The man arched a brow at Dr.Clementine, sipping lazily at his black coffee. He did not like sweet things instead he preferred bitter flavors. “Dead,” he said carefully, casting his eyes downwards once more to gaze at the rather gruesome photos the woman had sat in front of him. For a normal person they’d look away from the bloody and dismembered bodies on the white floors of the lab. But the man was not a normal person and instead stared at it as if it were nothing at all. “All of them?”

Dr.Clementine nodded in response as she grabbed the photo and pocketed it. Her dull, grey eyes looked at him with no emotions whatsoever. People like the blonde often got on his nerves. No personality to them at all. “The cameras were turned off for only a short five minutes, once they turned on this was all we could see.”

The man shook his head up and down repeatedly as he thought. Setting his coffee down and tilting his head to the side. “And you allowed the him to escape,” He said once more. When the woman nodded he slammed his hand on the table. He paid no attention to the curious glances and glared at the blonde. Dr.Clementine gulped. “He’s a code red and you and your idiotic team let him escape? People are going to die!”

“Mr.Coles,” Dr.Clementine said calmly. “Do keep your voice down. We are trying to get this under control.”

Mr.Coles sat back in his chair and breathed harshly through his nose, trying his best to calm himself before speaking once more. “Anne,” he said, watching as Dr.Clementine’s jaw clenched at the use of her birth name. Nonetheless she raised her well drawn eyebrows to say she was indeed listening. “My dear, dear Anne.” He touched her jaw gently and leaned close. His minty breath on her face as he growled out his words. “If you don’t get your hands on that boy I will make sure the rest of your years of living is not only slow but very, very painful. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Yes Mr.Coles.” she whispered. Mr.Coles patted her gently on the cheek before pulling away as if nothing ever happened. He flicked his wrist so anyone watching went back to their meals and sipped his coffee. Mr.Coles was a complicated man.

One second he would be calm and quiet, next he’s screaming and throwing around curse words. He was neither handsome or ugly simply in between. Yet there was something alluring about him, perhaps it was his suit that screamed he had money. Quite possibly his mysterious vibe, nonetheless Mr.Cole paid no mind to the women who often hung on his arm.

He watched as the blonde stood up and straightened her skirt. She gave him a curt nod before storming out. Mr.Coles sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. This was going to be a bigger problem then he thought wasn’t it?

Benjamin quickly noted Nathaniel smelt of cigarettes and he looked like absolute hell. With tear stained cheeks and puffy, red eyes. And his signature ‘I’m sad, touch me and I behead you,’ sweater. It was the color of red wine and it was a size too big on the boy. A few months ago when Benjamin was highly uneducated in the art of speaking to Nathaniel Jovovich, he asked him what was wrong. Which resulted with Nathaniel abruptly standing from their lunch table and storming off.

“You’re an idiot,” Michelle had said with pity. Emmett merely shook his head and explained to him Nathaniel was so terrible at feelings, it was a death wish to ask him if he was alright. “Once upon a time, our dear, angsty friend allowed us to comfort him. But his heart turned black and he no longer found the need to.” Michelle joked.

Now though? He was so educated he barely needed to look at him to know he was sad, shoved his juice box at lunch or pressed the lollipop he now kept in his glove box into his friend’s hand. Nathaniel sometimes stood still (depending on how bad he was feeling) during the exchanged but accepted the gift nonetheless. This was not one of those times.

The blonde shoved his hand into the glove box and wiped out a few of the treats. Nathaniel took them without hesitation. “Thanks, Davies,” the boy grumbled. Voice so small it was like the wind. Sometimes Benjamin wondered if he’d used his name and not refer to him by his last.

“It’s how he rolls,” Michelle had said, making a wave motion with her hand. She nodded along with the words like a dork and Emmett snorted.

“It’s how he speaks to people I suppose,” Emmett told him, a small smile on his face. Emmett’s smiles were rarely ever large. They were gentle, smooth and loving. A upturn of the lips that screamed Emmett.

He never knew what first name basis with Nathaniel meant and could only wonder if it was bad or not. “You’re making a lot of movement,” Nathaniel grunted around the candy, interpreting Benjamin’s train of thought. He flashed a signature smile and pulled out of the driveway, ignoring how ugly his friend’s neighborhood. Because that was just rude now wasn’t it?

“My apologies,” Benjamin replied. His grin was all teeth and Nathaniel looked at it in a look of disgust and amusement.

Nathaniel shook his head and leaned his head back. He breathed heavily and closed his eyes. Benjamin took it as the signal to turn on the radio, he quickly switched it to the classical music channel. Even though he despised the thing and would rather choke on a knife then listen to it, whenever Nathaniel was in his mood he’d switch it on.

Never once did he complain though. Mostly because he didn’t want an imprint of Nathaniel’s fist on his cheek and because he was just that good of a friend. It was the Benjamin Davies way.

“We’re here,” Benjamin announced, turning the vehicle off. Michelle sat in front of her house. She looked as beautiful as she usually did. Tan skin, brown hair and those gorgeous coffee eyes. She stood up smoothly and shoved her hands in her sweater. She smiled lazily and saluted.

“Grumpy pants, didn’t think you’d leave the house,” she said, pulling the taller boy into her arms. Her hands loose around his waist and face against his chest. Nathaniel responded easily and hugged back. Nathaniel only ever hugged Emmett and Michelle, which Benjamin understood. Benjamin wondered if one day he’d get a hug.

Michelle turned her attention to Benjamin. “Hey,” she said. Benjamin’s chest tightened, but he smiled nonetheless. “Thanks for this y’know, giving up your house to us rowdy kids must be devastating for your poor grandma.”

Benjamin waved her off and opened the door, slipping inside. Michelle followed with Nathaniel in tow who was muttering something about needing a cigarette. Benjamin shot him a look over his shoulder. “Smoke in this house and I am killing you,” he hissed. Nathaniel merely grinned that sharp grin that sent shivers down his spine.

“So,” Michelle said, peeling off her hoodie. She wore a T-Shirt with the NASA logo on it. “What movie are we watching?” She hauled Nathaniel towards the couch who followed obediently.

Benjamin gestured towards the collection currently setting atop the coffee table. “Choose one,” he said. Instead of Michelle leaping forward to look through the movies, Nathaniel slipped off the couch and sat cross legged in front of the wooden table. It was a well crafted thing. A deep brown and smooth, a beautiful creation. Nathaniel had told him he was rather fond of the thing when he first came.

Of course it wasn’t clear one would have to think about it to understand it was a compliment; was more on the lines of: “It doesn’t look like complete garbage.” Nonetheless Benjamin’s grandmother was pleased when Benjamin explained to her Nathaniel was not being a jerk at the moment.

The taller boy looked through the collection of movies in silence. Michelle’s gaze was fond as if a proud mother who’s toddler was not trying to destroy anything at that moment. Nathaniel held up a movie quickly one with a man and a woman pressed against each other.

The pretty woman whose face was caked with makeup had her head tilted back, eyes closed and mouth open in bliss. The man who was shirtless, held her by her waist and also had his eyes close. The background was a forest area and Benjamin noticed the man had white fangs that glistened in the moonlight. “It’s a vampire movie,” Nathaniel said. “Emmett is going to go crazy.”

Michelle whistled. “Dang it’s like you speak his romantic language,” she said. There was a sly grin on her face. Benjamin’s stomach flipped. “I knew he was a vampire fanatic.”

Nathaniel’s lips quirked only slightly. Benjamin knew Michelle considered it a win by the way her eyes softened at the sight of it. “Where is Newsberry anyways?” Nathaniel asked, moving to rest his back against the couch.

“No clue,” Benjamin replied, un-boxing the DVD from its case and popping it into the DVR. Nathaniel looked at it in amusement.

The sound of the door knocking echoed throughout the house and Michelle rose up elegantly. She stretched her arms above her head and smiled. “Speaking of our one true father,” she said and walked over to the door.

Emmett came in moments later with a soda in his hand, it was Pepsi a flavor Benjamin knew was not fond of. Michelle and Benjamin however were. He held a pack of Skittles in his other one and tossed it at Nathaniel’s head. The dark haired male caught it and tore into it quickly. Emmett didn’t need a thank you, he never did.

Emmett was a guy who simply did things without needing a thanks. He could save someone’s life and not expect those two words from them. “Kettle corn is really expensive,” Emmett said. He pulled out a package of the flavored popcorn anyway. “Like really, really expensive. Unnecessarily so!”

“Then why buy it?” Michelle asked. She was currently opening the soda that made a pleasant noise once she had. Emmett looked at her as if he was offended that she hadn’t expect him to do so. Benjamin smiled, Emmett really went out of his way to make everyone happy didn’t he?

“Benjamin likes it,” Emmett said, he looked at the taller male. “Right?”

Benjamin nodded and went over to grab the box. He made his way to the kitchen to pop it. Emmett followed him. While he was still wearing his dirty sneakers, Emmett had politely taken his off and left them by the door. “You really didn’t have to.”

Emmett rolled his eyes, tracing circles on the table his grandfather had crafted. Much like the coffee table it was a pleasant shade of brown and very smooth. “If I have to buy Nathaniel Skittles, I will gladly buy you kettle corn.” Emmett looked at him. “You let us stay at your house. It is my way of thanks.”

Benjamin nodded as he placed the bagged corn into the microwave. “You don’t have to buy him Skittles either,” He commented. Emmett laughed, a charming sound much like Emmett himself.

“I suppose you are right,” he said honestly. His smile was warm and gentle. And small, much like it usually was. “But I would be ashamed if I didn’t. I know he thinks I try to baby him, and you guys refer to me as a fatherly figure. Which I have to admit I do have those traits.”

The look Benjamin sent his way confirmed his beliefs. Emmett smiled at that, too. He picked at the band around his wrist as he spoke. A black, leather thing that Benjamin had never seen him without. “It’s sort of an apology I guess.”

That was the thing about Emmett he was strange. He was not easy to read, the second you think you get him you realize he is not at all who one thinks he is. Benjamin was merely scratching the surface at the moment.

The beeping of the microwave pulled Benjamin out of his head and he popped the door open. Emmett pulled a popcorn bowl out from the cupboard beneath the microwave and sat it on the counter. Benjamin poured it in the bowl and when he looked up Emmett was gone.

He wondered if Emmett was having trouble knowing who he was too.