42. Orion
Iwas trying not to laugh. Misha and Azriel needed to shower and get makeup and sweat off of them, so I waited with Harlowe to walk her to our dorm.
She wouldn’t let me in and when she came out, I was pretty sure she was trying to make herself as unattractive as possible.
She’d removed all her makeup, thrown her hair in a messy bun, and the clothes she changed into were ratty with holes in them, but I was sure she still had them because they were comfortable.
Joke was on her. She was stunning whether she was dressed up or dressed down. Harlowe Lopez could make a mud covered burlap sack look like couture.
And she had nothing to worry about. Misha and Azriel had it bad, but they also weren’t going anywhere near someone unless they enthusiastically consented. Misha wouldn’t press, but Azriel was going to flirt up a storm.
I was getting there, but I honestly needed to know her better.
I was like that with Azriel and then again when we met Misha.
The chemistry was off the charts and I respected them as artists, but I had chemistry with Topher too.
I flew straight into that relationship with no reservations and not knowing enough about him and he nearly destroyed me.
I was never going to make the same mistake twice.
My phone was still on silent. I left it in the green room for the show, but it was still rude to leave it on during a show. And anyone I gave a shit about as in the show, so it wasn’t a huge deal. I pulled it out of my pocket when I felt it vibrate.
It was Azriel with bad news.
“Isobel is refusing to see him or even tell him what they are up to. She said she doesn’t want him to think she’s crazy because she’s sure Dante is.”
“Wonderful. She drugged someone, plucked their eye out, and her crush up and disappeared and his idea is too crazy for her.”
“I probably know Dante better than Misha and Azriel. We’re in orchestra and several classes together. He’s a little weird, but he’s also not stupid. He’s brilliant in history and he’s got some amazing theories about modulation when he actually speaks in class.
“He’s also not a bad kid. I know Topher found out about his mom, but that doesn’t mean she taught him to be a criminal.
She could have completely turned her life around and taught him not to be.
He’s got a big crush on her, but if she goes to jail, he can’t be with her.
If he goes to jail, he can’t be with her.
I’m pretty sure he’s intelligent enough to know that.
Isobel might think his plan is crazy because she thinks drugging people and taking their eyes is problem solving. ”
She stopped walking and stared up at me.
“You’re pretty logical for someone multiple people warned me was feral and unhinged.”
“Only when people trigger Misha. The rest is an act. Listen, Harlowe. You’ve got the talent to go as far as we did.
You said it’s different for you because you’re not a woman, but it’s different for us too.
We can be assholes and unpleasant when we don’t want people around us, but you’re going to be painted with a different brush as a woman.
“Fans are awesome. I love ours. I have absolutely no problem with them approaching me when I’m grocery shopping or buying boxers. I’ll sign whatever they want and take any pictures. So will Azriel and Misha. Misha is fine with fan encounters as long as no one gets super sexual with him.
“We would be fine with students here being fans, but some of them get gross. They aren’t so much fans as they want to use us to get famous. I get it from the music students, Azriel gets it from the art students, and Misha has problems with the dancers.
“We do have friends here because they respect us as artists instead of what we could do for them. I thought I was going to have to worry about you when you told your friend you thought we were sexy and you were a fan, but then you just ignored us until we approached you.”
“You weren’t supposed to speak Spanish,” she muttered.
I just laughed.
“Azriel and I both speak Spanish and most of the Romance languages. Misha speaks all the Slavic languages, French, and a conversational Spanish, though he’s not as fluent as his other languages.”
“Good to know. Thank you for not bringing that up right after I said it because I would have had to turn around and take the train back home.”
I was actually not planning on bringing that up ever.
I was a multilingual black man in a classical world.
People said all kinds of terrible things to my face.
If they spoke another language and wanted to kiss my arse while hating me because of the color of my skin, I understood every word of it a good bit of the time if they switched to another language.
I didn’t say anything then, either. I just filed it away for later. Sometimes, they wanted to trot me out for a performance, but sometimes, they wanted an Azriel Ivy painting or a show from Misha. We just refused.
Harlowe didn’t say anything gross. She said she respected my talent, and that I was prettier in person. I didn’t think she would say anything disgusting, so I let her know I could understand her.
Azriel and Misha were waiting in our dorm room when we got there. Harlowe wasn’t ready for what Azriel and Misha really wanted and I kind of did too. They were decent and would never force it. At most, they would just flirt. Azriel wouldn’t risk ruining anything with someone he considered his muse.
They were lounging on the bed with a giant bowl of popcorn. Yeah, we could do movie night. She was skittish about even spending the night here. No need to run her off.
“You’re dressed perfectly for movie night.
We can either do Misha’s favorite dance movies and watch Anne Bancroft and Shirley MacLaine beat the shit out of each other for the millionth time, my favorite animes, Orion’s favorite movies that seem to have way too many orgies, or you can introduce us to yours since we might not have seen them. ”
“So, my favorite genre when I’m binging movies to forget shit are the campy B horror movies that aren’t trying to take themselves seriously. I’m talking, the strippers become zombies and the bong gets possessed by a demon and pulls anyone who smokes it into a Hell dimension.”
“I’m so down with that,” Azriel said.
He would be. Misha and I were fine with it too. It wasn’t my thing, but Harlowe was the one who needed comfort and distraction. I’d watch whatever she wanted.
She started out on the couch. Azriel managed to get his puppy pile by coaxing her into bed like you’d do a feral kitten under the dumpster.
He told her it would be easier to share the popcorn when we did have bowls in our room.
I had a feeling she didn’t call him out on that because she wanted to snuggle with us.
The three of them fell asleep around the second movie where the sentient bong was still fucking things up. I looked it up and there were way too many sequels about a demon possessed bong for me to be comfortable.
Still, it was adorable this was her kind of comfort movie.
I’d protect these people with my life. No one was taking an eye or ruining a career. Harlowe was going to have a long career and we were going to make sure she never signed a contract.
I fell asleep last, and I was awake first. No one had bothered us and we still didn’t know what Dante’s big plan was. The one person who knew everything about everyone was Topher and he couldn’t be everywhere at once.
He would have been lurking while we had her safe in our dorm room. Topher looked at her the way he used to look at me. I didn’t want him anywhere near her, even with his new rules, but I’d take him looking out for her.
So, I texted my evil ex to find out what he knew.