Work Text:
12 months post Egg-mergency
Xaden sits down heavily next to me, slinging an arm over the back of my chair. “New class of recruits comes in next week. This one is supposed to be a bigger one.”
“How many rangers-in-training are we getting?” I ask.
“Last number I heard was five, but it always changes. With your class, I was positive we were getting four new rangers until only three of you showed up.”
I grin, leaning up to kiss Xaden’s cheek. “Lucky I was one of them, aren’t we?”
“I definitely am.” He sighs, though, and twists in his chair to face me better, making me do the same. “We do have to talk, though.”
“Okay…” I don’t really like when he tells me that we have to talk.
“Well, all the rangers we work with know about our relationship, and that’s fine. They don’t care. But the newbies won’t, and we need to keep them from reporting us to HR. Because HR will definitely not be okay with this. We’re…breaking the rules.”
I frown. “Even though I’m not a ranger-in-training anymore?”
Xaden nods, looking sheepish. “I’m technically your superior. Because…I’m actually a ranger supervisor.”
Giving him a light smack to his shoulder, I say, “You never told me that was your official title!”
“I don’t really like to brag about it.”
“Well, I, for one, think it’s something your girlfriend probably deserves to know.”
He gives me a guilty smile then leans over to peck my lips, murmuring, “I’m sorry.”
“Forgiven. So, what do we do? How are we hiding this from the rangers-in-training?” I pause, opening my mouth like a fish before closing it again, eyes narrowing. I want to say something, but I can’t decide if I should…
“What?” Xaden puts his hand on my knee, squeezing.
“Um, can’t we just tell them not to report us?”
“We could try it, but we have no idea if we can trust them at this point. What if they go to HR behind our backs anyway?”
I groan. “One of us gets fired; probably me.”
He nods. “Unfortunately, I’ve become some kind of weird park celebrity.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know how that happened.” I grin again. I’m so proud of this man. He’s so humble, yet he’s such an integral part of this park and its infrastructure that he can’t be separated from it. He’s smart, he’s an aggressive advocate for the parks, and he’s made waves through no deliberate actions of his own.
“I hate that fucking promo video,” he growls.
“And everyone else loves it. Sexy man getting up close and personal with the dragons? What’s not to love?”
“And that’s another part of why we can’t get caught sitting close and making out. If one of them thinks they want to be my best friend…” He shudders. “That could go so poorly.”
“So, we have to pretend we don’t like each other when we’re at work once the new rangers come?”
“No. We just have to be careful.”
I make a pouty face. “I don’t like careful. Careful doesn’t sound like fun.”
Xaden growls low in his throat and leans toward me, kissing me and then nipping my lower lip. “Let me make it up to you, then.”
He doesn’t need to offer twice.
-
The four new rangers-in-training stand in the middle of the ranger station, looking at the rest of us with wide eyes. Even though it’s Ridoc’s day off, he’s here anyway, arms crossed over his chest in a mirror of Xaden, Garrick, and Bodhi. A united front, I suppose.
Rhi and I stand on either side of the group of guys, looking at them. None of us speak. We just look at each other in a silent sort of stand-off.
Xaden is the one that breaks the quiet. “What are your names?” He sounds angry, not too much like the Xaden I know, and I have to bite back a smile at the show he’s putting on for them.
“Cam Tauri, sir.”
I choke back a laugh. So formal. Are we suddenly on a military operation? Xaden, of course, ignores the title.
“Sloane Mairi.”
“Maren Zina.”
“Cat Cordella.”
“Great.” Xaden looks back and forth at all of them, making eye contact with each one. “There’s something you’ll need to learn about working here. We take care of each other just as much as we take care of the park. When you’re assigned to go out with a partner, you have their back just like they’ll have yours. There are no excuses. And we don’t let the guests rule what we do here. We’re in charge; protecting the park matters, protecting the creatures here matters, and keeping the guests safe falls right in line with that goal. There’s no room for being sloppy here.”
All four rangers nod as though this is some great revelation. I see a couple of the girls eyeing Xaden, and I roll my eyes, though I’m not surprised. They’re definitely star struck. This is the Ranger Riorson that’s been praised and lauded during all their training. He’s here in the flesh, and he’s damn beautiful. I know that to be sure. He’s also fucking mine.
Xaden shouts some more instructions and motivational lines at the rangers-in-training, then he points to the wall. “Schedule is posted weekly over there. You’ll be paired with a ranger until you can be trusted to do a few things on your own. Which is going to take a while. Go ahead and take a look at the pairings, and then meet with your assigned ranger if you have any questions.”
All of them hustle over to the wall, and a few moments later, there is a collective groan from the two girls that were just ogling Xaden.
“You paired yourself and Sorrengail, didn’t you?” Garrick hisses.
Xaden doesn’t answer, but his tight-lipped expression says it all.
“And you wanted to avoid being turned into HR, didn’t you?” Bodhi teases from the other side.
Xaden just flips him the bird and refolds his arms across his chest in defiance.
I nudge him quickly before anyone else can turn around, giving him what I hope will be a reassuring smile. He doesn’t return it.
When the rangers-in-training finally turn around again, Xaden arches a brow at them. “Any questions for your paired rangers?”
“Why isn’t one of us going with you today?” one of the girls asks.
“That’s on a need-to-know basis. Any others?”
They all mutely shake their heads.
“Good. Then get to your jobs.”
Cam barks out a “Yes, sir!” before chasing off after Bodhi with Sloane hot on their heels. Cat takes off after Rhi while Maren follows Garrick toward the front of the ranger station.
“What did you schedule us to do?” I whisper to Xaden.
“We’re getting the fuck out of here.”
-
The first day with our rangers-in-training doesn’t really feel like a close call. There’s any number of reasons Xaden and I might need to go on patrol together, and no one has to know if we take a little bit too long of a break to hike one of our favorite trails to the top of a waterfall where we can watch a pair of feathertails playing in the water while their red clubtail mother stalks nearby.
What does feel like a close call is hearing the girls whispering amongst themselves as they prepare to start their tasks on Friday morning that it’s a little weird that Sorrengail and Riorson are always taking lunch at the same time.
It feels like an even closer call when Ridoc and Cam come into the ranger station for a break and almost catch Xaden and me holding hands and talking closely by the coffee pot when Xaden stopped to let Sloane out for a bathroom break on Tuesday the following week.
Unfortunately, the girls catch us in a bit of an argument where we’re standing nose to nose, half shouting but mostly whispering with attitude at each other, and they give us a weird look on Wednesday. We decide we have to table the discussion for the time being, and by the time I make it over to his house late that evening, we can’t remember why we were arguing. The make-up sex is really hot, though.
And even though he doesn’t say it, I’m almost sure that Cam sees the quick kiss I steal before he and Xaden head out for patrol, and I feel sick to my stomach about it all day.
Clearly, Garrick knows about the kiss because when Xaden gets back with Cam, he makes up a cleaning task for him and sits us down in the office, door firmly closed.
“We have two choices,” Garrick says. “Either we can tell them and let them know that if they go to HR, we’ll find a way to get them fired or transferred to Flyer National Park. Or you two figure out how not to touch and kiss and talk like you’ve been married for decades while you’re on the clock. Which do you want it to be?”
“I’m not talking with you about this, Garr,” Xaden says, making to get up, but I grab hold of his arm, making him slowly sink back down into his seat.
Garrick simply snorts. “Like hell you’re not, honeybear. This affects me, too, because who do you think will have to run this fucking place if they fire your ass for having a relationship with a ranger under your command?”
“Bodhi,” Xaden grunts.
Garrick looks momentarily wounded, but we all know it’s an act. “Sure. And when they name him Ranger Supervisor, I’ll become a buffalo in the park. Look, I think we should just tell them. They’ve been good for the last two weeks. No issues other than the typical ranger-in-training things that we see. I think we can trust them. And it’s clearly killing you two to not be able to be yourselves.”
It’s my turn to scoff. “Those new girls are totally jealous. They’re either crushing on Xaden themselves or they want my job because they can’t quit ogling him whenever they see him.”
“You were the same way,” Garrick argues.
“But for good reason. Because he’s mine.”
Xaden’s hand finds my own in my lap, and he squeezes comfortingly. “I’m not too worried about them trying to steal me, love.”
“I’m not worried about them stealing you either. I’m worried about them turning us in because they think if they get me out of the picture, they’ll have a shot with you.”
“Fair point,” Garrick concedes. “Do you really think they’re that into him?”
“You clearly haven’t seen the way they look at him.”
Xaden looks me square in the eyes then, trying to read me. “What do you want to do, Violet?”
“As much as this really isn’t what I want to do, I think we have to try to be more guarded. We have to be more careful and try to cut out the talking and the touching. You have to stop scheduling us together,” I tell Xaden, even though the words hurt coming out of my mouth. The days we go on patrol together are some of the best of my week.
“Are you sure?” I know he heard the hurt in my voice, but I force myself to nod anyway.
“That’s what will keep us safe.”
“There are other things we can do to keep ourselves safe.”
“I’ll be okay. This is for the best.”
He nods.
Garrick nods, too, after a moment of considering both of us. “Okay. I hope this works out how you want it to.”
-
It doesn’t. I can’t stay away from Xaden. He’s a magnet, and we’re pulled toward each other as the moon pulls the tide. I find myself physically staying away from him, but the longing looks I’m giving him really aren’t any better than the murmured conversations and brushes of our hands that we were sharing before.
Xaden is struggling, too. I can see it in the way he’s so growly with the rangers-in-training. He argues with them over little things, and when they mess something up, he comes down far harder on them than he normally would.
Tensions are high between us when we’re alone, too; our nights are filled with more intensity and need than usual, trying to soak up the few precious moments we have together that will end as soon as morning comes. While at first I don’t mind, we no longer feel like us. We don’t have time for meaningful conversation anymore; we don’t have the energy to do more for one another outside of making dinner or having sex. And one day, about eight weeks after we took on the rangers-in-training, I reach my limit.
As we’re lying together in bed, I say softly, “I think I’m going to quit, Xaden. I don’t like what the new rangers-in-training have done to us. I don’t like that we can’t be ourselves. I just want to be together, and I think the only way to do that is if I find some other job to do.”
“What?” Xaden sits up sharply, turning to look at me with eyes that flash with worry. “Violet. Absolutely not.”
“Well, do you disagree that this isn’t going well? I mean, we’ve hardly been able to do anything besides have sex and sleep in the same bed, and that doesn’t feel like a real relationship to me. I miss our dates. I miss our hikes and taking a scenic drive by the river. I miss getting to kiss you goodbye before you go out on patrol. We hardly even text anymore so we’re not suspicious.”
“Then we tell the new rangers. You’re not quitting, Violet. I’m not okay with that.”
“It isn’t just your choice, Xaden. And if we tell the new rangers, I’ll get fired. The same thing is going to happen. Let me quit so I can find a new job at least. Please.”
“It isn’t just your choice either,” he points out. “Telling them is a better plan. I really don’t think you’re going to get fired, Vi.”
“We’ll get reported to HR. Those girls want you. It hasn’t gotten any better since they got here. They still ogle you every single day.” Not to mention the batted eyelashes and giggling every time Xaden comes into the room. They’re very good at toeing the line so they can’t be reported to HR.
“But they can’t have me, and neither can anyone or anywhere else. We’re both staying put, and we’ll tell the new rangers what’s going on between us.” He shifts me on the bed so I’m looking up into his eyes. “Trust me, Violet. I won’t let anything happen to us. You’re right that this isn’t working, and I’m not willing to lose you over them. If one of us gets fired, they’ll have to accept my resignation. I’m not staying here without you. Not anymore.” He pulls up then and into his arms so he can hold onto me, and it helps. Not completely, but some. “I truly don’t think either of our jobs is in jeopardy.”
I want to believe him. I really do. So, I nod, agree, and hope that he’s telling the truth. Only time will tell.
-
The next morning, Xaden calls for an all-staff meeting. It’s not uncommon for him to have a meeting with everyone, especially when something remarkable has happened in the park, but nothing of note has occurred lately. So, everyone looks a little confused as they gather in the back of the ranger station.
Holding out a hand to me, Xaden waits for me to take it and stand beside him before he says, “Ranger Sorrengail and I would like to make an announcement.”
“Fucking finally,” I hear someone mumble before Maren pipes up, “The two of you are together, aren’t you? If that’s what you want to say, you can cut the theatrics. We already know. We’ve known for a while.”
Xaden and I blink down at each other, not sure what to say to this. I didn’t think we’d been terribly sneaky, but we certainly hadn’t done anything recently that would lead anyone to think that we’re a couple.
“Okay,” Xaden finally says slowly, drawing out the word. “So, you’ll understand, then, why Ranger Sorrengail and I are going to ask you not to take this to HR?”
“Yeah, because if we did, one of you would lose your jobs. We’re not going to do that, okay? Trust us. The two of you can stay together. As long as you promise we can go back to the version of Ranger Riorson that isn’t a total asshole.” This comes from Cam, and we all turn to look at him with wide eyes.
“What?” He shrugs. “It was pretty easy to put together. Once Riorson and Sorrengail weren’t being scheduled together, Riorson became a huge jerk.”
Everyone laughs, and Ridoc adds, “Yeah. You can fucking say that again. It’s been terrible.”
That’s not at all what we were expecting, and I can tell Xaden is just as shocked as I feel when he reaches for my hand and squeezes it. We’re grinning, though, because yeah. His attitude has been pretty appalling.
“We’d appreciate that,” I say, glancing at Cam.
“So, you’re going to quit playing games, right?” Sloane asks. “Riorson obviously needs Sorrengail so he can quit being such an ass, and Sorrengail can stop with the puppy eyes if she’s got time Riorson.”
Was I that obvious?
Cat rolls her eyes. “We know, and you’re fine. Okay?”
We nod.
“Can we be done with this little assembly then?” Cat snarks. “There are many other things I’d rather do with my day than stand around while you and Sorrengail hold hands.”
“Can you cut the attitude?” Xaden snarks back.
Garrick rolls his eyes. “Get to your assignments, rangers-in-training. Seriously.” Then with a wave of his hand, everyone is off, leaving only Xaden and me standing in the back room.
“Well, that went better than I’d imagined,” he says, taking both my hands in his and pulling me to face him.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
“Feel okay?”
I shrug. “As okay as I can be without giving it a little time to see if they’re telling the truth.”
He nods. “Me, too.”
“Will you two just kiss already?” Ridoc calls as he heads out the door with Cam.
“I’d really like to kiss you.” That soft, sultry voice that Xaden saves for our most intimate moments hits me in my core, and I swallow hard before I nod. I’ve missed hearing that voice.
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
He wastes no time, and gods if his lips don’t taste sweeter here in the ranger station than they normally do because it’s been so long.