You Said To Call

Participants:

aman_icon.gif kaylee3_icon.gif richard3_icon.gif

Also featuring:

animal-willy_icon.gif
Scene Title You Said To Call
Synopsis Previously, Kaylee told Aman she hoped he'd come to her if things ever went horribly wrong. It's not happily he has to make such a phone call, much less at the hour he does.
Date February 22, 2020

It's an ungodly hour of the night, if you judge by how long the sun's been down, when Kaylee's phone begins to ring on her nightstand. The clock reads 1:13 am.

The caller ID indicates it's Aman who's calling.

"Ah, hey— hey, Kaylee," Aman's voice comes through the line. He's working on sounding smooth, but it's a process before he hits the note he's looking for. "I'm sorry. I didn't wake you, did I?" He winces in apology right as a breeze hits the receiver just right to send a muffle of static through the line.

Did he….wake…?

There is a tired laugh on the other end of the phone, she’d seen what time it was. “No. You didn’t wake me. I was totally up at one in the morning,” Kaylee sounds amused, even if the words are clearly dripping with sarcasm.

Fingers scritch at the chin of a grizzled cat, curled up next to her head. In fact, the gravelly purring might be audible enough to come through the phone. “What’s up?” It slowly sinks through the sleep-addled fog that Amanvir is calling her in the middle of the night. That’s kinda worrisome.

Maybe this should wait until morning. Aman furrows his brow to himself at at that thought, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Did this really have to happen tonight?

Part of it did.

"So, Des fucked up like four different ways," he shares, apology in it. If nothing else, she deserves to know that much. "She got picked up tonight. Then she used her phone call to call me."

His grimace at all that is invisible, but it can almost be heard through the line anyway.

“She what?!”

Kaylee half yells through the phone, dislodging the cat as she sits up. He can hear her murmuring, “Jesus fucking christ, Odessa,” under her breath, ending with a heavy sigh. Drawing up her knees she wraps an arm around them. After what she saw that one day, it didn’t surprise her that Aman was the one she called.

“And why are you apologizing, Aman?” Kaylee asks, kinda confused by that. “It’s kind of a big deal.” Tiredly rests her head on her knees. There was a thread of worry curling around her stomach, though. “What exactly happened? They find y’all?”

Aman winces again at the sharpness of her tone, the alertness to her voice. "Bad news, it's better than coffee," he airs offhandedly. Another apology. "Sorry it came in the middle of the night. That's all." His hand starts to run back through his hair before he remembers the knit cap he has pulled over it, and he tugs it back down to keep him warm. "I mean… you called it first, that she'd keep going out. And then she showed up like a stray cat at Isaac's, and who knows where else she'd been, so…"

He sighs, uncomfortable at remembering what had happened over at Faulkner's. "I don't know exactly what happened, all I know is she apologized because she should've known better, and she knows she fucked up, and in between saying sorry she let me know someone… someone who probably wants to kill me over what happened when I met her," You know, the prison break, "is still alive and out there after all. She told me to warn Redd's twin that he was still alive and then to run, and I asked what direction, and she said anywhere not the direction of the d'Sarthe Group, so… there's that."

Aman bites his tongue for a moment before his voice softens. "Last thing she said was to call you. That you'd know what to do. I mean… I was going to call you anyway, just, in the morning, but…" He catches himself before he can tie himself in a knot with his words. "Call your girlfriend, she said," Aman sighs those words out. "Can you believe her?"

The sound of his footsteps on wet concrete continue as he wishes he'd not said anything at all. Just jam that foot further down his esophagus, why doesn't he.

"… This 'Smiles' guy, John or whatever— he's got a boat docked in town called Novelle Vue. I doubt he's out there tonight, but I was going to leave him a message or something. I don't know how else to get in touch with him."

“Oh, Amanvir,” Kaylee sighs out his name like an apology, for everything really. The fact he’s being hunted is worrisome and finally gets her moving. There is a rustle as she flings off her bedding. No more sleep tonight, it seems.

This movement gets the cat’s attention, who perks up considerably. Kaylee was moving which, clearly, meant it was food time. To remind her of her duty, Willy lets out a gravelly sound that was possibly a meow (she was never quite sure). “deSarthe group….I know of them.” Kaylee sits on the edge of the bed, looking at a point on the floor, Willy bumping his head on her arm.

“Make your way here, I’ve got an extra room you can crash,” Kaylee winces at herself a little, but… everything felt really awkwards since… Park Slope. “No place safer than Raytech.” That might be a little biased, really. “I’m going away in a few days, so I’ll make sure you have access and that Bob or my brother isn’t going to tie you up and toss you down a well.” He can hear the humor in her voice.

That was supposed to be funny.

“I also might know who she is talking about,” Kaylee says after a moment of going over what he had said about the man he needed to warn. “My family is… uh… funding that boat.”

When Kaylee gives direction to head her way without him even asking, Aman instantly feels his stomach sink. He's glad, but at the same time… he doesn't want her to feel like she has to. His pace slows, his own tiredness catching up with him as he looks one way and then the other.

It's cold. He's chilled, he doesn't even know where this boat is that he's looking for, and it's past 1 am on a Friday night.

"I might need some directions to it in the morning," he admits reluctantly, then turns away from the docks. He digs a hand in his pocket to pull out his lightRadio box, checking the battery on it with a frown. "I'll grab a cab and head up your way, Kaylee. Um… thanks."

"And let's be real, Bob's more likely to lock me out and pretend he doesn't know me than throw me down a well." A little joking, a little serious. "So it's just your brother we gotta worry about."

And maybe he'd be right to worry about Aman, he realizes with another swirl of emotion, this time not sure if it's his or Odessa's. The dread of it felt so heavy. He points out uncomfortably, "And, you know, eventually, the police, SESA, the FBI…"

“They have to figure out it was you first,” Kaylee comments in return, reassuring him. She hasn’t seen anything on it yet, so felt positive he is okay. “Take a deep breath and try to relax, hmm?” Her voice is gentle and patient. The telepath was trying to calm his nerves. Maybe her’s too. “You’ll find that some days it is best to just take it one day at a time or else you’ll run yourself ragged.”

As she talks, the telepath is already making tracks to the kitchen. Kaylee was going to need coffee for this. She looks down at herself. Actual clothes, too. It was easy to act and sound calm, but actually being calm wasn’t so easy. But she needed to take her own advice. One step at a time.

“Just get here and let me worry about them. Text me when you are,” Kaylee says glancing down at a mewling feline. “I hope you like cats.”

Cats? Fuck.

"Be there soon," he promises smoothly.


Raytech Employee Apartment Complex, Jackson Heights


Aman had never before indicated he had an aversion to cats, but the way he lets Willy occupy the hall to the bedroom without challenging his presence or even nearing him paints a different story.

Does it have claws? He? She?…

Come on, Aman, it can't be that bad.

'Heeere, kitty, kitty…'

No, they sit there and look cute, and that's when they fucking bite.

He should know by now trying to overcome any mental obstacle silently is borderline rude in the presence of a telepath, but Aman is trying so very hard to figure out this issue on his lonesome. Kaylee opened up her home without even batting an eyelash, I can figure out this fucking cat. he tells himself sternly.

"What's his name?" Aman asks with a forced smile.

“Hmm?” Kaylee looks up from her phone, where she’d been texting her brother. He deserves to know about Odessa and that there is a new person in her home. Angling a look over to the old mangy cat, staring at Aman unblinking, tail flicking about in irritation. “Oh. That is Willy. Granny named him after Willy Nelson.” There is a soft chuckle, “And yes, he has his claws.”

The old cat growls gravelly in the back of his throat. Leaning close, Kaylee asks quietly, “You know cats sense fear, right?” That was probably a tease… Willy’s ears flatten.

Probably.

Slinking past Aman on the way to the kitchen, Kaylee asks. “Need a drink or something?” Though with a glance to the clock, she amends a little. “Kinda early for breakfast still I can probably whip up a little snack.”

Willy wasn’t the strangest thing in the apartment. For the most part, Kaylee’s apartment was rather bland, But there was one wall of the living room that was covered in photos, stickies, newspaper clippings, and string. Not unlike one would see on television shows when they were young.

That cat is nowhere near as chill as Willie Nelson.

Aman glowers right back at the cat. Dominance is how this works, right? That's how it worked with dogs. Stern voices, severe looks, and they'd understand.

He breaks the staring game first, blinking tiredly. His nerves are awful after the night he's been through— the emotional stress both his and not his that he's lived through taking its toll. He simply lets the strap of his duffel bag roll off his shoulder and hit the ground right outside the kitchen as he follows Kaylee that direction. "Honestly, a drink would be great." Alcoholic would be best, but any port in a storm. "Then bed, probably."

"Des said she called me using her lawyer call, so it should have been confidential, but I've got no faith they're not gonna have my number, if they don't have my recording." He sighs as he leans in the doorway to the kitchen. "So, assuming tomorrow I get wanted for questioning, I should go find this… John 'Smiles' guy first thing in the morning."

“You should be alright if she did that,” Kaylee reassures him, even if there might be a thread of worry in her too. On tiptoes, Kaylee digs into the upper shelves of a corner cabinet, taking out a few items so she can reach the back of it. Alcohol was not a common thing in the telepath’s home. However, stretching she managed to reach a half empty bottle of whiskey at the back of the cabinet.

With a bright grin turned his way, Kaylee wiggles it in triumph. “I knew I had some tucked away for a rainy day.”

Kaylee goes about pouring into a glass while she shifts back on topic. “I’m sorry you got tied up in all of that. Odessa…. I love her….She saved my life and I still consider her a friend… But when it comes to her personal safety, she seems to have blinders. We hid her here on the campus for a while, but she got tired of hiding and started to go out and get into stuff. Finally, it just… well, it caught up to her. ”

The glass is finally offered to Aman, her expression downcast. “Worst part was finding out she’d helped Humanis First during the war.” Kaylee gives him a rueful smile, “I have to believe it was under duress.” Else it would break the woman’s heart.

Aman's gaze has gone distant, lost in thought as he considers the glass.

Pushing a slotted spoon through soup on the stove while it warms, Aman slides a look in the direction of the woman curled up on the couch one more time. The scent of the broth sticks in his mind. His next question in their idle conversation is something so much more than that— something he's wondering more strongly the longer he's around her. "How did you even get wrapped up with people like Humanis First, anyway? Same way you got wrapped up with Mazdak?"

He can't see the look on Odessa's face as she replies, just sees her hands around the pillow she's gathered into her lap, her nails as she picks at the fabric. "It's more complicated than that."

"But ultimately, I was more afraid of them than concerned about doing the right thing."

At that point in time, he'd not had a direct line into her emotions to intuit just what was behind that response, where it was coming from.

"I don't know." Aman replies on an intake of breath, reaching for the glass finally. He's even more tired than he was before, his thoughts having gone back to that topic. It's definitely a blind spot he'd actively developed for the sake of getting through those days before she was dumped away, theoretically to never be a problem of his again, all the PISEC mess put firmly behind him. Look how that turned out.

"If history keeps repeating itself with her, with her going out and getting caught how she did, maybe it did there, too?" he wonders, taking a healthy sip of the whiskey. He looks aside, muttering, "Anyway…" and letting his arm fall, glass pressed to his stomach while he sorts through the mud of his thoughts and emotions. They bring him back to Kaylee in the end, the soft brown of his eyes finding hers again.

"I owe you for this, Kaylee. You said if things ever went south to call you and come to you, but… you didn't have to do any of this. I'm…" he sighs, shoulders settling down in his humility. "I'm grateful— I'm— what I'm trying to say is thanks." Even tired as he is, one side of his mouth drags into a smile. "You're amazing, and you needed to hear it sooner rather than later."

Cheek flush at the compliment and her gaze falls away to the bottle on the counter, but there is a little smile there. Despite her trying not to be, Kaylee is flattered it seems. “I’m not sure about amazing, but… experienced. Maybe.” Her head shakes a little at her own thoughts, “I dunno, but have definitely been in your shoes many times.”

When Kaylee looks up again, meeting his own gaze, she looks like she wants to say something… but something shifts in her mind and she offers him a gentle smile. “Let me show you where you’re staying, so we can get you settled before you fall over. Then tomorrow, I’ll drop you off on my way to work.” Yes, sometimes cops have to work the weekends. She crooks a finger at him and heads for the hall that was once occupied by Willy. There is a door open at the end of the hall, a large bed visible there, but also…. the cat.

Hunkered at the end of the bed, Willy watches the pair come down the hall. A glance through the first door they pass, reveals a bed covered in dinosaur sheets and an articulated asian dragon resting on the pillow. The floor is littered with a few toys, but no child occupied the space otherwise.

While they do get closer to the bedroom at the end of the hall, Kaylee stops at the next door and pushes it open, leaning a shoulder on the frame just outside. “You can take the bed with the pink unicorns, I doubt Hannah would mind too much.” There is a bit of an amused smirk as she says that. “My girls don’t visit nearly as often as Carl.” A glance to the other bed in the room seems to remind her. “And you won’t be the only one with a key. So don’t freak out if someone shows up and uses the other bed.” The other bed with it’s purple floral design shows more use then the one he’s been assigned, the dresser has a set of clothes perched atop it waiting for the owner to come back.

Also, there's a man sitting on it.

A man in a black suit, a red tie, and black gloves as a matter of fact. Richard Ray's eyes are nearly black from edge to edge without his sunglasses on as he looks up to the (to him) bright glare of the door opening. The man standing beside his sister is considered for a moment, and then he pushes himself up to his feet, one hand lifting to adjust his tie.

"What," he asks in tired tones, "Has Des gotten herself into now? She was supposed to lay low, and then turn herself in. That was the plan."

His gaze flickers to Kaylee, "Sorry. I could hear your conversation through the door."

It doesn't explain why he was in the unused bedroom, though. His natural tendency towards melodrama is the only explanation for that.

Aman can't help but feel a twist of regret when Kaylee changes her mind on whatever she means to say, a silent swear whispering from him. He tosses back what's left of the whiskey and sets the glass in the sink before he follows after her, grabbing the duffel by the strap and carrying it low by his side as Kaylee guides them through the recently-safe hallway.

His eyes narrow at the sight of the cat on the bed just before something sadder takes its place. Knowing the reason the beds are free doesn't make it any more comfortable to use them. Well, at least one is claimed by the cat, leaving it so he doesn't have to decide…

which…

"Jesus Christ," Aman recoils back from the figure as soon as he realizes he's not hallucinating, bag dropping by his side. He's got half a mind to blurt out the warning Odessa gave him for anyone who might try to kill him, but he has the presence of mind to realize whoever the hell this is, he's friendly to Kaylee.

Uncomfortably, his hand paws for the lightswitch on the wall. "Who are y—" He turns to Kaylee for just as much help. "Who's this?" Then he's looking back to Richard again, a little perplexed. "… You know Des?"

There is a soft chuckle just behind Aman’s shoulder. “Should have known you’d show up, big brother.” Ducking past Aman into the girls’ room, Kaylee offers her brother a tired smile. “Whatever she’s gotten into included a certain show boat owner and the d’Sarthe group.” Turning she looks to Aman to see she was remembering right.

“Oh, and this is Amanvir,” Kaylee motions to the man at the door with her head. Aman is given a lopsided smile as she in turn tips at head at her brother. “Aman, this is my brother, Richard.”

Richard’s lips twitch ever so slightly in an almost-smile at the man’s reaction. “If you’re going to be trying to date my sister,” he observes mildly, “You’re absolutely going to have to get better at dealing with surprises…”

Trailing off, he gives Kaylee a REALLY? sort of look before glancing between the two.

“The… d’Sarthe… Group. Of course,” he mutters, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose, “Because of course, while laying low, she would somehow get entangled with Gideon’s people. Because she is completely incapable of laying low. I’m shocked Eve isn’t involved.”

Aman turns his head to the side when a dragon-shaped turns on as a result of the lightswitch, a bulb inside its red gel shape casting a soft red light around it. Close enough, he can at least see a little better now. Looking back to Richard, he manages not to flinch when the man looks just as startling in the low light as he did when simply being a shadow standing up in the dark. God, those eyes.

Maybe he does need to get better at surprises.

"Right," Aman mutters to himself, trying to give himself grace he's otherwise not feeling while this exhausted. He even manages a grin at Richard's exasperation, but not at his expense. "Amanvir Binepal, but I'm guessing you already know that." he says as he enters the room, extending his hand out for a handshake.

With a stiff nod, he gets to explaining. "Yeah… long story short, when we went in, we went with a couple of people. One of them was this guy who could make the guards not notice us, went by Redd. We grabbed Odessa and I teleported with her back to the lab with the rest, and when I went back, we …"

Aman's expression is less certain, a twinge of pain in it. Before he even gets there to explaining, the image of Redd of pounding on the glass and screaming haunts his mind. "We, uh, grabbed another one of the prisoners directly from their cell. I had a limit— the oni knew it, and used that to her advantage. She made me leave Redd behind in the cell." He shakes his head to try and clear the image from his mind, returning to the present.

"Des found out he works for the d'Sarthe Group, that he's still alive and out. It was a really short conversation, but the vibe I got was he might not be the only one to worry about, either." Looking between Kaylee and Richard both, Aman turns out a palm. "Only advice she had for me was survive, aside from that. I plan on honoring her ask to let Redd's twin know his doppelganger's out and kicking, and then after that…"

Well, that's where his plan runs out— that much can be inferred from the way he suddenly rubs at the back of his head, looking tired.

Richard’s look and silent commentary, gets a small shrug from the telepath. «He’s cute okay. Don’t judge.»

“Wondered how that went down,” Kaylee sighs, moving to perch on the edge of the purple floral bed sheets. The telepath doesn’t seem upset about it, even though she was technically Law Enforcement and should probably have a Very Big Problem with it. “Well, like I said you’ll be safe here, Aman. Raytech has decent security and I trust them.”

Kaylee looks up at Richard, brows lifting curiously, as she asks, “Think I can get a Spot set up outside my apartment door? Technically, it should be immune. Good time to test it, either way. Set it up to broadcast an alarm tone and call up all the guards.” That last bit added for her brother’s benefit, new ways to make their products better.

“And like you heard, I’m gonna set him up here,” Kaylee shrugs a bit. “At least, until this Redd is caught. I’ll have Bob and Lou keep an eye on him while I’m gone on this thing with Eve.” If Aman’s troubles go that long. “He’s not wanted…” There is a side-eyed glance at the subject of discussion. “Yet… by authorities so we don’t have to worry about blow back at this point.”

As the light’s turned on, Richard squints a bit; lips pursing as he reaches into his suit jacket pocket to pull out his shades, snapping them open and sliding them onto his face to relieve the glare.

“I don’t shake hands, no offense,” he holds up a gloved hand, a rueful almost-smile twitching to his lips, “Good to finally meet you - mnm, I’m aware of Redd, and his doppleganger. Let him know sooner rather than later, that asshole’s dangerous as hell.”

He nods a bit over to Kaylee, “Easy enough. Do you know if it works through a video feed?”

Aman awkwardly turns his hand out, shrugging off the lack of handshake. All right, then. He shoots Kaylee a momentary glance to confirm if that's a thing thing, or a reserved for anyone recently dating his sister thing.

"I'll call in at work, tell them I'm taking a few days for myself … make myself as low a risk as possible so all this effort you're going through doesn't go to waste." Still, he sounds uncomfortable about it, holding up a hand. "For the record, the moment it becomes apparent the cops or whoever is looking for me, that's the moment I'm gonna bail. Not interested in abusing your generosity, Kaylee, no matter how well-meaning it is."

He glances back at Richard for his question about how Redd's ability works, supposing, "Worst case, I can ask John about it in the morning. Surely he's gotta know more than we do about it."

“Not sure,” is the only answer Kaylee has for Richard’s question, her expression distant. “Definitely, something to ask ‘John’, thank you Aman.” The telepath offers him a smile, moving to stand. “Until then we can ask Bob to put a detail on the feed to help out Lou.”

Aman’s unvoiced inquiry pulls her attention, the telepath moves to rest a gentle hand on his arm. “Don’t worry. I wasn’t joking when I said this isn’t our rodeo and it won’t be our last. I’m just sorry you got caught up in all of this.” Looking over at her brother, Kaylee jerks her head at the door. “Let’s let the poor guy get some rest, hmm?”

Turning back to Aman, Kaylee studies his features for a long moment before she goes up on toe tips and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Before I drop you off there, I’ll make you a hearty breakfast.”

Richard’s hands spread a bit in a ‘what’ motion at the request to let him get some rest, and he steps out of the way to let Aman past and into the bedroom. As Kaylee leans up to kiss the man’s cheek, he points two fingers at his eyes, and then at Aman, one brow lifting sharply.

“Well, it was good meeting you,” he says dryly, “Even if you brought bad news. I’ll see about that modified SPOT unit…”

Aman supposes he's going to have to learn to learn to live in a perpetual state of discomfort for a solid while. He wraps an arm around Kaylee's shoulder to bid her good night, only glancing for a moment at Richard. Maybe if he doesn't think about it, the action can stay between them without Kaylee knowing about the threat to be thrown down a well.

Metaphorically speaking, anyway.

"Yeah, was nice meeting you," he replies, possibly meaning it only slightly more than Richard does. "I'm sure we'll see more of each other."

But even that sounds presumptuous, in a way he's too tired to correct. He smiles to cover his grimace, looking back to Kaylee. "Look forward to it. See you in a few hours, Kaylee."

“Sleep tight,” Kaylee comments pleasantly, “Oh and the bathroom is next door over, I’ll make sure there is a towel for you.” Always the hostess, this one. Following her brother out the door with a smile that quickly fades once she closes the door and is out of Aman's line of sight.

The telepath sits there for a moment, before turning a concerned look to Richard. Though she doesn’t say anything until they are out in the living room. “I’m worried,” Kaylee says softly, voice pitched low to keep her guest from hearing. “He’s a newbie to all this, but… I gotta protect him. Odessa really seems to like this one.” Kaylee looks uncomfortable when she says that.

Not much better when she adds, “I saw the way she looked at him, it reminded me of when she was with you.” It is obvious, Kaylee did kinda like this one, but… she was obviously spooked. Fingers tuck hair behind her, gaze not quite meeting Richard’s. “Either way, I really appreciate the help.”

“Oh…?” Richard’s brow knits a little as he glances back to the door, and then to Kaylee with a frown, “…and she’s not big on sharing either. The second that it seemed like Liz was going to be back for good, she dumped me, so…”

“Have you talked to him about it yet?”

“That’s two of us,” Kaylee comments with a lop-sided smile. “Telepathy and relationships like yours is… a bit too awkward for my taste. Nothing ruins an intimate moment than their mind on someone else.” There is a slow shrug of her shoulders.

The question if she talked to Aman, however, gets a guilt-ridden shake of her head. Kaylee glances up at her brother and away quickly. “I know that makes me a coward… I just… I’m not you or Liz, Richard.” A hand rubs at the back of her neck in frustration. “Since… since the auroras… and all… I’ve had a hard time getting close to people.

“I’m just glad I found out before I actually got too invested,” Kaylee sighs out with a glance back at the doors.

“Not everyone’s poly,” Richard replies with a shake of his head, “Nothing wrong with that, and… yeah, I imagine telepathy must make things complicated.”

A glance to the door, and back, frowning a little in worry. “Have you considered therapy? I mean, Liz is forcing me to do it, and maybe it’d help. You’ve been through a lot, sis.”

There is a grimace at the mention of therapy, before Kaylee shakes her head again. “No thanks. I’ll…” There is that sigh again, “I’ll figure this out.” Maybe. “Right now I have too much on my plate to deal with relationship stuff.” Which wasn’t a complete lie.

“For now… ” Kaylee jerks her head at the door, “As much as I hate to kick you out, big brother, I should get a couple more hours before my shift.”

“Alright, alright, but…” Richard lifts both hands a bit, “…just reach out if you need us, alright? You don’t need to get close to us, we’re already close.” A kiss to his fingertips, and he gestures to her cheek before turning the corner, “Give the kids my love.”

There is a flash of pain at the gesture, Kaylee didn’t like not being able to hug her brother. “I will. Em especially misses you.” Once he’s out of sight, she covers her face for a moment, before letting hands bruch back over her hair to hook behind her neck. Turning towards her room, the telepath pauses at the door and presses a hand to it in a silent apology, before slipping into her room.

Scooping up Willy, Kaylee sits on the edge of the bed, while he gives a rough purr. There won’t be any sleeping for her, Aman’s arrival had her mind fired up.

On the other side of the bedroom door, Aman leans away once he hears footsteps again. Both hands run back through his hair, tracing through scalp until they meet the skin on his neck. He laces his fingers together and begins an absent pace around the room, sick to his stomach from the turn of events the night's taken, and the very little he was able to overhear through the door.

Eyes closed, he resolves to not let this drag on. Not to put Kaylee or anyone around her in an awkward position. He'd see about actually leaving town, maybe going back home upstate. He wasn't enthused about it, but he was far less enthused about this, and the way it somehow twisted the arm of everyone involved.

"Tomorrow," Aman promises himself in a murmur. Then letting his hand slide loose from his neck, checks the glowing face of his watch as he turns it toward himself. He winces and corrects himself: "Later today."

For a moment, he considers the clothes left out on the dresser, how they decidedly don't belong to a child. Someone of wider build— wider than him, even. He looks, but doesn't touch. Somehow— somehow that just tempted to invite more trouble upon him. Regarding the unicorn bed next, he decides his masculinity can't take any more hits tonight, and instead heads for the other bed once he flicks the lights off.

Stepping on his heels to work free from his shoes, Aman falls facefirst into a flower-adorned pillow, not even bothering with climbing under the covers. He's asleep before he even has time to think about them.


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