Chapter 4 Teddy #2
Heir grunted, snatching his jacket off the back of the stool. “Whatever. I’m out of here. Have fun dealing with the lunatic.”
Teddy blew a long breath out of his nose, closing his eyes. When he opened them again Echo was still in the same position, curled into themself against the counter.
Teddy pushed his own exhaustion aside and laid a hand on their arm. “Are you okay?”
Echo nodded quickly and Teddy smiled. “You don’t have to pretend. And don’t listen to Heir; he’s just having some big feelings today. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
Echo peeked up at him.
“Sometimes your anxieties can get the best of you, but you’re not invalid for having some. We’ll help you manage them.”
Echo nodded more slowly this time, chewing on their lip.
“Did you want someone to look at your arm?” Teddy asked.
Echo held it out, still nonverbal but incrementally relaxing. Teddy pushed their cardigan up and counted every mole. “Exactly seven. Just like last time.”
“You’re sure?” Echo croaked.
“Absolutely,” Teddy said. “You trust me, right?”
Echo nodded, a large sigh of relief escaping their chest. They looked beat. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Teddy said. “We all have our quirks. We’re cursebreakers. It comes with the territory. Heir’s is being a massive douchebag. He can’t help it and we won’t judge him for it, right?”
Teddy winked and Echo let out a small laugh.
“Saint turned your ocean sounds on upstairs if you want to go take a breather. I could bring you some tea?”
“The herbal one?” Echo asked. “My throat has been feeling tickly.”
“I’ll put some extra honey in there.”
Echo smiled and slipped away, and Teddy waited until they were gone before slumping against the countertop, rubbing his face with both hands.
His phone pinged in his pocket and the dread he had almost forgotten rushed back to the surface. He pulled the phone out and before he even looked he knew who it was. Asking where he was, wanting to know where he would be going next. Every move noted. Every step mapped out.
He typed out a bland response that left no room for further conversation. He knew it would come back to bite him in the ass, but he didn’t have the will to smooth things over.
Shaking his head, he got to work making Echo their tea and dropping it off to the snuggle pile in their room before softly closing the door.
He made a pit stop at his own room to grab his full-sized journal and pen before entering Saint’s, where he found him at his desk, eye to a microscope.
More than animals, exactly, Saint was fascinated by microorganisms and bugs. His room was an entomologist’s wet dream. Tanks filled with all manner of creepy crawlies lined every wall and surface, the air humid and heavy with the scent of damp earth.
It was the only thing about Saint that Teddy would have said was more suited to Eerie. Eerie was terrified of bugs, and Teddy suspected Saint’s love may have started there, with the terrorizing of his brother.
Teddy settled onto Saint’s bed as he worked, writing out his thoughts about the case as he often did. The only difference between this and what would ultimately end up on his official reports was that these were addressed to someone much more personal.
Little Bird,
I have good news! We had a break in the case today. Well, it might be a bit optimistic to call it a break, and I’m sure you’d scrunch your nose at me for even thinking it—ever the pessimist—but it’s more than we’ve found in weeks.
I miss that scrunch so much. I miss everything about you, to be fair. But, sick as it makes me, I’ve learned to live with it. That gaping hole inside me I’m trying to fill by throwing myself into fixing everything and everyone else.
Anyway, the case we’ve been tracking for ages now has been so strange. I already told you about Saint inviting me to tag along to one of his weirder cases, just to take my mind off things. Remember that letter? About the cursed animals and the drugs made from their venom?
Well, it turns out we finally found a clue about one user, so we’re thinking of tracking them down to see what we can learn. Maybe tail them for a bit? I’m not sure. I’m with Saint now trying to brainstorm what we’re gonna do next…
“Done?” Saint asked, and Teddy glanced at the page before closing his journal.
“For now, I can be,” he said, knowing he’d never truly be done with pouring his soul out to his little bird. “Anything?”
“Just more of the snake venom we found before. Worthingham is our best bet now.”
Teddy slid off the bed and onto the floor, since every other surface was covered in terrariums and heating lamps. “Let’s find him, then.”
“Easy enough,” Saint said, turning his phone toward Teddy and a very detailed, very open social media profile scrolled past his eyes.
“Wow, he really does share everything,” Teddy said.
“Zero self-preservation, that one. So I’m thinking…club night.”
“Excuse me?” Teddy balked.
“He’s hitting different clubs each night and has a different pretty boy in his lap every time. I’m willing to bet someone pretty would have an easy time getting a few drinks into and a few answers out of him.”
“I don’t want civilians in the way. What if he goes batshit again like at the country club?” Teddy said.
“Oh, I have the perfect plan for that. Check this out.”
He scrolled through Samuel’s profile and photo after photo showed him accompanied by tall, lithe, stunning men, dressed sharply and rather femininely.
“Perfect!” Teddy said.
“Yup.” Saint nodded. “Eerie is, like…his dream man.”
“Eerie? You mean you.”
“What about me?”
“Okay, honey, let me hold your hand when I tell you this…” Teddy held Saint’s hand between his own. “You and Eerie kinda look very much the same.”
Saint blinked at him owlishly before shaking his head. “But…his clothes,” he whimpered.
“Will fit you for a night.”
“But, but…he loves this shit.”
“He also terrifies most of humanity,” Teddy said. “We want Samuel mellow and agreeable, not screaming for his life.”
“I’ll break my neck in heels.” Saint slumped against the bed.
“We’ll ask Eerie for a crash course and you’ll be sitting most of the night,” Teddy said, clapping his shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”
“I hate this plan.”
“You came up with it.”
“I hate me too.” Saint kicked at Teddy’s shin with his mismatched socks.
“There, there.” Teddy tickled his toes, cringing at the sound of his phone ringing from his pocket again. He should give him his own ringtone. He shouldn’t have to keep jumping every time his phone rang, for crying out loud.
He glanced at the screen, eyes widening when he realized it was a Slatehollow number. His chest deflated with relief, but there was a heaviness in his stomach at the thought that popped into his mind.
How many of these had he gotten over the years? How many times had he crossed the border between towns, never knowing it was bringing him closer to his heart?
He swiped the button to take the call and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Damir,” he said, cringing at the name.
“Damir, this is Cyrus, the PUMA detective from Slatehollow,” a familiar voice said, and he sat up straighter.
He briefly remembered Cyrus in the debrief from Hart’s case. Gruff. Permanent five-o’clock shadow. Messy brown hair and steely blue eyes. And most memorable; a mouth like a sailor.
“Cyrus, hi. Is everything okay with—” He caught himself. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes and no. We’re dealing with a series of cases over here and hitting dead ends wherever we turn. We reached out to a few other towns and got information on a couple of potentially similar cases down your way. Do you have a moment?”
Teddy frowned at Saint and motioned him closer.
“Mind if I put you on speaker?” he asked. “I’m with a team member going over some of our cases, and I’ve got a hunch these are the ones you’re looking for.”
“Go for it,” Cyrus said.
Teddy put his phone down, switching to the speaker. “Cyrus, this is Saint, Arcstead’s cursed animal specialist. Saint, Cyrus is Slatehollow’s PUMA lead.”
“Nice to meet you,” Saint said.
“Fuck, you guys are so much more agreeable than the bunch of feral cats I have here.” Cyrus sounded tired and just generally done with most things.
“How is Wr—Black?” Teddy squeezed his eyes shut on another near miss and hoped everyone would just let it slide.
“Black is gonna be the reason I end up behind bars,” Cyrus said. “Other than that he’s fine. The entire team is fine.”
“Good.” Teddy swallowed and felt Saint’s hand come to rest on his knee in comfort.
“If you’ve had enough small talk,” Cyrus said. “Feral humans not of the cursebreaker variety ransacking houses, cars, clubs, and streets, and nobody saying a peep about it? Sound familiar?”
Saint perked up immediately. “It does! We have several ongoing cases now and have for a while.”
“How long is a while? This is very new in Slatehollow.”
“I’d say at least six months?” Saint said, looking at Teddy.
He picked up his journal and flipped through to the first entry he’d made about these cases.
“Five,” he said. “We had a few decent leads early on, but since then, nothing. Until today.”
“You found something today?” Cyrus asked, and Teddy hummed in agreement. “Right. I don’t think this is gonna work over the phone, and I have way too many active cases to just take a road trip.”
“We could come down?” Teddy rushed to say, and Saint snorted but said nothing.
“Fuck yes,” Cyrus said. “Finally someone helpful, I’m buying you all the whiskey in the world once this is done.”
“We’ll be there with all the info in a couple of days,” Teddy said.
“You know where to find me,” Cyrus said before cutting the call.
“Someone’s eager,” Saint said.
“Saves you from wearing heels,” Teddy fired back, and that…shut him up enough for Teddy to get his heart in order.
He’d see him again.
He’d be close to him again.
Cases forgotten, that was all that mattered to him.