Chapter 5 #2
“That’s all very cryptic, you know?” Joshua paused to study Leo, a thoughtful weight to his gaze. He smiled suddenly, brightly. “I’m very curious now. And I trust you, so if you say you don’t think it will be a problem…”
“It shouldn’t be. Probably.” Leo flicked his fringe out of his eyes. “I’ve never exactly taken a prince along for the ride.”
“Not lessening my curiosity,” Joshua told him.
Leo waved a hand before he broke another piece off his fairy cake.
Taking in Joshua’s designer jeans and flower-patterned shirt, most likely tailor-made, Leo sighed as he stuffed the bite into his mouth.
Jesus, why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut?
He’d never taken anyone along before. Even Nate knew only the barest minimum about how Leo spent a good part of his Saturdays.
This was a bad idea. But there was also no getting out of it now, and really, Leo didn’t want to get out of it. He didn’t want to leave Joshua alone for even a minute, not when he was this… vulnerable. Not when he’d come to Leo for support.
God, this was a mess.
He’d need to warn Kylie away from any comments that might betray too much. The kids didn’t know enough to give Leo away, but Kylie had been the one constant, Leo’s only bridge between this life and his old one.
“You’ll need to borrow some clothes of mine,” Leo said.
“Some band T-shirt and a beanie, I think. Won’t keep people from recognising you, but at least you’ll fit in.
” The idea of Joshua wearing his clothes started an itch under Leo’s skin, unsettled him in a way it absolutely shouldn’t.
Yeah, very much a bad idea. Very much the worst idea, really.
“Are you sure you want to come? Again, I can drop you off with someone.”
“I do want to come.” Joshua gave Leo’s hip a gentle nudge with his toes. “Also, I’m not a puppy. I am capable of being on my own.”
In retaliation for the nudge, Leo stole a bite of Joshua’s fairy cake.
Banana, huh. Not Leo’s favourite kind of flavour, but to each his own.
“I never said you weren’t. But” —he gave Joshua a pointed look— “this is an exceptional situation, and you shouldn’t have to deal with it on your own.
And I don’t…” Want you to. Leo swallowed it back down, replaced it with, “Can I just say I told you so?”
“Told me so?” Joshua asked, and then darted out a hand to snag the entirety of what remained of Leo’s fairy cake. Well, well. Turned out the Prince was a filthy little thief.
“I was going to eat that,” Leo said.
Joshua swallowed and grinned, looking much more at ease than he had earlier. “Sorry for your loss.”
“Robbing your subjects is how revolutions are born.”
“Let them eat cake. And what was it that you supposedly told me?”
“To stay away from the internet,” Leo replied.
When Joshua’s features twisted back into something quietly sad, Leo wished he’d swallowed his self-righteousness.
If it had been him, he would have found it just as difficult to stay away.
“Anyway,” he added quickly, “never mind. Let’s do something about your outfit, and then we can walk to pick up the van.
Better not take the tube with you in tow. ”
“Better not,” Joshua echoed. He sounded wistful, but as soon as he caught Leo’s gaze, he moulded his expression into something smooth and cheerful, only his eyes giving him away.
“Don’t do that,” Leo told him.
Joshua’s smile dropped, and his forehead wrinkled with his frown. “Do what?”
“Put on a persona. Like…” Leo motioned at Joshua’s face. “It’s like you’re pulling on a mask, and it’s creepy. Don’t do it. Aren’t we past this?”
Joshua was silent for the time it took a group of excited teenagers to amble past on the road below, shouting about an upcoming class trip and all the things they needed to pack, the booze they’d smuggle wrapped up in their clothes.
Then he exhaled, sliding off the chair to sit beside Leo on the concrete floor, his back against the building.
“It’s something like an automatism by now,” he confessed softly.
“Tristan and Mo kick me when I do it.” His voice was slow and quiet, melting into the air, nearly lost amongst the typical noises of an urban morning. “I guess you can kick me too.”
“Don’t think I won’t,” Leo warned.
This time, Joshua’s smile was true. “I’ll hold you to it.”
* * *
Surprisingly, Joshua wasn’t stopped once on the way to the car rental agency.
He blamed the fact that he looked like a bum, curls peeking out from under a beanie knitted in the colours of Jamaica, dressed in a frayed, black The Clash T-shirt that smelled like Leo and was a little too tight on Joshua.
Most gazes slid right over his figure without even taking in his face, and those who looked more closely did a double take, met his eyes—and left it at nods and smiles. It was awesome.
They picked up a van with minimal hassle, Leo obviously well-known to the person behind the rental desk.
Joshua slid into the passenger seat and immediately flicked on the radio while Leo adjusted the driver’s seat, then fiddled with the rear-view mirror.
He really was on the short side. Shapely legs, though, and nicely muscled arms, his eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun, arched brows giving him a constant air of mischief.
“Something on my face?” Leo asked, and Joshua flushed and looked away.
“No. Just wondering where we’re going. Since I’m not allowed to ask questions.”
Leo breathed out a soft snort. “That’s going to be tough for you, huh? Just wait and see, Josh. Patience is a virtue.”
“That is such a piece of fortune cookie wisdom. Waiting for something hardly ever makes it better, you know?”
Backing the van out of the parking spot, Leo didn’t reply until they were on the road. He sounded distracted, quickly checking his phone for messages. “Beg to differ. I do remember that the anticipation was the best part of Christmas. My little sisters always—” Abruptly, he cut himself off.
“Your little sisters always…?” Joshua prompted. Relaxing into his seat, he watched Leo’s eyes cloud over, followed by an impatient headshake.
“Never mind.” Leo’s fingers were tense around the wheel, words quick and combined with an oddly calculating glance.
“So here’s a question for you: we’re about to collect some leftover food from a number of places.
And I usually have a friend who’s helping, but she just texted me, said she’s not feeling too great.
So if you don’t mind getting your princely hands a bit dirty, some light lifting, nothing that will fuck up your nails—”
“I’m not completely useless, you know?” Joshua interrupted.
It came out terse. Fuck, he’d thought Leo had moved past his prejudices, and here they popped up again.
“I do have two arms, so yes, I can lift things, and I don’t have a weekly manicure or whatever you think is part of my…
role.” He let his voice dip lower. “Hey, remember how we’re totally past this? ”
Leo dipped his head. His smile was sweet, bordering on apologetic. “I remember, yes. Sorry. All right, then. Gladly accepting the help, and thank you.”
The whiplash change in demeanour was odd, and Joshua stared for a moment.
What the hell? Wait, had that been—ah. Leo had effectively changed the topic, hadn’t he?
Yes. Yes, he had. And while Leo had been the one to mention his sisters in the first place, it would be awkward if Joshua were to bring them up again now, after this change of course in their conversation.
He’d seem as though he was snooping even though he’d agreed not to ask questions.
Leo was good at controlling conversations. Something to keep in mind.
“You’re welcome,” Joshua said, after a pause that might have dragged on a hint too long.
Leo moved among the street kids like someone who belonged.
No, that wasn’t quite right. He moved like a leader, like someone who provided others with a sense of direction and knew they would listen, hang on to his every word.
And they did. For all that there were some kids who tried to project an air of danger—snapbacks and tattoos, skulls decorating their tops—they all orbited around Leo.
They trusted him. A simple, “Yeah, so we got a special guest today, but anyone bothering him will answer to me,” had been enough to stave off any problems.
Joshua wondered if Leo realised the power he had.
Who even was this guy? What drove him? And where were those little sisters he’d mentioned?
He’d never even hinted at his family before, hadn’t offered anything about his past in spite of the many hours they’d spent together.
Had he somehow lost touch with his family, and this was his way of replacing them, by surrounding himself with a whole bunch of troubled kids and making certain they ate their fill at least once a week?
And why, why had Leo agreed to take Joshua along? Why was Joshua allowed to witness this side of him? Pity? Was there a part of Leo that wanted Joshua to see him like this, wanted Joshua to learn more—a tiny part of Leo that was starting to tire of putting up walls?
Bloody hell. Joshua had several dozen questions, and he’d promised not to ask so much as one.
Nothing stopped him from striking up a conversation with some of these kids, though—teenagers, really, ranging from thirteen to twenty or so.
God. They were so young. Yet most of them looked old beyond their years, dark circles under their eyes, tired and distrustful when they caught him looking.
How had they ended up like this, without a family that protected them?
Had they run away from homes that seemed worse than life on the street?
Had they been orphans, and the system had failed them somehow?
Had they landed themselves in a spot of trouble, something involving drugs or alcohol?
Before he’d met Leo, Joshua had rarely ever felt this out of his depth.