Debts To Be Settled

38

Tommy sits on the floor of his shop. The machines are quiet around him as he threads the remaining details of the suit with his hands. Slivers of moonlight slide through the glass windows, but the silvery light is chased away by the yellow-white fluorescent bulbs illuminating the room from where they're affixed to the ceiling. Azrael sits on one of the plush couches set in one corner of the shop near the door that leads up to the second floor. It is an area reserved and designed for guests that might wish to spend time in the shop or are waiting for the final product.

"How is it?" Azrael asks. For some reason, these days, the secret charms have grown far more intense in its pursuit of keeping the identities of villains a secret. Tommy can hardly hear anything human about Azrael's voice. The dark wings sprouting from his back and the green magic pulsating around his talons don't exactly project an image of humanity, either. Despite both of these facts, Tommy is comfortable around Azrael. Tommy could never beat the supervillain in a fight, but Tommy's certain that if he remains useful and on good terms with the other Syndicate members, Azrael won't kill him. It would be better if Tommy made up with Phantasm, but Tommy will leave such thoughts for another day.

"It's so fucking awesome! I've never really had a place to make my own," Tommy notes, looking around the room. The Craft family helped Tommy put up some photographs. The stairwell and the second floor are covered in images of Tommy, his family, and his friends. The downstairs is a little less detailed, but it's no less personal. Tommy got several pictures of cows, spiders, chickens, moths, and other animals that he adores to hang on the walls. A few of them are cartoonish while others are realistic, but Tommy thinks they are all equally adorable. Other than the pictures, Tommy put a couple of magnets on the machines of movies Wilbur has gotten him into. On Tommy's professional desk, he has a wooden carving of two crows, a pig, a fox, and a racoon all huddled together on a platform. Tommy has no idea what it means, but Techno gave it to Tommy so it must be important enough that Techno decided to be sentimental. There are other random gifts from his friends scattered around the place. Shelby brings him flowers once a week to put in a vase on his windowsill by his radio. Niki gave him a blanket to throw over the back of the couch Azrael is sitting on. Everything about the space is exactly how Tommy wants it without anyone else telling him he can't or he shouldn't.

Azrael chuckles, looking around the room with terrifyingly blue eyes. He settles on each photograph with no discernable shifts in his expression. "You are doing a great job so far at furnishing the place in your own personal style. I've never been in a professional location quite like this one."

"There's still work to be done," Tommy notes, glancing up from the suit he was working on to cast his eyes around the space. Tommy wants to get a couple more plants to freshen the place up. He thinks he could get some thicker curtains for the windows, and he wouldn't mind a few more security cameras in the corner. Aesthetically, Tommy wants to paint the walls and he wants more gifts from his loved ones to fill the place up with.

"You have plenty of time to do it," Azrael assures Tommy. The blonde snaps his eyes to the villain, making direct eye contact. While Azrael's posture and tone are lighthearted, Tommy can see the threat vaguely hidden underneath each word. Tommy only has enough time because Azrael is allowing him to have it. Azrael isn't going to kill Tommy immediately, so Tommy should get comfortable. He should treat this place like a home.

Tommy laughs awkwardly, tearing his eyes away from Azrael to steady his rapidly beating heart. Even after growing comfortable around Azrael, he shouldn't kid himself into thinking things aren't the way they are. Tommy shakes his shoulders, getting rid of the odd feeling weighing down his stomach. "The list of people I'm making suits for is growing. Soon enough, I won't have any free time."

"You have all the time in the world to work on suits without your usual day job," Azrael counters. His voice is still light, however, no matter how inhuman the edges of it are because of the secret charm and Azrael's general disposition.