Nerium oleander

Morning coffee

The raindrops hammered against the pavement, their hurried steps wasted as Alfred fumbled with the fence. He flinched, clenching his fist and offering a wavering smile.

The sharp end of the fence reclaimed another victim, a safety measure more efficient than the dog. Yao heard the chuckles from the other man and humored him with one of his own.

So naive, laughing as if they were high schoolers sneaking out past curfew. He opened the fence quickly, basking in Alfred's clumsiness and the smell of his blood, they entered the house drenched by the rain.

"Fancy house,'' Alfred looked around, taking off his damp coat and chuckling, his fist still clenched, the poor boy still trying to hide his wound. "I guess psychiatry does pay well."

"It's an old house, the price wasn't much and there are incentives to buy properties in Adelfa, you should look for them, perhaps you'll find something interesting." Yao smiled, removing his coat and opening the closet, he almost felt guilty handing him a towel as he observed Alfred's wet clothes, clinging to his form.

Alfred seemed average fit, taller than him and slightly muscular, his form hidden by his oversized coat, yet he looked like a kicked puppy in his bad attempt at hiding his pain. He took Alfred's coat from his hands, suppressing his frown as the badge glinted on his hip. "What made you enroll in the police?"

Alfred's gaze shifted, offering a sheepish smile and beaming. "Ah, it's a silly reason. I wanted to try my luck, it has been a surprisingly fulfilling career choice." He laughed, tossing the towel back. "I thought the uniforms looked cool. Unluckily for me, the FBI doesn't wear those, though they pay more. Do you have any idea why the police department here doesn't have uniforms?"

"Small town antics, I guess. Though, I did have a hard time figuring out why some random man stopped me on my second day here to lecture me about my lights." Yao chuckled, placing the coats on the hanger and drying off a bit of the dampness. Noticing Alfred's stare, he hummed. "You don't happen to carry handcuffs, do you?"

"I don't, but I can bring them another time," Alfred said, lowering his eyes and opening his hand. "Didn't think someone in Adelfa would be into that but, you weren't born here, were you? It's just, I have the feeling I've seen you before."

Yao paused, observing his palm. That couldn't be right, Alfred was too young and an outsider to this town. He shook his head, dragging Alfred with him and making a beeline to the kitchen. "I don't think we've ever met, I would surely remember it."

"It's just, I think... have you ever been in Virginia?" The words that followed Alfred's babbling were lost to Yao's ears.

He opened the tap, the cold water dampening their hands, as the warmth gained inside the house was lost. Nothing but a small cut, it would heal in a couple of days, but Alfred's blood dropped quite dramatically, staining the water and his own fingers. Yao's gaze traveled to the cabinet of spices and then, to the counter, Alfred's voice still ringing.

"Maybe on the metro, it's funny because I didn't visit Washington that much but I'm sure I've seen you somewhere."

Yao closed the tap, walking away from the other, his hand hovered over the knives, Alfred couldn't know, how would he? An FBI cadette would not have that information. Were they using that case to enlighten the procedures? Had they sent him to Adelfa because of it? No. That was nonsense. The case was closed and Alfred couldn't know. He opened a drawer, taking some bandages and alcohol instead, drying his hand carefully.

The rest of their chatting confirmed his suspicions. Alfred is not naive, he's playing dumb. Maintaining a double conversation and veiling the questions with silly jokes, Alfred wanted to know about Adelfa's functioning as well as his business here. Perhaps he sensed something off, perhaps he was just curious, he couldn't figure it out yet.