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“I- I didn’t think I was smart enough,” he admitted then started as she pulled him into a tight hug. Shea and coconut tickled his nose as he hugged her back, careful to not crush her hair under the bonnet.
“Of course you’re smart enough, Tommy,” she said, her hand on the back of his neck to hold him all the closer. “You can do anything.” She pulled back and looked up at him, his last growth spurt putting him a good five inches taller than her, though he usually forgot that until they were this close. “So,” she said in that all-knowing “mom” tone, “this someone is a gangster?”
Thomas’s shoulders dropped. He hadn’t wanted to tell her that. “Y-yes,” he admitted, unable to avoid such a direct question. “He works for the Italians. He’s a hacker of some sort, but he said he doesn’t teach people what he does. I met him at the hospital when I went to see Issac. He-he said to email him if I was interested in an honest career in computers and he’d give me pointers. Help me find resources. I-I-I-”
“Breathe,” she reminded him, cupping his face in her hands. “Breathe. I understand. He sounds very nice. Italians aren’t stupid enough to do anything but be helpful.”
“So can I go,” he asked, putting on his best pleading face.
“Oh, put those shiny emeralds away,” she laughed, holding an hand over his eyes then tapping his nose. “Yes, but I’m going with you. Italians aren’t stupid, but I have to protect my favorite nephew.”
Thomas wrinkled his nose, feeling himself smile. “I’m your only nephew.”
“All the more reason to protect you from any man who might try to take you from us again,” she said, rising onto her toes and gently pulling his head down to kiss his forehead. “Now, you go tell him that you’ll see him there and get ready for school while I make us breakfast.”
Cafe Conversations
Seong sighed as he leaned his head against the wall, the plastic snake twisting in his fingers. When he had emailed Thomas back, he hadn’t expected the reply less than two hours later while Seong was doing clean up. He also hadn’t expected it to ask if they could meet in the afternoon after Thomas was out of school. He had expected the mention of one of his aunts coming with him.
Jessi and Ceri O’Malley had been married for fifteen years, and as far as Seong could tell, their lives revolved around making sure their nephew was taken care of. The fact that he had been in so much danger for the last four years and they hadn’t seen the signs had to hurt. Thomas’s close brush with an Open Season could have very well have cost him his life. If he hadn’t been in exactly the right place and acted as he had, the crossfire would have gotten him. Of course they would be keeping a close eye on Thomas and want to meet any adult that came near him.
But Seong was exhausted.
Last night marked the eleventh hunt since the end of September, and as December began he was running on fumes. He could only keep this pace up for so long. He spent the hunts sitting in his comfortable chair, with its lumbar support and a continuous supply of snacks and drinks provided by Felinus’s “business” credit card. Physically, he didn’t have much to do; but unlike the others who did the actual “hunting,” Seong was constantly working.
Even as he sat in the bright cafe, waiting for Thomas and his aunt, his programs were trying to track down the last two rats who had gone to ground when they realized that all their friends were turning up dead. He needed twelve hours of sleep. At least. With someone to cuddle in with him.
He allowed himself to think about that for a moment, nice and warm in his bed. Blankets pulled up over his shoulders. His arm wrapped around someone’s thin waist. He wasn’t so delusional to think he’d actually stay asleep the entire twelve hours, so when he woke up, he’d open his eyes just a little. Red curly hair and freck-
NO! He sat up with a sharp and loud enough breath that the table next to him glanced over. He forced himself to breathe out, making sure his mask was still in place, and rubbed at his tired eyes. He tried to tell himself that he hadn’t just daydreamed that, that there were lots of red heads with freckles in the city. He wasn’t sure lying about it was any better.
It’s just because you’re seeing him again after so long and are touch deprived, he told himself, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh. That was something about himself he only learned after meeting Felinus. If you had asked pre-Snake Seong if he liked being touched, he wouldn’t have given an answer. There were a lot of bad things happening when he was touched back then. But Felinus had changed that. Felinus was the first man to ever touch Seong in a way that was both affectionate and completely platonic, and Seong quickly learned that he liked that.
Maybe Tiger will agree to take a nap with me before dinner, he thought, looking around as the bell on the door dinged.
Thomas looked exactly the same as he had that day in the hospital. Same blue hoodie, same fiery red hair, same bright green eyes. A tall black woman stepped in behind him, fussing briefly at her scarf as she looked up to her taller nephew.
Seong raised a hand to wave them over and saw Thomas perk up. Fuck, he’s adorable, he groaned internally as Thomas’s red cheeks went a shade darker. “Good afternoon,” he said, leaving the fidget on the table and holding out his hand. “I hope traffic wasn’t too bad?”
“It wasn’t terrible,” the woman said, clearly sizing Seong up but also giving Thomas a small nudge to take Seong’s hand first. “Right, Tommy?”
“R-right,” Thomas stammered, taking Seong’s hand and giving him a firm handshake. “Thank you for meeting with me, Seong.”
He smiled. It was rare for someone to pronounce his name correctly after only hearing it once but it appeared that Thomas had committed it to memory. “Not at all, I’m glad you reached out.” He glanced at the woman.
“Oh, this is my Aunt Jessi,” Thomas said quickly, letting go of Seong’s hand so they could shake hands. “Sh-she- um-”
“Is here to make sure I’m not some shady bastard trying to corrupt her nephew with my cool hacker tricks and fabulous hair,” Seong suggested, smiling at the older woman as she took his hand in just as firm of a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Jessi.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” she said, an almost predatory smile curing her lips as she gave his hand a small tug to try to make him step forward. “So are you some shady bastard trying to corrupt my nephew?”
“Aunt Jessi,” Thomas groaned, his ears turning red.
Seong laughed as he tugged his hand free. He liked her. “No ma’am. I don’t teach people to do what I do.”
“And why is that? I would have thought your sort liked taking on apprentices or whatever you call them.”
It was only too many years of hiding his flinch that kept Seong from wincing at the word “apprentice.” “Mostly? I don’t want people to do what I do. It’s a necessary evil, but it is still evil. I have terrible work hours, and my closest friends are the people I work with.” He shrugged. “It’s not a good life and it’s not one I want for other people if they have choices. Honest choices.”
