ARCANE

021

Lee, for some possession unknown to her, waits on the baseball field for the Hamilton Collegiate Institute to let out. Maybe a strange young lady hanging around the high school might draw attention, but Lee, frankly, doesn't give a shit. She is a woman with a mission, albeit a crazy one. Whatever. All of her plans are half-baked anyway.

Erik sees her immediately. One of his friends is chatting with him, but the words go in one ear and out another. Without explaining his sudden departure to his friend, Erik walks over to Lee. He can feel his shoes kicking up rocks and dust as he drags his feet along the ground.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Erik growls. He stands only a foot away from lee, but a waist-high fence separates the two.

Lee swallows, facing her fear. "My brother is missing. You're Dad is a cop right?"

"A fucking useless one," Erik bites back, staring her down. He can't believe she has come to ask Erik for help. Didn't she see the missing posters for Amelia? "He won't help you."

"Okay, well, I wasn't asking for his help," Lee rolls her eyes. What a whiny child. Maybe she was asking him for help, but he doesn't get the satisfaction of knowing that. "Quit it with your shitty assumptions."

"You came to me for help, and now you're insulting me!" Erik demands, wrapping his fists around the fence. Lee recoils, her face contorting as tears brim in her eyes. He doesn't care. "I've got my own shit to deal with. I don't need you and your missing brother come in here and messing up my stuff."

This time, Lee doesn't look away from Erik. She lets him see the sadness burning her face. Her face is hot and her eyes are cool instead of cold. If he is going to be a dick, he is going to have to deal with the consequences. He will have to live her pain.

"Fine," Lee tells him, turning her chin up. For the first time in a while, Lee doesn't feel the urge to snap back. Instead, she tells him like it is. "Just know that I really needed your help."

Erik rolls his eyes, walking away from the fence. Over his shoulder, he calls to her. "I'll see you at your stupid concert, or whatever."

~~~

"Thanks for taking me in as a refuge," Jamie says, holding a warm cup of tea in his hands. He winces at himself. "Is that insensitive? I mean, the plight of refugees is not comparable to having a crappy roommate, but I thought it was an apt metaphor. I don't know. Metaphors aren't really my thing."

"I don't think I'm the best person to decide what is and isn't insensitive." Eden shrugs. He reaches for the piping hot glass of coffee on the table but thinks better of touching it. Even if burning heals too quickly, it still hurts.

Jamie catches his eyes. "You know, I'm not entirely sure how you're a grown man who only has one mug. Is it because your straight? What do you do when girls spend the night?"

Eden smirks but says nothing. He is thankful that Jamie is quite oblivious, as he always is. Since Eden's heater isn't working, the apartment is freezing. On the plus side, that means his coffee will cool down quickly, so he'll be able to drink it. However, it means that Jamie has borrowed one of Eden's Barnaby sweaters to throw over the sweater Jamie is already wearing.

It's too big for Jamie, that's what Eden notices from his spot on the counter. Jamie is swallowed by it, as well as the blanket on the couch. He looks so cozy. Eden dares himself to step closer, but can't.