Memories

LXXVI

COME ON EILEEN

'At this moment, you mean everything
With you in that dress, oh my thoughts I confess
Verge on dirty
Ah come on Eileen'

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It turned out that Kevin wasn't expecting what Neil and Thalia had to say. 

"We need to talk," Neil said as he walked into Kevin's dorm. He was sitting at his desk, no doubt working on some history assignment. Kevin looked up in confusion. "Now. Come on, sit on the couch."

"What is it?" Kevin demanded, looking between Neil and Thalia. "Is everything okay?"

"Ichirou came to see us," Thalia said, her head hanging down and her elbows on her knees as she sat on the sofa. Kevin was shocked. She didn't need to look up to know that.

"No," he said. "He wouldn't. He won't even see Riko."

"I'm texting Andrew. He deserves to know this too, and I'm not repeating it again." Thalia said, pulling out her phone. She sent off a quick text to him which she didn't get a reply from. Thalia stood and headed over to where the grate had been taken off one of the windows so Andrew could smoke inside. She pushed the window open and lit up a cigarette.

"You need to stop that," Neil said. Thalia looked at him with a dead expression as she blew smoke out of the window.

"Hypocrite," she said. Neil sighed and sat down.

When Andrew came in through the door, two packages in hand, Thalia stubbed out her cigarette and pulled the window closed. "Great, everyone's here. Let me get Jean on speakerphone and then we can start this meeting."

Thalia called the number Jeremy had sent her and said was Jean's. It rang for a few seconds before picking up.

"Hello? What do you want this time, Thalia?" Jean's voice came through hoarse as if he'd been sleeping. Thalia looked at the broken clock on the wall and realised he probably had been. "You do realise it's like two in the morning, right?"

"Yeah, sorry not sorry." Thalia said and put the phone on speaker. "You're on speaker with Neil, Kevin and Andrew in the room. We need to talk. Ichirou Moriyama just paid us a visit, and I doubt he'll come to you. So we're going to talk to you about it."

"What? No, he wouldn't." Jean said. Thalia rolled her eyes and put the phone between everybody on the small coffee table.

"He did, and it's not something to joke about, so let us explain what happened." Neil said. Then the two of them explained to the room why Ichirou had visited, how he'd decided to spare their lives, and what it would cost them. 

"We're assets of the main family now," Thalia summed up. "The King's lost all his men and there's nothing he can do about it without crossing his brother." She looked from her own brother, to Andrew standing at his side, and finally to Kevin with a small nod. "We're safe. For good."

No sound came from the phone other than a choked breath, and Kevin tried to find the words to say, but found nothing worth saying. Neil stood and followed Andrew out of the dorm. Andrew left one of the packages he'd been carrying on the coffee table and sent Thalia a look that meant it was for her.

"You alright there, Jean?" Thalia asked him. "Is Jeremy there with you?"

"He's asleep, I think." Jean said, and there was a crinkling sound that could have been Jean turning around. "Yeah, asleep." he turned again. "I don't know what to say. What does Kevin look like right now?" Thalia looked at the man in question. He was looking down at his left hand with a thoughtful look.

"He's coping." Thalia said. Then Kevin looked up at her. "I'll let you go now, Jean. That was everything we had to say. It would probably be best if you only told Jeremy about this, okay? We'll talk later." Then Thalia hung up the phone and she and Kevin sat in silence for a moment before he leaned forward and retched onto the carpet. Thalia rushed to get the bin, but when she returned, there wasn't anything on the floor or coming out of Kevin's mouth. She set it in front of Kevin just in case and sat by him again. Thalia rubbed his back in a comforting way.

"You're going to be okay, Kevin." Thalia said. "Everything's going to be okay now. Do you believe me? I hope you do, because it would be a real shame if you didn't."

When Kevin stopped dry heaving, Thalia helped him sit up again. She got him a glass of water that he downed within a few seconds. Thalia was afraid he'd vomit it up again, but the water stayed down, and Kevin put his head in his hands. 

"How can you be so calm about this?" he asked quietly. "About any of this?"

"I don't know." Thalia said honestly. "I guess it just means that I have some sort of freedom, even if it's managed."

When Kevin calmed down, Thalia turned in her seat, bringing one leg up and folding it under herself. Kevin turned to face her as well, leaning back on the sofa. "Did you mean what you said at the cabin?" Thalia asked. Kevin rolled his head to look at her in confusion. "Well, you didn't really say it, but, I mean," Thalia fumbled her words. Kevin understood what she was trying to ask.

"Yeah, I guess I did." He said with a shrug. Thalia smiled. "Is that okay?" he asked nervously. Her eyes widened.

"Of course, Kevin," Thalia said supportively. She took Kevin's hand. "I wouldn't care if you told me you were from space. It wouldn't change the way I feel about you." Kevin smiled one of those rare smiles only Thalia really got to see.

"Thank you. That means a lot. Jean helped me figure it out when I was in the nest." Kevin said. Thalia nodded and kissed his cheek. Then she turned to the package Andrew had left her and opened it, finding a pair of black armbands identical to his own. She slipped them on and found they were her size. They even had stitched in sheathes like Andrew's did. Thalia figured that's what he'd given Neil as well.

"Wow, is Andrew starting a club?" Kevin asked sarcastically. Thalia rolled her eyes but silently thanked Andrew. She wasn't in a hurry to be showing people her new injuries that would form into scars in no time. 

"Yeah, I guess you weren't invited because your pain is on the inside." She said and pushed a finger against Kevin's chest. He chuckled and kissed her.