Mirage

Chapter Eleven

        Ryder slowly crawled out of bed. It was his first night home and time was slipping away from him. It was almost midnight and he hadn't fallen asleep yet. The image of the toddler he'd failed to save was keeping him awake. That and the horrific guilt.

It was the guilt that drove him to try find the toddler's name. He turned on his Astro after settling into the couch and pulled up a registry of the names who'd lived in the nearby building. The list was long and he started by searching the list of names on the floor he'd picked up the boy on. 

Several hours later and he was staring at a picture of the yellow-haired toddler. His face was a little pale and tears stung his eyes as he gazed at the image. He didn't deserve to cry so he blinked back the tears, that hollow feeling in his stomach overshadowing everything else. 

"Ryder, let me in." Whisper's voice made Ryder jump. It had broken him from his brooding guilt. He turned and glanced at the monitor near the door. It displayed Whisper, who stood outside the door with a small frown on his face.   

Ryder slowly got to his feet and then let Whisper in, a slightly confused look on his face.

"It's 3 in the morning, what are you doing here?" He asked quietly as Whisper all but entered like the place was his. The older man let out a small grunt of assent that conveyed, yes it was three in the morning you idiot, i'm not blind. 

"Your light was on and I was out handling business." Whisper answered, his keen yellow eyes taking in the Astro and the toddler's face displayed on it. He turned his gaze back to Ryder, his eyes narrowing slightly. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. 

"Business? At three in the morning? Is another war about to hit the streets?" Ryder asked, his pulse jumping slightly at the thought. Not now, not right after the bombing. The people in the city had been through enough already. 

"It's under control." Whisper scoffed, then moved to rummage around in Ryder's kitchen. Ryder let out a small sigh and rubbed his temples. He was relieved by the news yet partially concerned as to what Whisper had insinuated and most importantly, why the fuck was the man going through his cupboards? 

"Eyugh. No wonder you're moping. There's nothing decent to eat." Whisper snarled with disgust as he shut the last container. The statement was so outlandish it brought a smile to Ryder's face. They both knew he wasn't upset because of the lack of unhealthy food in his kitchen, it was just Whisper's way of pointing out the obvious in a more subtle way. 

"We're going on a grocery run. Grab your bag." Whisper ordered, then moved to the door. Ryder let out a soft sigh then turned to grab his backpack. Right now he was feeling miserable enough he'd take Whisper's company over being alone with his thoughts. Besides, the man wasn't about to let him refuse. He tugged on his gloves, mask, a hoodie and his shoes before strapping his bag on tightly. He preferred to stay masked up with with Whisper. You never knew when they might end up doing something shady or have to run from the Peace Corps.

Whisper led the way outside and then they were vaulting over the railing to drop down onto a nearby scaffolding. Around them, things were quiet. A few figures lurked among the scaffoldings, railings and ladders and Ryder rightfully assumed it was Crow members. 

Whisper and Ryder descended in near silence. Neither of them spoke. Whisper kept glancing over at Ryder with a small grin that tugged on the corners of his mouth. Ryder was oblivious, and instead was focused on the agility required to descend to the ground. 

Ryder dropped the last thirty feet to the ground, rolling to disperse the impact before getting to his feet. A low grunt echoed faintly from behind him as Whisper stuck his landing and Ryder let out a small laugh. Trying to look cool usually resulted in tearing up your knees and Whisper was no exception. 

Whisper let out a low, flustered growl as he shoved past Ryder, his cheeks a faint shade of pink in the artificial light around them. Ryder stifled his grin and raced to catch up with the man. He had shorter legs and sometimes fell behind Whisper when they walked. 

Around them, the city pulsed with life. Neon signs and billboards hung a few stories up. The main street had shops of every variety, some open, some closed. The streets were a little less crowded than during the day but not by much. 

"This way." Whisper said, reaching back to grab Ryder's wrist. His grip was rather tight and it was clear he wasn't about to let go of Ryder any time soon. Ryder felt his stomach lurch and he grimaced slightly. It had felt nicer with Panther. 

"Hey," Ryder protested quietly as he almost stumbled over his own feet. Whisper's grip loosened as he glanced back at Ryder, his yellow eyes gleaming like a cats in the neon lights around them. 

"Tsk~" Whisper let out the irritated noise before slowing his pace. 

In minutes they'd reached a small convenience store located a few block away. Whisper finally let go Ryder's wrist as they stepped inside. He clung to Ryder like a shadow, occasionally casting glances out the windows. 

"Well then, lets stock your kitchen." Whisper crooned, his eyes raking the isles. The clerk at the counter cast Whisper a frightened glance before turning to reorganize things on a back shelf. Ryder shrugged then started down the nearest isle. 

"Ribble bits. Perfect." Whisper said, making Ryder jump slightly. He turned to see Whisper proudly holding a bag of ribble bits, the seasoned smoked meat had always been Ryder's favorite. 

"Find anything yet?" Whisper asked, peeking over Ryder's shoulder at the shelf the shorter man was contemplating. The shelf in question contained Stratopuffs, a variety of flavors from Stardust to Comet. 

"Have you tried the rainyday stratopuffs? I think you'd like them." Whisper said quietly, then reached around Ryder to pluck a bag of the candy in question up. Ryder was shifting restlessly. He'd noticed the way Whisper kept glance towards the windows and the door. 

"I haven't tried them yet." Ryder said after a moment, but Whisper was already farther down the isle eyeing lemon ripples. 

By the time Whisper was ready to leave he had an armful of goodies and drinks. The clerk registered everything with trembling hands and he nearly dropped Whisper's I.D. Card as he handed it back. 

Whisper and Ryder split the contents between their bags then started out the door into the night.