43: Unlikely friendships.
**Zion pov**
The tent felt smaller than usual, though that wasn’t entirely true - the feeling was there, most likely, because the tent was so unusually full of people.
I adjusted my sitting position as Bane and the brute settled across from me.
Bane was tense, his dark eyes flicking between me and the brute every so often. Even in human form, he carried that same intensity that put others on edge. And the brute sat almost like a statue, his eyes tracking every movement anyone inside the tent made.
I turned to the brute and raised my voice a little. “You need to understand something - Bane isn’t evil. He’s fighting something inside him that none of us can see. That creature wants to make him do things he’d never dream of if he had full control.”
The brute leaned back and let out a low grunt, “I’ve seen him and I don’t trust him any further than I can throw him.”
I snorted out a laugh and shook my head. “You won’t be throwing him anywhere. What I’m trying to say is that it’d be nice if you tried to see Bane for what he is, not what the monster wants you to see.”
The brute’s gaze focused on Bane before he spoke again. “So, you’re telling me he’s not an enemy?”
Bane tensed at the words and shook his head. “I’m not an enemy. The monster is, but I’m learning how to hold him back and ensure everyone around me is safe.”
“You think I don’t know that?” The brute huffed under his breath and emphasized the statements he already made. “I’ve seen him and what he’s capable of. You think I trust him that easily?”
“I don’t expect instant trust,” I groaned and rolled my eyes. “A little understanding for my best friend would be plenty enough. He’s trying, Bane said it himself.”
“Exactly,” Bane muttered, voice so soft, I barely caught the word. “You’re not the only one who’s scared, I am too. The difference is that you’re scared of me, while I’m scared of the thing inside me that thinks it owns me and wants to undo everything I’ve built and protected.”
I leaned forward to Bane and carefully nudged his side. “You’re doing hell of a good job in my opinion. You’ve pushed it back more than once, and you’re still standing.”
The brute let out a low hum as his eyes scanned Bane again. “So, you claim the monster is contained? Not gone or killed, just caged?”
Bane met the brute’s gaze and nodded sharply. “You are correct. For the time being, he is. However, the moment I let my guard down or Aife isn’t holding me, it tries to break free and take control of me all over again. I’ve been practicing to push it back while it’s trying to push through. Every time, it claws at me, but with each try, I manage to hold it back for a little longer.”
I could hear the raw honesty in his words and knew that the brute could too, even if he didn’t want to admit it. The brute shifted slightly and cleared his throat before he managed to soften his voice a little and ask another question. “Do you think it will hold if I help, maybe?”
Bane’s eyes widened a little and so did mine, because neither of us expected that question. Thankfully, Bane always had an ability to hold himself together, even in the weirdest of situations. “Honestly, it’s complicated. I haven’t figured it all out yet myself, but what I know for a fact is that the monster reacts to me more than anyone since the fucker is inside me. And yes, I’ve been able to contain it with Aife, but it’s not like she can always be there to hold me. That’s why I need to learn how to fight it on my own. I fear if someone else intervenes, it could help, but it could also put more people in danger.”
“I can help,” the brute insisted and shifted closer to Bane. “I can be the backup if the monster breaks free and takes over, I can try to hold you down. I’m quite heavy, I can sit on you.”
Bane and I couldn’t help but laugh at the brute’s offer. His voice was so eager and the offer so genuine, he didn’t fully understand how ridiculous he sounded.
Eventually, as we calmed down, Bane glanced at the brute and smiled. “I appreciate the offer, it’s very kind of you, but I don’t think you understand the implications of this shitstorm.”
“I understand,” the brute insisted without hesitation. “I’ve handled worse and I can hold my ground.”
I nodded at Bane and took a moment to watch them both, witnessing how a cautious, almost hesitant seed of friendship was slowly hatching between two unlikely sides.
As I turned to look at the brute, I flashed him a wide smile. “You’re not doing this for Bane alone, you know. If you jump in to help, you’re doing it for everyone who matters. If his attempts to fight off the monster fail, it’ll affect all of us. That aside, I really want to emphasize how much it means to us that you’re willing to step in and help literal strangers.”
Bane’s eyes softened a little as his gaze found Aife before he returned his attention to the brute. “I’m not one to ask for help, but I understand that I can’t always rely on Aife. She’s already doing so much while carrying our pup, I don’t want to add more strain and stress to a pregnancy that’s supposed to be the best time of her life. So, if you’re truly on board, I won’t say no to someone who can react without fear.”
The brute puffed out his chest, letting out a low growl. “Consider me your second line of defence, beast. If you need me to sit, I sit.”
Bane’s hand twitched before his fingers wrapped around Aife’s ankle. “I appreciate it,” he muttered and nodded, clearly unable to find the right words to thank the brute.
The same protective energy I’ve been feeling radiate off the brute every time he stepped closer to my mate was now radiating off him in powerful waves. His eyes never left Bane as he nodded and let out another quiet growl. “I’ll hold the monster if he takes your body, you have my words for it.”
I didn’t want to disturb the moment those two were sharing. It felt too fragile to poke just yet, but I could already see that this was the very moment that would build their friendship into something rock solid, just like mine and Bane’s. Honestly, I didn’t really mind, I already took a liking of the clumsy brute anyway.
Bane let out a shaky breath and smiled at me. “I’ll keep trying, I promise. What happened to you, I’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure that never happens again.”
I nodded and nudged his side again, trying to rid us of the heavy tension. “That’s a good start, asshole.”
Bane threw back his head and laughed, and fuck, did it feel good to see that bit of my best friend back inside him. I missed that guy more than he could imagine.
When Bane pulled himself together and wiped the tears of laughter off his face, the brute nodded at him. “I’ll be there whenever you need me. Just keep fighting, asshole.”
Now, it was my turn to bark out a laugh after the brute repeated the not-so-flattering nickname. To make the matters even better, Bane only grinned, seemingly unaffected by our words. “I’m not giving up.” He said with a bright smile and this was the first time in months I heard him so sure of the words he said.
Bane’s gaze softened ever so slightly, flicking toward the blanket where Aife and Kala were whispering something quietly. “I won’t fail,” he muttered, voice barely audible. “Correction - I can’t fail. Mark my words, if I won’t fight for myself, I will for the future of the woman I love and our child.”
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