found the courage to trust Cael with his own.

  Prompt #28: Okay, the comment about the THIRDS calendar shoot caught my eye. What was that about?

  SLOANE READ over the e-mail at least a dozen times in case his eyes were playing tricks on him. Sadly, they weren’t. It was real. It was happening. Why him? “Shit.”

  “What is it?” Dex asked worriedly.

  Sloane held up a finger and tapped his earpiece with the other. “Cael?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I need you in my office right now. Like, as fast as you can get here.”

  “It’s that time again, isn’t it?” Cael asked, sounding amused. Of course he was amused. He was Recon. He wouldn’t have to suffer with the rest of them.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m already here,” Cael said, walking in through the door, a wide smile on his face.

  Dex looked from Cael to Sloane and back, concern etched on his face. “Um, what’s going on?”

  The little red light denoting an incoming e-mail of importance flashed on Dex’s desk interface. Sloane nodded to it.

  “That’s what this is about.”

  Dex tapped the screen, his eyes widening as he read the official memo. His voice was a near whisper when he spoke. “It’s finally happened.”

  Chaos erupted outside their office, somewhere close by, signaling the start of “The Event.” The commotion drew closer. Sloane stood, smoothed out his uniform, and nodded to Cael. “Ready?”

  Cael gave him a firm nod. “Ready.”

  This wasn’t their first time coming face to face with the Event. They’d managed to avoid getting swept up in the madness for years now. Considering their terrible habit of ending up in the news, it had been only a matter of time before their luck ran out.