Daylight

Chapter Twelve

Sebastian checked his phone while holding an umbrella in his other hand to avoid getting wet. He had been staying with Ava and Luca for almost three weeks and had been loving every second.

Currently he stood at Luca's bus stop to pick up the young boy due to Ava needing to pull a double shift. He sighed to himself, bracing against the wind a bit. "C'mon bus."

Luca had gotten a text on his phone from his mom. She had given him one of her old phones so that he could communicate with her when she was working. When he got out of school and climbed on the bus, he settled into a seat before he read it.

Mami: Hola, mi niño. I have to stay for a second shift. One of the others didn't show. Sebastian will be at the bus stop waiting for you. Be good! Te amo!

He always worried when his mom wasn't home, but he was grateful that he could at least know where she was. He could also track her phone if he felt he needed to for some reassurance. And he wasn't disappointed that he would get to hang out with Seb just by himself until mom got home.

His legs bounced as he rode the bus, anxiously awaiting his stop. He leaned to look out the window as they approached and when he saw the tall man with an umbrella, he broke into a smile.

He nearly tripped running down the aisle of the bus to get off but soon he was running through the rain. As he reached Sebastian, he wrapped his arms around the man's waist. "Mami's working late," he said, not realizing just how obvious that was.

Sebastian wrapped one arm around Luca as he smiled. "Yep. That means we get some guy time." He turned and started to walk back towards the apartment. "Do you have any homework?"

"A little. Just science, I think. I did the rest at lunch," Luca replied. "I can do it pretty quick. It's about planets."

"Will you need any help?" Seb asked as they made it to a cross street and waited for a car to pass before crossing.

"Umm, I don't know," Luca answered before they ran across the street together. "It's about Mars. I know that's the red planet. But I have my science book, I can look it up."

Sebastian smiled. "That's a fun planet to learn about. A lot of people think that people will live there one day." As they reached the front porch, Seb pulled out his keys, still feeling honored that Ava had made him a spare. He unlocked the door and ushered Luca inside before shaking out the umbrella. "Make sure you take off your shoes. Your mom will kill me if you get water everywhere."

Luca set his backpack down beside him before he flopped onto the floor to pull his shoes off. "She wouldn't kill you. She loves you," he replied innocently, not thinking twice about what he shared. He pushed himself up off of the floor and pulled his backpack behind him before climbing into a kitchen chair to begin to get out his homework.

She what? Sebastian stared at Luca for a few moments before shaking his head and removing his own shoes then his coat. He walked over to the sink and put the umbrella in it. "Do you want a snack before dinner?"

"Can I have a string cheese from the fridge?" he asked as he set his science book on the table and opened his notebook. "What are we having for dinner?"

"Yup," Seb answered, popping the 'p'. He got into the fridge and got a string cheese for Luca and himself along with a couple of juice pouches before joining him at the kitchen table. "It's Friday, isn't that pizza night?"

Luca reached out and took the snack from the other man. "Ooh, yeah! Pepperoni!" he cheered. "Can you put the straw in for me?" he asked about the juice pouch as he opened his science book. "Do you really think people can live on Mars?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. "What if aliens are already living there?"