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Lazer Team thought DETIA was joking when they said that they were going to send them into space. It soon turned out that they weren’t joking. Then again, these were the same people that tried to kill them. Hagan really tried to get them out of it. He saw the look on everyone’s faces and he decided to take care of it. Sixteen hours later, Hagan walked into their little waiting room (not a cell this time) after continuously talking with Emory and Cale. The look on his face told them immediately that they weren’t getting out of this.
Training started almost immediately. They were all given rooms within the base that were repurposed as what looked like dorm rooms. Herman was just glad to have a room to himself again but the rest weren’t as happy. Woody didn’t like being along now the he had the helmet (made him think too much, he admitted later) and Hagan protested they couldn’t see Mindy. Zach said the same thing only to get a hard glare from Hagan. They’d have two training periods a day and a group training every other day. Each lasting about three hours. Apparently DETIA weren’t just a bag of dicks and decided to grant their wish. Or maybe they still were dicks and just wanted to study Mindy since she had the alien thing attached to her.
It took about a two weeks for Mindy to get clearance to be on base. It was a relief for all of them. Hagan got to see his daughter, Zach got to see his girlfriend (?), Woody had someone to hang out with, and Herman got a break from Woody. It wasn’t that he didn’t love the kid, because he did, but it was just nice to have some down time. Everyone was happy. Well as happy as you could get being locked up by a government organization.
--
It’s been a week since Mindy was allowed on the base. Being a senior with only about three required classes meant she was on base for most of the day and into the night. Zach was ecstatic to say the least. He was honestly getting bored of hanging out with the guys all the time. He loved them (even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud) but hanging with Mindy was more preferable after over two weeks with them non-stop.
Looking back at it, Zach didn’t know if it was the stress and anxiety of training to go into space or him just being unobservant. Either way, it took him a while to notice it. It being Woody and Mindy.
The first time he saw them, he chalked it up to Mindy being bored of waiting around for him to finish training than anything else. The second time, Zach noticed something was off. She was talking to Woody, with a huge smile on her face. Whatever they were talking about seemed to interest them both because Woody wore a smile too. And it wasn’t his usual, friendly smile. It was ‘I’m genuinely interested in what you’re saying’ smile. Zach walked over to them.
“Hey Mindy. Woody.”
Mindy looked up and smiled, “Hey Zach.”
“Hello Zachary.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Zach asked, hoping his voice sounded normal. Mindy seemed to light up at the question.
“Woody and I were just talking my psychology class. He took the same one last year.”
“You took psychology?” Zach asked Woody.
“It was a very entertaining course.”
“I didn’t know a brain that small could comprehend something like that.” Zach said smirking at Woody.
“Oh, come on, Zach.” Mindy sent him an exasperated look. “Woody isn’t actually dumb.”
“Right.” Zach rolled his eyes at that.
“I believe Zach was joking when he said that.” Woody informed them.
“Of course, this idiot isn’t dumb.” Zach smiled at Mindy to show Woody was right. Mindy smiled back. Zach noticed Mindy and Woody getting alone easily, but he didn’t notice how easy it was for the three of them to joke around and talk.
The third and fourth time, Zach didn’t intervene. He watched Mindy laugh the way she laughed with him. He watched Woody blush as Mindy said something with a smirk on her face. He watched them hang out even when Zach wasn’t in training. He watched them both light up when they spoke to each other.
The fifth time was with them all. Hagan decided to have a mandatory “family dinner” once a week. He even got Herman to join them. During one of the dinner’s Woody and Mindy had their faces shoved into a computer.
“What are kids doing?” Herman asked trying to sneak a peek at the screen.
“Science project.” Mindy replied barely looking away from her screen to eat some food.
“Melinda has a final in physics. She is doing it one Zachary’s Particle Acceleration Gauntlet.”
Hagan had a proud look on his face while Herman just looked impressed. Zach said nothing.
The sixth time, Zach was the one being watched. It was during his training outside. Mindy and Woody sat at the top of the bleachers that was on the edge of the field. And they didn’t just watch. The two of them talked and giggled as they watched him hit targets. To say Zach was confused would be to say the least. Mindy was supposed to act like that with him, not Woody. But at the same time he wanted Woody to look at him the same way he looked at Mindy. Zach just chalked it up to being tired from training.
--
Woody and Mindy sat in the lounge, as usual. Herman and Zach had training at the same time, so they always found themselves hanging out in that time. Currently, Mindy played with her phone while Woody sat there.
“Melinda. Can I ask you a question?”
“It’s Mindy, Woody.” She looked up to smile at him before looked back at her phone. “And yes.”
“You and Zachary are in a relationship, are you not?”
Mindy put down her phone to look at Woody having a feeling she knew where this was going. “Yeah, we are.”
“Then why do you flirt with me?” Woody (who Mindy never saw deeply serious before), looked serious.
“Have you ever heard of an open relationship?”
“Polyamory, yes. So Zachary knows then.” Woody responded.
“No, not yet. But it’s not like you and I have done anything! I’d talk to Zach before I did more than just flirt.” Mindy also looked serious.
“I see.” Woody thought for a moment. “How about we ask him together?”
“What?!” Mindy shouted in surprise. “You’re interested in Zach?”
“Of course.” Woody blushed. “I’ve had a crush on him for years.”
“Wow. Never would have thought that.” Mindy still looked surprised but she soon had a smile on her face. “So, shall we?”
--
It was late and Zach was tired. One of the dick scientists made him run 20 laps around the track. After that, all Zach wanted was his bed. Until Mindy and Woody ran into him.
“Zach, just who we were looking for!” Mindy said excitedly.
“What’s up?” Zach was really suspicious, ever since they got closer.
“Do you wanna sneak out and grab some real food?” Mindy asked.
“The three of us?”
Mindy paused to look at Woody. “If you want.” Mindy said it slowly, like there was some underlying meaning.
“Sure.” Even though he was tired as hell, he wasn’t going to let them go by themselves. He trusted Woody and Mindy but after everything they’ve been doing lately, he didn’t want there to be a possibility. “Let’s go.”
--
Mindy had a great night. Running around the arcade and eating crappy pizza and froyo was the best date she’d ever been on. Laughing at Zach and Woody bicker like a married couple and holding both of their hands as they dragged them from game to game was the best. At the end of the night, Woody and Zach brought Mindy to her house and she said goodbye before they made their way back to base.
What wasn’t great, was a week later. Woody and her sat in lounge while they waited for Zach, as usual.
“Hey Woody?” Woody made a noise of recognition and glanced at her. “Is there a way to take off the helmet?”
“No, but I can make the visor disappear.” As he said it, the visor dematerialized right before Mindy’s eyes.
“Hey Woody.” This time it wasn’t a question. “I’m going to kiss you.”
“Okay.” Woody sounded like he did before the helmet.
Mindy kissed him before Woody could really internalize is it. It was short, but not short enough. They broke apart as Zach walked around the corner. With Hagan and Herman in tow.
Zach quickly walks across the room and punches Woody across the face, making him fall out of his chair.
“WHAT THE FUCK?” Mindy, Zach, and even Hagan yell at once.
“You’re kissing my girlfriend, Woody!”
“Zach, what the hell?” Mindy yells. “I’m his girlfriend too!”
“What?” Hagan and Herman ask.
“Mindy, what the fuck is going on?” Zach was angry, hurt, and confused. Someone who he sort of considered his best friend - who he may or may not have had a crush on - and his girlfriend were just kissing.
“We went on a date!” Mindy yelled but when Zach continued to look confused, she continued. “Last week, at the arcade?”
“That was a date?”
“You snuck out?” Hagan yelled.
“I think Woody is unconscious.” Herman muttered.
“Alright, everybody shut up!” Mindy yelled and they all immediately shut their mouths. They saw what she could do, they weren’t about to have it happened again. “Herman, make sure Woody is okay. Dad, of course we snuck out. Zach, we asked you on a date!”
“You asked if I wanted to grab food! That’s not asking me out!” Zach really was oblivious.
“We asked if it was okay if all three of us went out!”
“How was I supposed to know!”
“Dude, that sounds like a date.” Herman said as he helped Woody up from the floor.
“Did Zachary punch me?” Woody asked as he sat down in the chair with a dazed look on his face.
“Apparently Zach didn’t know we were dating.”
“Really? We asked him on a date.” Woody said as if it was the most obvious thing ever.
Zach threw his hand and lazer up in the air. “So we’re dating?”
“If you want.” Mindy said.
Zach thought about it. Woody, the guy he had a crush on since his freshman year, that he’s make fun of so no one would find out. Mindy, the hottest girl in school, that he fell in love with as soon as she paid him attention. It was best of both worlds. Zach looked up and smiled at Mindy, then at Woody.
“Sorry about the punch, kinda makes me an asshole boyfriend now.” Zach smirked at Woody and he got it immediately. It took a second for Mindy.
“Boyfriend?” She asked hopefully.
“Like hell I’m gonna turn up the two hottest people ever.”
“Hey, that’s my daughter!” Hagan yelled at Zach.
Herman just gave him a look and said, “You sure buddy?”
Zach pulled Woody up and grabbed Mindy so he had an arm around both of their waists, “Yeah. I’m sure.”
In that lounge, Hagan gave Zach his best pissed off look, Herman clapped Woody on the back, and Woody, Mindy, and Zach were all smiles.
“Wait,” Mindy said with a teasing smile on her face, “Were you jealous?”
Zach’s blushed sent them all into a fit of laughter.
DETIA maybe a bunch of dicks, but they did bring them together.