The Returnee

Chapter 12

The cage hummed sometimes. Lee shivered. He wanted to go back to his cell. Blue ice crept around the edges as water vapour turned to ice and the world turned duller. His teeth chattered and his ankle hurt. Nothing that they had done to it - he'd broken it as a child playing rugby at school and now it hurt whenever it got stiff. He didn't know why they had him doing this. It had nothing to do with what they normally forced him to endure. Unless it was a general test of endurance?

A scientist signed at him that there were two minutes left, or whatever the creature's equivalent was. Lee didn't want to wait. He didn't want the scientist's to summon One either. He curled up tighter, pulling his fingers under this armpit. Numbness burned, tingling up his bones to add the sensation of wrongness.

He wanted to block it all out. They wouldn't like that. Lee didn't think that they did it to be cruel. He hoped. It didn't change the fact that if he closed his eyes for too long, it would result in them prodding him, repeatedly. They didn't want to risk losing him by accident. No closing eyes to try to make it all go away. He hummed, focusing on a sympathy an old boyfriend had practised over and over until it buried into his brain that even this experience couldn't wipe it.

The cold never ended.

—x—

A second morning waking up in Joey and Devon's bed. This one sweating more from the memories than being surrounded. He waited for the others to move before leaving the room this time. Colin's grip on him remained tight all night long, releasing in the morning as he stretched out. Devon disappeared out the door to work, kissing Joey on his way out and letting his hand run over Colin's shoulder for a moment.

Damian sent demands for updates and comments on the situation with increasing frequency. Colin's breakup spread as the day ticked on. Joey fielded calls from people Lee hadn't even heard off. Lee tried to keep Colin away from it all. Mostly by letting the man hang onto him and keeping innate daytime TV on to distract him. It wasn't a good solution but it was all he could do right now to support him. The family had very different views on the news, ranging from the sympathetic to furious that Colin could dare leave the 'Golden' boys. Lee would be angry, but he knew Grant hated when people treated them differently. Being the lead caretakers didn't make them special.

Colin looked about to shatter when Lee called for a cab, not hiding it. The man looked about to collapse regardless but an extra edge of something invaded his brown eyes, his eyebrows furrowing with concern. Fingers twitched but let go of the fabric. Lee put his shoes and coat on, moving confidently as Colin sat on the sofa watching him. Lee needed a few moments to himself not to get lost in all of this. Colin needed someone to stay with him. Lee didn't know when Devon would come home and despite his assumption that he'd need to fight Joey to get out of the door, he wasn't about. The last time Lee had seen him, he'd gone upstairs to deal with the phone.

"Where's Joey?" Lee glanced into the empty bedroom, bed loosely made but not neatly. The sheets were crumbled and the hamper had clothes overflowing from it. A possible job to do after he returned, something that wasn't sitting and waiting in silence as the world span. He slipped back into the living room, hooking Colin's waist to kiss his cheek.

"He had to go out for something," Colin stepped closer, hand smoothing down Lee's coat. A plead lingered in the voice.

Lee's desire to be alone raged with the knowledge that being alone right now was as far away from Colin needed to be. Then another idea appeared. A touch of something from his past boiling up as a far more appealing idea made itself known and Lee wanted.

"Want to sneak out while he's gone?" Lee wriggled his eyebrows.

Hesitation trembled on Colin's face, he'd already broken so many rules and now no caretaker held his reigns. Joey did by virtue of being the only caretaker nearby. Colin could do what he wanted but someone would hold those strings again at some point. He didn't want to take them and do something wrong.