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The Department always took Sneaks away. Milo had always been used to that. He would always go along, silently waiting for their arrival. He always had that toothy smile every time they walked through the door, wrapping their arms around his neck and shoving their face into the side of his neck. He couldn't help but feel butterflies.
"Well hey there." He'd say. "How was your day?"
And Sneaks would always sigh. "Same old same old." They'd respond, avoiding his gaze.
Milo could only chuckle and shake his head. "Sounds like you need that spark back in your job." He'd laugh. "Want me to uh..rob a bank or something so you can have that 'chase' you always liked?"
Sneaks couldn't help but laugh themselves. "You're a dork. But thank you. If you actually had a chance at escaping me I'd might just take you up on that offer."
"Hey!" Milo would cry. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means I'm pretty damn good at my job."
Milo would scoff, but smile. He always loved making his mate feel better, especially when the Department takes so much of them already. He knows how much it drains them, how thinner they get stretched everyday. He didn't want them to go through what his dad went through, he couldn't live with himself if he let them.
"I love you Sweetheart. So much." He'd coo.
"I love you too Mi."
But this time, it wasn't that easy.
Sneaks was out later this time. Milo nervously glanced at the clock, sighing when he saw the time. He checked his phone for the 15th time in the past 7 minutes. Nothing. Not a call, not a text, not even an email. He shook his head and put his phone down again.
Milo played with his hands, fidgeting with them. "They're okay." He told himself, taking a deep breath. "They're probably just held up. Jett likes to do that."
The door clicked, signaling Milo that his mate was finally home. Milo jerked his head towards the door, and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
And there his mate stood, still in their work attire. They dropped their bag next to their feet.
"Hey Sweetheart, how was your day?"
There was no response. Milo tilted his head in confusion. He waited, but nothing came out of them. They just stood there, their face pale and still.
"Hey..you okay?" Milo asked, worry laced in his tone. He shifted on the couch so that his whole body was facing the doorway.
Sneaks tried to take a deep breath. Suddenly, their floodgate broke. Tears flushed from their eyes as they let out a sob.
Milo shot up from the couch and was at their side in less than a second. He placed his hands on their shoulders as an attempt to ground them.
"Woah woah hey hey..Sweetheart what happened? Are you alright?!"
Sneaks threw themselves into him. Their knees buckled, shoving their face into his chest. Their arms flew around his chest, fingers clutching the back of his shirt in their hands. They were crumbling.
Milo wasted no time in wrapping them into a hug, slowly sinking to the floor so they didn't have to stand anymore. He shushed them, rubbing their back. "It's okay..It's gonna be okay. I'm here. You're home now. It's okay you're safe." He said softly.
Sneaks still didn't say anything. They couldn't pull the words together to form a sentence. The only thing they could do was cry. Sob into Milo's chest, gripping onto him so tight. They were crumbling, falling apart. But Milo held them together.
With each sob that came out of Sneaks' mouth, Milo swore he felt his heart shatter a million times. He didn't know what to say, his mind blanked. The only thing his brain told him to do was to hold them.
"Hold them."
"Squeeze them."
"Hold them tighter."
"Hold them together."
Milo felt the tears through his shirt right now. His chest was damp while his shirt was soaked. Sneaks realized this, and started to pull away. But he kept holding them.
"No no." He said. "It's okay, the shirt doesn't matter right now. You're the only thing that matters right now Sweetheart."
Sneaks took a sharp inhale, an attempt to hold themselves back. Milo had never seen them like this before. In fact, he can't recall the last time they cried in front of him, in front of anyone.
"You're okay. I'm here, everything's gonna be okay now. I gotcha. Nothing's gonna get you here." Milo reassured them, rubbing their back again. He brought a hand up to cradle their head against him.
"I'm so tired Milo."
The sudden sound of their voice almost made him jump. "What?" He asked.
"I'm so tired. The Department has me pulled in a thousand different directions." Sneaks explained. Milo could hear the pain and sorrow in their voice. And once again, his heart shattered.
"I'm so sorry baby, you don't deserve that." Milo said, pulling them closer, if that was even possible.
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't someone everyone depended on. I wish I was just a background character to everyone. I wish I wasn't good at my job."
Milo sighed. He saw how much the Department took out of them. That drained look in their eyes every time the pack asked them to participate in a case. But the eagerness and determination in their voice fooled the pack every time. Nobody ever noticed, except for Milo.
He kissed their forehead, pulling them back a bit so he could look into their eyes. "You, are the strongest person I know. You being able to handle everything that the Department throws at you amazes me every single time. I admire it honestly, I admire you Sweetheart."
The words rang in Sneaks' ears. Tears filled their eyes again. They knew that he meant every word, and that brought them hope they didn't know they lost.
"And breaking down like this doesn't mean that you aren't strong anymore. It makes you human. Even the strongest people falter. Even the toughest people break. It's normal, and I want you to know that I'm here, I'll always be here for you. I can be the one thing that holds you together, I can be the one thing that stays sound while everything shatters. I love you Sweetheart, I love you more than anything."
Milo brought them in for a kiss. It was soft, but passionate. A sign that they were cared for, that they were loved, and that they were okay. That they were going to be okay. That everything was going to be okay.