"I'm not a leader."
Dex stepped forward. "You're wrong."
Ash threw his arm up in frustration. "Fine. I don't want to be a leader. Sloane's our leader."
"It couldn't stay that way forever," Sloane said gently.
Ash shrugged. "Yes, it could. You tell Sparks to go fuck herself, and everything goes back to normal."
Sloane let out a humorless laugh. "Normal? Ash, my fiance is half Therian because of me."
"Wait, fiance? You two are getting married?" Letty's voice startled Dex.
Fuck, he'd been so wrapped up in Ash and Sloane, he'd forgotten about the rest of the team. Way to go, asshole. Some friend he was. Dex faced Letty, Rosa, Calvin, and Hobbs. The four of them looked confused and hurt. "Yeah, um, Sloane asked me to marry him, and I said yes."
Silence descended all around them, and Dex
wondered what he should say. It wasn't like he'd tried to keep it from them. He didn't try to keep any of this from them, but, Jesus, it was so much to take in.
Calvin was the first to blow, his face turning red. "What the fuck is wrong with you two? Do either of you give a shit about the rest of us? I thought we were in this together. When were you two planning on telling us all this? Anything else you want to tell us, or were you just planning on blurting it out during your next posturing session?"
Damn it. This wasn't how Dex wanted it to go at all. "We weren't keeping anything from you. We were trying to find the right moment to tell all of you, but it's not like it's been easy. It all happened kind of suddenly. Jesus, Cal. It's not like I was planning on dying and then waking up half Therian. The first chance we got to even talk was at the hospital where my dad is recovering from a bullet to the chest, remember? That's where we decided on TIN, and that's where Sloane proposed. It's been, like, a day. So, you know, I'm trying."
"No."
The word was whispered so low Dex almost missed it. Anyone who had didn't miss Hobbs shaking his head and walking off.
"Hobbs, wait." Dex looked to Sloane, who motioned for him to go after Hobbs. Dex ran, following him into a large empty locker room. He closed the door behind them. Inside, Hobbs paced, flexing his fingers, his cheeks flushed.
"Why would you leave?"
"It's not like that," Dex replied gently. He stayed where he was, letting Hobbs dictate how he wanted this to go.
"Is it me? Did I do something wrong?"
Dex's heart broke, but he remained where he stood. "No, buddy. You did nothing wrong. This is something I thought a lot about, and you need to believe me when I say it wasn't an easy decision to make. Destructive Delta is my family. I love you guys."
"Then why are you breaking up our family!" Hobbs fumed, pacing angrily before appearing to deflate. He dropped down onto one of the benches, and Dex approached, careful not to make any sudden movements or add to Hobbs's anxiety. He hoped he could help Hobbs understand this was not his fault, as that was clearly the reasoning Hobbs had turned to first.
"I know it seems that way, but us not seeing each other as much as we do now doesn't stop us from being a family. Nothing will change between us, buddy, I promise."
"Don't," Hobbs snapped. "Don't make promises you can't keep. I've seen what TIN is like. They don't give a shit about us."
"And is that what you think of me? Of Sloane? That after everything we've been through together that we'll stop giving a shit about you?"
Hobbs shook his head.
"No. Nothing will change what we mean to each other. Nothing. This isn't about me and my ego wanting to play James Bond, traipsing around the world in a fancy suit with fancy gadgets."
Hobbs arched an eyebrow at him.
Dex couldn't help his chuckle. "Okay, a tiny part of me thinks James Bond, but that's not why I'm doing this."
"Yeah, you said. You want to make a difference. But you're making a difference now."
"That's true. I am. But there are things that I'll be able to do with TIN that I could never hope to do at the THIRDS. Resources I'll be able to tap into. Information. Technology." He paused, wondering how much he should say. He didn't want to get Hobbs's hopes up if he couldn't deliver. Didn't mean he wasn't going to try. Fuck it. Hobbs deserved to know the whole truth. "Then there's the best labs and medication the world has yet to offer."
Hobbs stilled. He swallowed hard and met Dex's gaze. When he spoke, his voice was quiet. "Tell me."