Nathaniel walked quickly, his eyes searching the shadows for one of Badger's men. He didn't want to run into one of them, especially not with Cole's nice coat. Cole walked next to him, his footsteps strong and confident as he matched Nathaniel's speed. The street lamps were lighting up as dusk started to arrive, the sun dipping under the horizon.
Nathaniel looked at him, wondering why the note had brought him to that house, "Do you know the, the masked man?" He asked, feeling that there were no ears near.
Cole looked at him, "Masked man?"
Nathaniel nodded, "The, the vigilante, the one that caught, Badger's dealer. He gave me your address." He scanned the streets, a bird dog ran across, grabbing a bagel that was lying on the ground and lifting off the ground, it's skinny tail whipping back and forth in excitement.
Cole hid a smile, "He's an acquaintance. We call him Vigil, that was Kiara's idea. He knew we've had an extra room since my older brother, Riley moved out."
"How many siblings do you have?" Nathaniel tried to count, he had seen 4, and he had just mentioned 2 more. He hadn't seen anyone older than Cole, so that was another. So he had somewhere around 7, which meant 8 in total. How was his dad still sane?
Cole laughed, "I have 7 siblings, I'm the third oldest, but the longest at home." Nathaniel nodded, having no idea what 'longest at home' meant. It seemed confusion would be his natural state for a while.
"Most of us are orphans." Cole continued, "Except Gene and Conner, they have parents, but they only see them once a month. Custody troubles."
"Oh." Nathaniel wasn't sure what to say next. He looked around, relieved as he saw it was his alley, "We're here," He said, walking into the shadows. There was no one else here, they would be coming back from work. Some begged, some traded, some stole, some worked at factories. Street kids worked hard to survive. He walked to his corner where an old blanket lay. He didn't have a pillow, but didn't mind the ground. If his head was hurting he would use his shirt as a pillow, though he woke up with more spider bites those nights.
Nathaniel looked at Cole, expecting to see disgust in his eyes, for Cole to pause outside of all the bedding. Instead Cole stood right by him, a sadness in his eyes. Nathaniel looked away, unsure what to make of that. He was used to disgust and pity, but there was something different with Cole. An understanding.
"Rocky?" Nathaniel called, hoping the kitten hadn't strayed far. Nathaniel jumped as he felt something land on his head. Cole started to laugh, Nathaniel blushed, moving to take the spotted kitten off his head. The kitten's heterochromia eyes met his, one a brown, the other a milky blue, practically white. He was blind in that eye, at least Nathaniel thought so, he could never be quite sure with the kitten's movements. The cat was large for a kitten, Nathaniel still couldn't be sure whether he hid magical properties or not. With bird dogs it was easy, a glance could tell you that. But cats were more stealthy about their abilities.
He turned to Cole, "I've got everything now."
Cole smiled, ruffling Nathaniel's hair. Nathaniel blushed, sure his hair was greasy, Cole had to be careful not to get anything from it.
"Let's head home then." Cole said, turning to leave. He paused, Nathaniel walked to his side, flinching as he saw men standing outside. He should've known Badger would meet him here. He had been suspicious of Nathaniel, he'd see this as a betrayal.
Cole stepped forward, his steps unchanged, but he stood a bit in front of Nathaniel, "Good afternoon to you!" He said, his voice becoming cheerful, but empty. Nathaniel walked behind him, holding Rocky tight in his arms. The cat didn't mind, burying his head into the excess fabric in his sleeves, his big paws gripping Nathaniel's elbow. Nathaniel took another step, practically burying his head in Cole's side. The silhouette's ahead terrified him, they were the shadows that haunted his dreams. When he had dreams, some nights he was too cold and it seemed even dreams ran from him.
"I've never seen you here before." The front man said. Nathaniel flinched as he recognized Wasp's voice, he was Badger's right hand man, that meant they had been watching him close. Nathaniel started to tremble as he thought of the last urchin to gain Badger's attention.
"Yeah, I just had to help Peter find his cat." Cole kept his smile, his hand moving around Nathaniel's shoulders, bringing him closer. Nathaniel let him, leaning into his solid form, finding some strength to stop his trembling.
Wasp laughed, "His name's Peter now?" He met Nathaniel's eyes, "You sure forget fast."
Cole lost his smile, "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but you've got the wrong person."
Wasp took a step closer, staring Cole down, Nathaniel was happy to see Cole was a few inches taller than Wasp, even so, Wasp stared at him right in the eyes, "I think you're the one with the wrong person. That boy is Nathaniel, and he's ours."
Cole let out a laugh, the sound dangerous, "This is Peter Rachet. He's my younger brother." He leaned toward Wasp, "You sure you want to try me?"
Whispers spread among the men at Cole's declaration. Nathaniel wondered where he had heard the name Rachet, it seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it. The Wasp's eyes flickered, but they hardened again. They shifted and he glared at Nathaniel. Nathaniel tried to keep the fear from his face, he wanted to be strong, like Cole. He looked at Wasp, meeting his eyes, he started trembling, but he didn't move his gaze, he kept them on him. Nathaniel had already hurt Badger, he had given the masked man evidence against his dealer, he didn't have to be afraid of Wasp or Badger.
"You sure are cheeky now." Wasp hissed, "Think some rich folks will take you in? A street rat like you?"
Cole took a step forward, making Wasp take a step back, "Like I said, you have the wrong person. If you'll excuse us, our father's expecting us." He stepped past Wasp, "My father is not someone you want to cross." Cole tightened his arm around Nathaniel as he walked, the group behind Wasp parted to let them through.
Once they passed them Cole's pace sped up, "Don't look back."
Nathaniel nodded, walking as fast as he could while seeming relaxed. He rubbed Rocky's head as he walked, trying to get Wasp's eyes out of his head, or the feeling of eyes on him out of his mind.
"How long have they been watching you?" Cole asked, his voice finally showing some emotion, it was angry. Nathaniel curled in on himself, Cole was angry at him. He really was too much trouble. That meant when he was abandoned the Manticore would make his punishment worse for today.
"They watch every urchin. But, I've… I've always been under watch. Especially after the vigilante. They'd make it, made it so I couldn't work, couldn't find food." Nathaniel's hands went to his ribs, feeling the space between them. Nathaniel's heartbeat spread through him, the noise all consuming. He took in a breath, the air starting to get thin. Nathaniel started gasping, becoming panicked as he couldn't breath.
Cole turned to him, eyes brimming with anger, this made Nathaniel gasp harder, he was going to get left here. Cole was going to give him to Wasp. Then Wasp would bring him to Manticore, Nathaniel took another step, black dots dancing in his vision.
"Hey, Nathan, it's okay." Cole looked around the street. He stopped, turning Nathaniel to face him, "I'm here." He took Rocky from Nathaniel's hands, placing the cat on the street. Then he knelt down, looking Nathaniel in the eyes, "Repeat after me. Can you do that?" Cole's eyes were gentle now, the anger wiped away with worry.
Nathaniel gave him a shaky nod, his chest tight and breaths short gasps.
Cole nodded, "Good. Now repeat after me; 9, 12, 3, 24."
Nathaniel nodded, "N-nine, twelve,"He took a breath, "Nine, twelve, th-th-three."
Cole nodded, "Almost there buddy."
Nathaniel took another breath, his breathing coming a little easier, "Nine, t-twelve, three, t-t-twentty f-four."
Cole smiled, "There you go, one more; 5, 17, 6, 2."
Nathaniel took a breath, his chest loosening, "F-five, seven seventeen, six, t-two." He relaxed, trying to see the connections between the numbers, there was some connection. If he added five and 6*2 he would get to 17. There was the connection, five minus seventeen plus six times two was zero. 9,12,3, and 24 were all in the three family. 9, 12, and 24 all multiples of 3.
Nathaniel took another breath, his breathing steady, Cole gave him a smile, "How do you feel?"
Nathaniel tried to smile back, hoping that even a small smile appeared, "I'm feeling better. Thanks."
Cole smiled, moving to his knees, he showed Nathaniel his back, "Hop on. If we don't hurry, Christin will eat all our dinner."
Nathaniel gestured for Rocky to come back into his arms, the cat climbed up his arm, little claws scratching Nathaniel's arms, the cat stopped as he sat in his fur hood, purring as he nipped at Nathaniel's hair. Nathaniel smiled and climbed onto Cole's back, hoping he wasn't too heavy.
"Yeah, a good dinner will be perfect." Cole set off, jogging down the darkening streets. Nathaniel watched his surroundings rushing by, house going by house. He saw some laughing families sitting together, they were heading towards bed too, they always tried to help the youngest laugh before sleep. Blue orbs hovered above them, lighting their alley, one of them was a fairy. Nathaniel let his head fall onto Cole's shoulder, wondering what it would be like to sleep inside. Would it be too warm? Would he get a bed? Would he want a bed?
Nathaniel closed his eyes, letting Cole's strides lull him into a daydream. He giggled as Rocky sheathed and unsheathed his claws on his neck, making a makeshift massage. Then Nathaniel let himself drift off, sighing as Cole continued to run.
Nathaniel woke up with soft vibrations on his stomach. He opened his eyes to darkness surrounding him. He felt the vibration, then more weight on him. His eyes widened, but he relaxed as he heard the vibrations stop and a soft meowing begin.
Nathaniel sat up, wondering if he was in the mansion. He heard Rocky jump onto the ground. He followed his cat's soft footsteps, used to following him in the dark. He took another step, his nose running into the wall. Nathaniel grunted, rubbing his nose before feeling the wall he hit, it was a door. His hands found the knob and he twisted it, seeing a soft light coming down the hall. He knew if he was healthy he would be hungry, his stomach would be in knots, so even though he felt nothing he hoped he could find some food. Cole had said there was a chance everyone would finish the food, and that was probably what had happened, but there was a chance someone had saved some for him.
Nathaniel followed the light, arriving in a kitchen where the light was on. Nathaniel gaped at the kitchen, it was huge, a table stretching on and on, there were probably twenty seats in total. A small lamp was on, lighting up a plate. Nathaniel walked to it, eyes widening as he saw the food, it was rice and toppings. Seasoned chicken, peppers, and carrots on the side.
He saw a note beside it, he picked it up, reading it, "Nathan, if you're hungry you can heat this in the microwave. It's the silver box above the stove. The food just needs to be heated for 30 or 40 seconds." Then the note went on to describe how to choose the cooking time. Nathaniel smiled, grabbing the plate. He still remembered how to use a microwave, he thought of his stache, he had almost repaired that microwave, that job would've given him enough food for a month. Nathaniel wondered if he should get it. He didn't think Wasp knew about his stache, but he couldn't be sure, he hadn't seen them around the house today, but they had clearly known where he was. He'd wait a couple of days, he'd write Grandma Kelly that he'd deliver it later this week. Hopefully she'd be okay with that. Nathaniel opened the microwave, popping the plate in, making sure there was no hiding metal among the food. Then he closed it, letting the food heat up.
Nathaniel sat by the table, enjoying the steam on his face. He looked at the fork with a small frown, he had never really liked forks. But he shrugged and grabbed it, starting to eat the food. He took his first bite, the heat and spices spreading warmth through him. He sniffled, tears entering his eyes. He hadn't ever had a dinner like this, he found himself glad he was alone. He didn't want anyone to see him crying. Rocky jumped onto the table and rubbed his head on Nathaniel's cheek. Nathaniel smiled and kept eating, the tears kept falling. In a couple minutes Nathaniel couldn't fit another bite of food in his mouth. He felt his shrunken stomach stretch as it tried to fit more, but he didn't want to over do it. It would take time to be able to eat everything on this plate.
Nathaniel put some chicken onto the table, letting Rocky eat that. Then he stood up, putting the plate back under the lamp, flipping the note over, he searched through the kitchen, hoping to find a writing utensil. He frowned as he saw nothing.
"Come on. Where are you?" Nathaniel muttered, opening more drawers.
"Whatcha looking for?" A low voice asked.
Nathaniel flew around, his heart moving to his throat. A man stood behind him leaning against the wall, watching Nathaniel. He was dressed in black, his face covered by a hoodie and a mask. It was the vigilante.