Although he isn't the best at it, the enchanted blanket that Rin insisted he cover up with helps Ezra sleep. The bed is more comfortable and the area more quiet, but the difference in environments from a cage to a room makes it hard to drift off. Makes it seems like something's wrong.
The next evening goes slow, holding an empty feeling. A few select people give Ezra strange looks, but no one acknowledges him as being a new comer anymore. Rin and Mahin gave him a speech about being alone and his responsibilities, sending him off to do whatever he wanted. He doesn't make it past the main lobby before realizing he has nothing to do.
"Ezra?"
He turns, now somewhat use to his name being spoken without irritation behind it.
Clover smiles, holding a stack paper in her hands. "It's good to see you around," she says, "I'm surprised you haven't gone outside yet."
"I don't know the city all that well," Ezra shrugs, crossing his arms over his clean t-shirt. "That and I have no money or anything to do."
"That's what I was going to talk to you about." Clover laughs, walking to the desk at the front of the room. Ezra doesn't move, only getting closer as she holds out an envelope.
"What's that?" Ezra asks, unfolding his arms to take the paper. He had gotten better at evaluating situations, cutting away at the time he spends hesitating.
"Amelia wanted me to give you your pay for yesterday's mission early, since you have no spending money yet and otherwise wouldn't until this end of the week," Clover explains, sifting through a few papers, "so you have all night to do what you want. And about not knowing the city in these reports it says you met a friend yesterday. Would they be willing to take you out?"
Ezra takes a moment to think, narrowing his eyes to counter the flush the rises on his face. "Is everyone talking about that now?" he asks.
Clover raises her hand, shaking her head. "No." She laughs. "don't worry Ezra. I just read the reports. Amelia told me personally, not on paper, that the name seemed to hold a little meaning to you?"
Ezra shifts his weight, watching Clover lean her elbows on the desk. A smile rises on her face, making Ezra hesitate. She's not trying to be rude.
Although she's past her teen years, and acts mature around Amelia and her staff, her eyes shine like a child's. She's still young.
"You just want to gossip, don't you?" Ezra asks, making her flush.
"Don't tell anyone that." She waves her hand, closing her eyes as she laughs. "Everyone is so serious around here. I want some innocent fun while I'm locked up."
Ezra takes a moment, letting a small smile slip onto his face. Clover smiles even brighter. "So," She draws out the syllable, "Leon was his name?"
-:*:-
"There you are."
Ezra looks up, watching Leon walk up to his corner booth. The teen smiles, shifting his phone around in his hand. "Sorry it took so long to get here."
Ezra stands up, leaving a few dollars on the table to pay for the small cake Iris wanted him to try while he waited. "Don't worry about it," he says, flat tone making Leon glance away, "I wasn't here long."
Leon laughs, leading them out of the shop. "Long enough to eat and pay," he says, stepping outside.
Ezra takes a deep breath, feeling the cool night air flush out his chest. As his eyes shift back up, he catches Leon pull his own away.
"Why do you keep looking at me?" Ezra asks, face showing no hint of emotion. He watches heat rise to Leon's cheeks, glancing back over.
"I- uh." He avoids Ezra's face. "I like your outfit."
Ezra pauses, sputtering for a moment before letting out a short laugh. He covers his mouth with the side on his hand, making Leon flush even more before he laughs too.
"Really?" Ezra asks, pulling at the bottom hem of his shirt. The pinkish-red fabric cuts off just above his belly button, the rest of his torso covered by high rising shorts. He's tied a white jacket around his waist upon arriving at 24/7, print hidden by its fold. "Rin picked it out."
"Hey, watermelon is good." Leon smiles, gesturing to the cartoon print on the center of the vampire's chest. "I can appreciate her style."
"It was this or one with a pineapple." Ezra chuckles, keeping a peaceful pace with Leon as they walk down the sidewalk. The neon signs of the city give light to the many people walking down the street, music from different open shops and street vendors filling what would be the silent city.
Not as many cars clog the street now, night runners preferring to walk in the dark around others. Vendors offer more supernatural styled goods, attracting those with a darker outlook on life.
"Night time is the best." Leon smiles, tilting his head up to the tall buildings. Glowing yellow lights speckle the dark metallic, bright light up screens flashing images for different advertisements or events in the area.
"Yeah," Ezra agrees, "I like the dark much better. I think the sun has something against me."
Leon rolls his eyes, lightly swatting his elbow as they walk. Ezra doesn't stutter in his movement, but his face flushes in the dark. Leon's hand is a lot warmer than Ezra's skin.
"Did you have any places in mind when you called me?" Leon asks, "or did you just want to wander?"
Ezra hums, bumping into Leon's shoulder as someone tries to slip past him. "I didn't think that far," he says, "I just wanted to get out a bit tonight."
Leon chuckles, wringing his hands together. "That's fine," he says, "the places I always try and get into are a few vendors my parents think are too dangerous for humans. Would it be too much to ask if we could slip by there before the night ends?"
Ezra shrugs, seeing the wonder weaving in and out of Leon's eyes. "Do supernatural creatures really fascinate you that much?" He asks.
Leon smiles, looking down. "It sounds a lot creepier when talking to one of those creatures," He says awkwardly, "but yeah, they do."
-:*:-
"Just take it," Ezra pushes sternly, holding out his thin white hoodie. Leon opens his mouth to protest again, closing it in frustration as Ezra narrows his eyes.
"It's not that big of a deal." Leon pouts, finally taking the hoodie and pulling it on.
"This is why your parents think places like this are dangerous for you," Ezra says lowly, "it's an outdoor vender so the workers have no control over who loiters outside. Two werewolves and three vampires have already brushed into you to pick up your scent; they can smell you. I don't doubt if I wasn't here you would have been groped at already."
"How does the jacket help?" Leon asks, crossing his arms and gripping the sleeves that fall over his hands.
"It smells like me," Ezra says, copying him by crossing his arms as Leon flushes, "you smell like a vampire that has some power under his skin."
Leon falls silent, stepping away from a random charm he had been studying. "Let's go," he says, turning his back to the vender. Ezra hesitates, only stepping forward as Leon links their arms and tugs him forward.
Ezra swallows down his shaken pride of allowing himself to be pulled into moving, struggling between whether to take his arm away or keep the warm touch. He's lead away.
"I'm sorry," Leon stutters after a few moments, tilting his head down and away as Ezra glances at him, "I didn't mean to do that, we just had to leave."
"What?" Ezra asks, startled by the sudden change in attitude. Where did the stubborn teenager go? "What are you talking about?"
Leon sniffs, Ezra drawing in a frustrated breath before pulling the younger around a sleek looking building's wall and tucking him into a corner. This place seems a lot cleaner than the last ally Ezra hid in.
"I got scared," Leon says quietly, avoiding Ezra's eyes as he puts his back against the wall. They appear an even sharper red in the dark.
"Of what?" Ezra pushes again, pulling back slightly as Leon's lip quivers. His eyes gloss over in the dark of the shadows, making him blink shining tears from his eyes.
Why are humans so bizarre?
Ezra looks away, unsure of how to react. He hasn't seen anyone cry in years. Unless he wanted to count the humans in the bait cages, but by the time they got to the fights they didn't have any tears left to cry.
"I'm sorry," Leon sniffs, pulling his sleeves up to wipe off his cheeks, "we shouldn't have gone there."
"What happened?" Ezra asks again, fighting back the urge to keep his voice at normal volume. He lowers it slightly, hoping to keep the human from losing it again.
Leon takes a breath, clearly not wanting the speak on the subject. "I got a bing on my phone," he says, "and right after that someone looked at me from across the vender. He tapped the side of his neck and bared his teeth. I'm sorry, I just got scared."
Ezra hesitates, watching the younger quickly wipe more tears from his face. He pulls out his phone, looking down after clicking the screen on. It lights up, the single notification making Leon pause before taking a breath.
"I partially synced my computer to my phone," he says, "so I get bings from this deep web site but can't be tracked on my smartphone. Well I've had a dog fighting site open for a while now, and it displays fighters who have gone missing and have rewards out for them."
"I'm guessing my name is listed," Ezra says, not surprised. Underground fighting is serious money, and he was proving to be on track to be number one. He was a champion. Of course Orgon would put a reward out for him.
"You're on the top of the list," Leon says, holding his phone to his chest, "but that's not why I got notified-"
He flinches as Ezra grabs either of his wrists, making him look up. Ezra watches blankly, emotion drained from his face. "What?" he asks, "what was it then?"
Leon's lip quivers, Ezra feeling his heart rate pick up under his hands. His stomach twists. "There's different statuses: missing, spotted, and returned. Ezra, you've been moved to spotted, someone reported you and our location."
Ezra freezes, staring through the dark. "What?" he asks, voice lowered to a whisper, "how do you know? You didn't even check your phone."
"I have it set specifically," Leon says, "three buzzes for a status change, look."
Leon pushes his hand out, only twisting the screen for Ezra when allowed to move. It shows one notification.
File.ezra: Spotted
Ezra doesn't move, lips parted as the phone shakes in front of his eyes. Leon's pulse picks up under his hands again, pounding beat against his palms.
Ezra draws back, spinning in his spot and making Leon yelp as he connects his fist to the solid wall. His arm vibrates, pain rippling up to his shoulder as his knuckles split on the stone.
"Damn it all!" he cries, pulling up his arm and holding his throbbing wrist.
"Ezra!" Leon pleas, drawing up his hands but not daring to touch, "please- don't hurt yourself!"
"It's too late for that!" Ezra hisses, unable to hide his teeth again after baring them. "Damn it! How? I don't want to believe it, I can't-"
"Ezra calm down," Leon begs, trying to keep his voice from shaking, "please, I'm sorry, I'll check my computer, I'm sorry-"
Ezra hugs his arm, feeling anger and frustration bubble in his chest and fill his lungs. "Did someone recognize me?" he demands, words burning with stuffed up emotions in his throat, "was it John? Did he get in contact with someone? Did someone snitch on my location? Did-"
Ezra stumbles back a step, feeling Leon hug his arms around his neck. Ezra's mouth parts open, unmoving in the shock from his own sudden silence.
Why can't he say anything?
"It'll be okay," Leon whispers, speaking quietly as Ezra's aching arms pull from between them and hesitantly wrap around his torso, "you'll be okay. I can help."
Silence settles into the shadows, allowing Ezra to stare out the sliver of view to the street. Cars pass by at a green light with windows rolled all the way down, as well as people walking by without noticing they can be seen.
Ezra's lip quivers, struggling to fight back the tears that had already begun falling down his face while he was talking. He tilts his head down, eyes scrunching closed as he lets his face fall into Leon's shoulder. He hides his sorrow, letting the tension in his chest choke up his words and spill from his closed eyes as his arms tighten around the human's chest.
"Just breathe." Leon sighs, fear readable by the hard rattling in his chest. It's easy to feel against his ribs, making Ezra's stomach twist as his throbbing arm struggles to heal its shocked joints and sprained fingers. He is going to need to eat again soon.
Ezra grips the jacket that covers Leon's upper half, pulling his shoulders up and burying his face deeper into the warmth of his neck. He shouldn't stay around, but he can't get close enough.
"I drug you into this," Ezra whispers, swallowing hard as his voice shakes, "if someone turned me in it means they saw me with you. I'm putting you in danger."
"I put myself in danger every time I do shit like this," Leon says gently, running his hand up and down Ezra's back, "this is just part of it."
Ezra lets out a curt laugh, not wanting to see the world again by opening his eyes. He pulls away regardless, looking away but keeping his feet planted.
"Okay?" Leon smiles sadly, covering his thumbs with his sleeves and reaching up to wipe the tears off Ezra's face. He doesn't pull away, only tilting his chin down and flexing his healing fingers.
"I apologize." Ezra sighs, rubbing his face after Leon puts his arms back down. "That's never happened before."
Leon gives a crooked smile, tilting his head. "What, crying?"
Ezra looks up, red eyes lined with the same color. "No." He fixes his shirt. "Hugging."