Finch hadn’t seen Shadow all day, but he’d refused to let it worry him or to go looking. Shadow had made it clear he didn’t want or need babysitting. 

Finch wasn’t in any mood to be a babysitter, anyway. It was just after eight at night and a party had started up next door that was guaranteed to go on for at least a few hours. Every sudden burst of laughter, every unnecessarily shouted exchange, sent feelings through him that his mind quickly converted into anger because anything else was much harder to tolerate.

Finch sighed as he left his room and went to lean against Adin’s desk. “Any jobs?”

Adin glanced up from his computer. “No. Everything’s quiet tonight.”

Finch sent an irritated glance in the direction of their neighbours. “Yeah, I wish.”

“Would you like to borrow my headphones? They don’t fit on my head very well right now anyway. I’m not sure why I ever thought they were a sensible purchase.”

Finch shook his head, squeezing his hand into a fist and compressing his emotions into that single point so that he could pretend he was fine until he could be alone. “Nah, I think I’m just gonna go out for a drive for a bit. Call me if we get a job or party time’s over.”

“Of course. I hope you have a good drive.”

Finch opened the door to the garage and the light from the house caught on two glowing eyes. Shadow was sitting in the corner.

“Oh,” Finch said. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Shadow said, his voice barely carrying across the garage.

Finch held up his car keys. “Want to go for a drive?”

Shadow nodded.

Finch leant out of the garage to speak to Adin. “I’m taking Shadow with me.”

“I doubt I would have even realised he was gone, but thank you for telling me,” Adin said.

Finch found his way into his car in the dark to avoid blinding Shadow with the garage light and Shadow got into the passenger seat. That was progress, right? On the first night, he’d sat in the back.

Finch pulled out of the garage and then sighed and rolled his shoulders as they drove down the street. “I don’t like it when the neighbours have parties. Adin says I have PTSD, but y’know, who the fuck doesn’t?”

“Your heart is beating faster,” Shadow said.

“Hm?”

“It’s usually slow, but tonight…”

“Ah. Yeah. Figures.”

Shadow nodded.

“It just makes me want to hit something. I’m not some violent asshole who puts his fists through walls. Not anymore, anyway. It just makes me feel all wound up tight inside and I just want to…” Finch squeezed his hands against the steering wheel until his knuckles went white.

“If you want to get out and hit a tree or something, I don’t mind.”

Finch laughed. “No, it’s fine. Talking helps. I know that’s not something you’re big on, so thanks.”

“Where I come from, it would be dangerous to speak this loudly, and I don’t have to with Luther. I’m not very used to it, but I’m trying to adjust.”

“Your world sounds like it was very different from this one.”

Shadow nodded.

“Mine was too. I mean, the sun and all that physical shit was the same, but… yeah. The stuff with people was different.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Well, let’s just say that I got the PTSD before coming here.”

Shadow nodded.

“I try to appreciate what I have now, though. My friends. They’re more like family, really. That’s the biggest thing. When I was little, I thought all I wanted was to run my own life and not ever have to answer to anybody, but I think it’s better to have to call home if you’re going to be late because you know someone’ll worry if you don’t.”

Shadow nodded.

“So, where do you want to go?”

Shadow shrugged. “Somewhere without other people.”

“Yeah, I’m all for that. Places with other people this time of night tend to be the same situation I left the house to avoid. We could go to a park, maybe?”

Shadow nodded.

Finch was getting used to Shadow’s way of communicating. It had been hard to connect with him when he’d hardly been speaking at all, but now Finch was starting to find a sense of peace in him. He doubted he would have shaken off the tension the sounds of the party had stirred in him this quickly if he’d been alone.

The closest parks were sad little things, just barely fulfilling their purpose with a bit of grass, a handful of trees, and some mass produced plastic play equipment. They’d probably have a few hours to burn, though, so Finch took the time to drive them out to a bigger park he knew of. One of the perks of chasing breaches was that you ended up stumbling across a lot of interesting places that you never would have even thought to look for.

Finch parked his car in a dark, empty lot, and they both got out. It occurred to him in that moment that Shadow might find him taking him out here alone at night creepy, but he immediately realised that was absurd on multiple levels. Shadow had specifically requested to go somewhere alone, he was most comfortable in the darkness, and he’d already beaten Finch in a fight.

As they headed down a slope into the park, Finch nodded ahead of them at wooden play equipment designed to look like a pirate ship. “That’s why I brought you here. Maybe children’s play equipment is a weird thing for a grown man to care about, but I spent my whole childhood roaming and I’ve seen a lot of parks. I appreciate a bit of creativity. I don’t like when discovering new places doesn’t mean discovering new things.”

Shadow didn’t respond, but as soon as they reached the ship, he climbed up onto it and then gracefully scaled a short mast that was never intended to be climbed to sit on its point. 

Finch joined him on the ship, but he didn’t try to climb any further than that. “Did you take gymnastics or anything as a kid?”

Shadow shook his head. “Luther built me a jungle gym in the backyard.”

“He built you one, or he paid someone else to build you one?”

“He built it. He used to be a carpenter when he was a human.”

“Huh. That’s weird to think about.”

Shadow shrugged.

“Listen. However I feel about him, it has nothing to do with you. I know that’s rough because I guess he’s like your dad, but Luther has a long history of bullshit. I swear, the things I have had to explain to that man. Like, no, you can’t sustain yourself by feeding off of a single person every single night without making them sick, and there’s more to consent than convincing someone to say yes to what you want. Why any of that was my responsibility when I was a fucking teenager, I don’t know, but someone had to keep that man out of trouble.”

Shadow nodded as he looked down at Finch.

Finch sighed. “But, hey, I always assumed he was like two hundred years old and had always been a vampire. When you come across someone who says they’re immortal, you tend to assume they’re already old as fuck. I don’t know the exact timeline, but Luther’s story made it sound like he hadn’t been a vampire for very long before coming here.”

Shadow nodded. “A few months.”

“Well, still. He should’ve known things like, say, that humans don’t have infinite blood, and he could have looked up healthy limits. He’d been here long enough to know about the internet. If he’d actually cared, he would have been a lot more careful about a lot of things.”

Shadow nodded.

“Sorry. I don’t want to make you feel like you have to pick sides. I’m mostly just thinking out loud, because now I’m not so sure about all this shit myself.”

“He should have been more careful, but he wouldn’t do it again. He’s not a monster, but he is flawed.”

“Bleh,” Finch said. “That’s so unsatisfying. How am I supposed to feel about that?”

Shadow shrugged.

“Guess it doesn’t fucking matter how I feel. He’s not my friend. Anyway, let’s—” Finch was interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. Unknown caller. “Speaking of the fucker, either he or a cold call scammer is calling me.” Finch pressed the answer call button and held the phone up to his ear. “Yeah?”

“Hello, Finch,” Luther said. “I hope everything is well.”

“Better before you called. You want to talk to Shadow?”

“Yes, please.”

Shadow jumped down from the top of the mast, somehow barely making a sound as he landed, and Finch handed him the phone.

“Hi,” Shadow said into the phone, loud enough that Finch could hear him. “I’m fine. Are you any closer to figuring things out?” A pause. “Are you actually, or do you just not want me to worry?” Another pause. “Okay,” Shadow said, and then he handed the phone back to Finch.

Finch held the phone to his ear. “Listen, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but is there anything we can do to help?”

“No, no. All I need from you is to keep Shadow safe, and you’re already doing that. I owe all of you, Finch, and I promise I will pay that debt.”

“I’ll hold you to that, but for now, let’s just focus on keeping everyone alive.”

“Or only as dead as we already are, in my case,” Luther said. “Well, I appreciate your patience. I’ll check in again tomorrow night.”

Finch shook his head as he hung up the phone. He turned back to Shadow, who was leaning against the mast now. “Look what you’ve led me to. Being courteous to Luther.”

“Sorry,” Shadow said, but Finch thought he could see the smallest hint of a smile through the darkness.

“Yeah, you better be. I—” The ringing of Finch’s phone interrupted him again. Finch fished it out of his pocket, expecting it to be Luther calling back about something he’d forgotten to say, but Adin’s name was on the screen. Finch answered. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Someone called in a job and it sounds like a full team event. How soon can you be back?”

“Uhh… Half an hour?”

“That’s fine. I’ll fill you in when you get here.”

Finch hung up his phone and slipped it into his pocket. “Guess you heard that?”

Shadow nodded, already heading for the side of the ship. He ignored the ladder down and jumped instead, landing gracefully. Finch took the ladder. He knew if he tried Shadow’s method, he’d hit the ground like a sack of bricks.

Finch had started the evening hoping for a job so that he’d have something to keep him occupied, but now he was a little disappointed to have cut things short with Shadow. He’d actually felt like he was starting to get to know him. 

When they got back to the house, Adin, Malyn, and Tyla were already waiting for him outside. Finch got out of the car to talk to Adin, doing his best not to brace himself for party noises.

“I’ll make this quick,” Adin promised. “I’ve already sent the location to your GPS. It’s about an hour’s drive. The woman who called lives on a rural property. She said she’d seen a very tall figure, perhaps eight feet, lurking in the woods. It seems like a job where Tyla’s communication skills may come in handy, but I think it’s wise to be prepared for a more aggressive outcome as well.”

There was a shout followed by a peel of laughter from next door and Finch shot an annoyed glance in that direction before returning his attention to Adin. “Agreed. Okay, Shadow—” Finch said as he turned around, but Shadow had already vanished again. Finch sighed. “Let’s go.”

Malyn and Tyla got in the back of Finch’s car and they set off.

Finch had kept his thoughts to himself, but he’d noticed how much closer Malyn and Tyla had grown over the last few months. When Tyla had first moved in, Malyn would have sat up front with Finch, but now there wasn’t even any question. 

Maybe Finch should have been jealous that Malyn was closer to Tyla these days than he was to Finch, but honestly, Finch was happy for him. It wasn’t like Finch was any less close with Malyn because of it. Malyn had just found someone he connected with on a whole other level, and that was a good thing. Malyn was a very likeable guy, but he’d always struggled to make close friends.

“How’s your arm?” Finch asked Malyn.

“Good,” Malyn said. “It looked way better when I checked it this morning. I think it probably wasn’t as bad as it looked.”

“Tyla, is that true?”

“Unfortunately, he changed it before I woke up, so I didn’t see it,” Tyla said.

Finch popped open the glove compartment, retrieved the first aid kit, and tossed it back towards Tyla. “Well, bandages are probably due for another change. Take a look now.”

Malyn hated doctors, hated people paying attention to his injuries in case someone tried to make him go to a doctor, but he was a little more willing when it came to getting Tyla’s attention. He could have changed his bandage himself, but he let Tyla do it. He never would have let Finch or Adin fuss over him like that.

“Huh,” Malyn said, and Finch glanced at them in the rearview mirror.

“What?”

“It looked really good this morning, and it still does, but like… too good. It’s been a day, and this looks like it’s a week into healing. Ty, are you sure you can’t do any healing magic?”

“I’m certain,” Tyla said. “Besides, I explained to you how our magic works. It involves the use of patterns. There are some very simple things I can do without thought, like send out a blast of pure energy or throw up a shield, but healing magic is complex. My magic can make my own body heal quickly without the use of a spell, but it can’t do anything for yours.”

“Maybe you should get checked out,” Finch suggested.

“Why are doctors everyone’s answer to everything?” Malyn asked. “If it was healing bad, your answer would be doctor, but it’s healing fucking fantastically and somehow the answer is still doctor?”

“Don’t you want to know why?” Tyla asked.

“Why would a doctor know that?”

Finch tipped his head, acknowledging the point. “Fair. Just… show Adin when we get back. He knows about all sorts of things, magical and not, so he might have some insight.”

“Fine, but he better not try to guilt me into going to a hospital. I’m fine.”

“A little too fine for my liking. Stay in your weak little squishy human lane.”

“Okay. Soon as we get back, I’ll stab a fork around in my wound for a bit. Bring things back to where they’re meant to be in the healing process.”

“That’s all I ask.”