Milk And Cardamom | S. Brown ✔

[31]

Ever since Luke had returned home injured, George couldn't help but think that the boy was hiding something from them. He wanted his conferences to end as soon as possible so that he could return with his family to Bludhaven because with Deathstroke on the loose, he couldn't take the risk of letting Luke stay in Gotham longer.

Night had fallen and he was in his study, going through the points he had prepared for the next day's meeting with his clients and business partners. But even then, his focus was diverting towards Lucas so he finally closed the laptop and stood up, deciding to check up on him.

When he came out, he would have ascended the stairs that led to the boy's room but felt as if there was someone in the kitchen despite the fact that the lights were all out. Soft sounds were emerging from there so he changed direction instead and came to the kitchen.

As he reached the door, he saw Luke was mechanically stirring the milk that he had put to warm up on the stove, his fingers adding the pinch of cardamom and after a few seconds, he poured it out into the glass. It was quite a routine for Luke to come to the kitchen and drink milk whenever he was unable to sleep, so despite the unnervingly robotic way he was doing things, George knew it was an involuntary habit.

"Lucas?" He called out at last when he saw that even though he held the glass in his hands, he hadn't made any attempt to drink it, seemingly lost in deep thought.

He spun around immediately, the glass almost dropping from his hands. "Dad... I'm sorry, I got startled."

George's eyes swept over him speculatively, "is anything the matter? Why are you up so late?"

"No, not at all," he replied, managing a small reassuring smile, "I couldn't sleep so I came down to have some milk."

But his eyes were bloodshot and he had a very haunted look on his face, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare. George had been taking care of him ever since he took him in and he knew very well that Luke had once again gone through a terrifying nightmare but was trying to hide it.

And he would have succeeded in hiding it if George didn't know all the signs but after years of taking care of him, he could pick up on each little quirk very easily.

He knew his son was troubled despite his somewhat convincing attempts of hiding it from him.

"You know you can tell me if something is bothering you," George spoke up at last, being careful not to press further.

Hazel eyes shifted in unease but he nodded, "of course I do, and I will tell you first of all if anything bothers me."

His brow furrowed slightly, "are you sure?"

Luke nodded yet again, "yes. I'm fine, please don't be worried on my account."

George did not seem too certain about his response, "I have always treated you as my own son, I try my best... But if you still think that I can not take his place, then it would be better if you just tell me. Don't hide things from me, Luke."

An awkward silence gripped the two and Luke retrieved his gaze from him, focusing on the glass of milk in his hands instead. Unwanted memories swirled in his eyes but he chose to block it all out, not wanting to break down in front of George.

"I'm glad you're not like him," he mumbled in a low tone but the older man heard him in the silence, "and if you think he had the place and respect in my heart that a father ought to have, then I'll tell you he doesn't have any such place... Doesn't deserve it either."

George knew he had touched upon a sensitive topic and given the state of the boy, it was an unwise decision, "I shouldn't have brought that up..."

"Dad, you should stop thinking that I would ever compare you to him," he looked up, hazel meeting light brown as he spoke, "you took me in when I had no one, you gave me a new chance at life, you became my family. Please don't ever think that I don't appreciate all you have done for me."

And perhaps the fact that he called him Dad, even though he knew he wasn't his real father, made it evident that the boy respected him and viewed him as a father figure and not just as someone who had replaced what he had.

For Lucas, George Wilson was everything his father could never be. Everything that he had needed in the form of care, support and protection, everything that he had been deprived of in his early years.

For him, George was a savior.

But with them being in Gotham again after so long, the ghost from his past had begun to resurface and the terrifying aspect that those shadowy forms that haunted him were getting much too real for his own liking.

He couldn't put a stop to it, couldn't avoid it either but he couldn't even tell George the actual reason he was troubled.

He did not want him to get worried due to him.

"Your drink must have gotten cold by now," George remarked, taking a step back, "I will be in my study if you need me."

"Sure," he smiled, "thank you."

"You're welcome. And try not to stay up too late, it isn't good for health."

He nodded, lifting the glass to his lips, "I know. I will go to sleep right after."

But then George added, his tone having a clear trace of concern in it, "he might try to reach out to you. So I want you to be on your own guard. And if anything as such happens, don't keep it from me."

Guilt flashed in his hazel eyes as he nodded, "of course Dad, you needn't worry about it."

George nodded though he could still not be convinced that Luke was telling him the truth. He didn't probe further because it had taken a very long time for Lucas to finally accept him and trust him, he clearly did not want to mess that up.

But he could also see that he wasn't much wrong in his assumption of Slade reaching out to him because there could be no other reason to the boy's fluctuating mood. Everything else seemed to be going perfectly; he was on a break from his university, he had made new friends and went out much more often, there was no other reason for him to be anxious.

George returned to his study but he couldn't stop thinking about it. He decided to wrap up all his conferences as soon as he possibly could because by then he was certain Deathstroke had definitely approached him and he couldn't risk losing Lucas to his cousin's dangerous games.

***