James's POV
"I am disappointed you did not let him finish that bite." Cho laughed at us, "But the turn-out is worth the waste."
The bile-coated fish and pink medicine-reeking puke soaked the napkin in my hand the front of my shirt. Anger rose in my gut, hot and deep-seated, but my mouse was not the one this budding fury was directed towards. I would have assaulted Cho for this stunt if Travis had not been between us. Travis was mine, and Cho had crossed the line.
I placed the napkin down on the floor as waiters ran over to help clean up. They practically tripped over one another to clean the mess, and warm wet cloths were offered to Travis and I to clean up ourselves. I took them both since Travis stared at the floor, scrubbing at what I could wipe off of my shirt with one.
"Ugh..." Travis looked sick, pale in the face, eyes closed, and bending over in his chair. I didn't blame him. The medicinal smell in the puke happened to remind me that he should have been resting and recovering this evening, rather than being beat in an alley, forced into this place, and tricked into eating human meat. The wrecked look that was plastered on his face told me that the night had been taxing on him, and I wanted to steal him away.
I used the clean cloth to wipe off Travis's mouth, tilting his face up towards mine. "Ready to leave now?" I asked, filling my voice with the smoothed confidence and reassurance I could muster for him.
Travis thought, eyes traveling towards Cho slightly, the pursing of his lips telling me he was not willing to go with the cannibal. His eyes moved back to me and he nodded, slightly, that reluctance in him from an apparent lack of trust with me. At least he could trust that I would never eat him.
"Come on then." I stood, watching his eyes follow my face. "I'll get you changed at home, and invite your friend over for the night." I offered, meaning that round woman who seemed sweet enough to Travis.
Although scared that we were not allowed to leave, Travis seemed to catch on and stood with me, this time glancing to Cho with a mix of worry and holding the demeanor of an easily frightened doe. His arms crossed over his gut and Cho looked at him intently.
"Let me know if you get a craving." Cho gave Travis a wink. "You certainly didn't seem to want to spit that delicacy out until he spoiled what it was. Maybe you really should come with me."
"No. Not a chance." Travis responded in a small voice filled with disgust, turning away and heading for the door. He wobbled a bit, clearly holding back from vomiting again.
I turned towards Cho, feeling raw hatred pull at my chest and a red haze in my mind, refraining from stepping over to strangle him since I had to keep up with Travis. "Cho, attempt to feed something of mine 'that' meat again, and I will make sure your death is sudden and your grave is shallow." I warned lowly, putting all the venom I could muster into those words.
"Good luck keeping that one alive." Cho acted like he didn't hear me, taking his plate to another table away from the flock of cleaning waiters. "Do call me if there's a wedding. I wouldn't mind using my license as Marriage Officiant again." He gloated, comfortable enough in the restaurant to turn his back on me. This was his turf, I had no way to fight him here.
I grabbed the chair I had sat in, squeezing the back tight enough that there were marks from my nails, before shoving the chair back to the table and taking my leave. My steps were made with long strides and heavy foot-falls, imagining ways to kill or at least frighten Cho out of his skin. My mood was not lifted finding that Travis was not immediately outside the restaurant.
Moods passed easily though, and mine dissipated as my eyes caught sight of what I wanted, my mouse. My mouse was sitting at the corner of the street with his arms crossed over his knees and his face pressed to them. He looked small, so gentle and fragile, a glass bobble that someone could break with words. He was still impossibly handsome, a model I nearly regretted stealing from the limelight.
"Travis." I called to him, walking over and feeling the red fade from my view and a rosy filter on life flick on with him. "Come on sweetheart. Walk with me." I cooed, offering him a hand. I wasn't even mad that he puked on me.
"Please don't call me that." He took my hand after a moment and I pulled him up, before moving our palms together and holding his hand captive between us.
"What? Your name?" I smirked, "I can always come up with-"
"You know what I mean." Travis frowned at me, eyes telling me he was not having this discussion. "Just call me Wane, or Travis, just not sweetheart." He didn't pull his hand away from mine.
"How about Mister Paperwork?" I offered, leading him with a tug. "You called me-"
"I called you Mister Blue Suit, and Mister Fuck-Face." He cut me off again and nodded, eyes traveling to an alley as we pass one, clearly not eager to end up in the dark again. "Honestly? Go ahead. Call me Paperwork, but I haven't been doing any paperwork." His voice rose and hinted at resignation.
"You'll be doing paperwork again soon." I assured him. "You're going to come home with me, I'm going to let you invite your friend over, and you can have her over for the three days the doctor said you'll need to rest." I rubbed my thumb over his, wanting to see more than the side of his face.
He looked at me. Finally, I could look into his gentle eyes. "I'm sorry," He said with a frown, "I don't trust you." His words didn't hurt, but his condemning gaze pierced my heart.
"Travis." I stopped to take his hand and squeeze his gentle palm between both of mine. "Baby boy, pretty face, queen bee," I showered him with names to make that clear I was never ever going to stop giving him pet-names, "I'm going to take care of you, and you'll have all of your freedoms. I'll make that whole... misunderstanding from before up to you."
Calling his stunt with almost drowning a 'misunderstanding' clearly did not help Travis any, and only anger showed on his face for a moment. The moment passed though, and that hot flash hid behind his icy eyes, and he tilted his head up at me in a questioning way with his eyes squinted, "Are you saying that you'll let me do what I want then? No locked doors, no sleeping with you, no chasing me around?"
"I'll give you the keys to our house. I only want you to live with me, so I can keep you safe from 'certain' people, like I did today." I offered him.
"Why do you know these kinds of people anyways?" He pulled away from me, regretfully. "I thought you were just a psychopath with money, but now I see you're involved with criminals and cannibals."
"That's a long story, babe." I took out my phone. "Let me get the car."
"You're dodging the answer." My clever mouse caught on. "I don't want to be anywhere near you, but I might play nice if I understood what the fuck you dragged me into. Tell me about what's going on and what happened to Edward Oak."
"I'll explain everything at the house." I felt physically compelled to take a few steps away from him, looking towards the street as if for the car. I was not going to explain at the house. Talk to me about make-up, talk about business, talk about where to sleep, but I did not want to answer what was personal.
"Why not now?" He asked, raising his voice and hands to his temples. "I don't deserve this."
"You're right." I agreed with him there, feeling a good slash of self-loathing hit my chest. "Just call me a selfish bastard for keeping you and you'll be on the mark."
"You are a psychopath, a sadist, and only now you decide to respond without that 'I am so rich I don't care' act?" Travis scoffed, upset and I knew full-well why. If I looked, I would see the disbelief in his eyes and annoyance with me.
"Shut-up, Travis." I snapped at him, glaring over my shoulder and making him flinch back from me. "Get in the car." I ordered, as the car drove up.
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Next Chapter will be published as soon as 4 commenters can spell out Lucy together! Already wrote the chapter, all it takes is you.