No wind stirred the leaves of the trees surrounding the house. No neighbors tended to their gardens. Strangest of all, her car wasn't there.

Peering through the windows as he passed, he saw no signs of activity inside.

He hesitated, not sure he wanted the answer knocking on the door would provide.

And sure enough, nothing.

He looked through the glass, scouring the house's interior as if she would magically appear the second time.

Growing increasingly restless, he let out a deep sigh, and his phone was again back by his ear.

"Hey, Devin. Are you free? I was wondering if I could come over."

There was no immediate answer. Instead, another voice could be heard in the background. One that didn't match any of the people he knew Devin hung out with. Yet he still recognized it.

"Sure, man. As long as you're okay with Luca being there."

"Oh. Uh, yeah, that's fine."

They must have kept in contact. After Luca's abrupt dismissal at the bar, this could be another chance to get some answers.

"Get over here then." It was almost possible to hear the smile in his voice. That already made Theo feel a lot less tense.

“Hey. You sounded a bit distressed. Do you want to talk about it, or should we just do something fun?” Devin stood in the doorway, inviting him inside.

Theo was about to answer but stopped himself after Luca came into view.

“Sorry, uh, one second.”

He pushed past Devin, getting face-to-face with his guest.

"Hey, Luca."

"Mmh?"

"Could you… explain yourself already?"

His nose scrunched up in amusement.

"Ah, capable of at least some confrontation, are we? But what exactly do you want me to explain?"

"Everything. I mean, Marco."

"Just stay away from him."

Not exactly an answer. And something Theo couldn't possibly do that easily.

Devin was once again staying quiet.

"Unhelpful."

Luca's lips stretched out into a smile.

"What's unhelpful is your trust in him."

Still with the vagueness. It was all starting to get to Theo. That tense feeling from earlier returned in full force.

With his eyes locked on Luca, he spoke into the device his hand was getting very familiar with recently.

"Marco? … Yeah. As soon as you can. My place."

Luca's face dropped.

The call ended immediately after that.

"Don't.”

"Watch me."

Out Theo went, slamming the door behind him. It didn't feel good leaving Devin like that. But he was of no mind to turn back now.

At home, with little time to reflect, Theo's first thought was to apologize, as usual. However, his texts with Devin soon turned into a new plan to meet up.

Knocking came from the door, quite different from the one that still haunted him and threatened his sleep every night—a true nightmare.

Marco was quick. He expected a bit more time to himself.

Nonetheless, that meant he could finally bury those thoughts for now.

Opening the door for his late-night visitor, he was met with quite the disheveled sight. He clearly didn't waste time.

Just what Theo needed.

"Couldn't wait to see me again either? I knew your love was as stro—"

Cutting Marco off with his mouth, Theo deftly locked the door before shoving him against it.

Marco's eyes widened initially, but he closed them once Theo was in his hands.

This time, what was usually a natural part of Theo's encounters irked him. However, he didn't have it in him to do anything about it—not in the throes of desire and a need for escape.

One thing that stayed on his mind, however, was how Marco got here.

He never told him his address.

Theo was back in the old bar yet again after a much-needed break.

He'd like to think so, at least. Sitting in the dark corner, his foot tapped impatiently at the floor.

Devin wasn't here yet. He was always so punctual.

The extra minutes were bleeding into hours.

A quiet hum came from his pocket.

Taking the source out, Theo saw the last name he expected.

"Hey. Do you know if Devin is busy or something? He hasn't been returning my calls, messages, or anything."

That was the very last thing Theo wanted to hear.

"No… No, I don't know. We were meant to meet today, but…"

Luca didn't respond at first, and at that moment, Theo's eyes landed on an oddly familiar person sitting in the far corner of the room. Someone was just getting up from the couch in front of him.

"Are you okay, Theo?"

"Marco…?"

"Huh?"

"I think I see him. He was talking to someone."

"I'm begging you. You need to be direct with him. As soon as possible."

"... What if I talked to him now?"

"Wait. Where are you? I'll be there."

"The bar."

"Don't do anything until you see me."

Theo felt conflicted, but the genuine concern in Luca’s voice was swaying him.

"Fine. But hurry."

Time crawled by as he continued to wait for him. And for some reason, all Marco did the entire time was look at his phone. He hadn't looked up once since the other guy left.

That, however, changed in a split second when another man stormed in through the main entrance. His eyes widened, and the distraction was gone.

Luca spotted the two in their separate corners, beckoned Theo to him with his hand, then marched over to where Marco was sitting.

Theo followed him, nearly bumping into a few chairs along the way.

Once they got there, Marco stood up—desperate to even the power balance between them.

In the presence of those two, his so-called vigor was quick to dissipate. If they weren't intimidating enough on their own, this sudden tension was enough to make Theo shudder.

"Luca… You know, I've missed you quite a lot."

"Mhm. Sure, you have. Why don't you tell your 'good friend' here what you've been up to? I'd also really like to know myself."

"As unfriendly as ever. What, pray tell, could you be talking about?"

"Well, Theo? Answer him."

He almost forgot he was even there. The sudden attention on him made his hands shake, as they so often did.

"Uh—"

"Don't listen to him. You believe in me, don't you?"

"Stop. Just… tell me. Do you know anything about Devin? My mother? Silas? Did you… do something?"

Marco's eyes darted between Luca's intense gaze and the resigned Theo.

"Okay. Alright. I understand. How can you trust or love me if I'm not being honest with you? Maybe you'll even understand that I did it for you. For us."

The underlying unease he had felt with Marco recently was finally showing itself. No more veils. It made Theo shudder.

But Luca? He looked right at home.

"I talked to your brother. Told him to cut you off. Completely. Whatever else happened, I wouldn't know. Though, with the way he acted, I could only imagine."

Theo was stunned, unable to react. Even as Marco's hand gently cradled his cheek, his thumb tracing Theo's lower lip.

Luca couldn't bear to watch any longer. He grabbed Marco by the forearm, pushing him back.

"What else, asshole?"

He only spared Luca a single glance, keeping his eyes on his ‘beloved.'

"He was bad for you anyway. It was a quick, direct way for you to be done with him. But of course… Hanging out with your mother would also take away from our time. So I dealt with her. Little threats go a long way."

"'Little', huh? I doubt that." Luca cut in, knowing Theo couldn't respond at the moment.

"Shut it,” Marco snapped. “You mentioned Devin as well? Yeah, you're too close to someone considered a friend. So… I think you get it."

Theo didn't know how he'd ever be able to comment on that.

"My… My address… How?"

"I kept in contact with Silas afterward. He's a bit crazy, but I got some good information from him."

That's when Theo finally snapped back, on high alert.

"Yeah? Crazy? What about you? Did you hear anything you just said?"

Marco looked quite taken aback. As if Theo's reaction wasn't justifiable.

"But… You don't need those people, Theo."

"This is too much…"

Without looking back, Theo sprinted out of the building, knocking over a chair on his way out.

Tears formed in the corners of his eyes, quickly whisked away by the fresh air as he stepped outside. He needed to get away. There was no way he was ever opening those doors again.

Speaking of, he heard them swing open in the distance but paid it no mind.

According to his frazzled mind, the city's inner park was the best spot to think. It wasn't too large, but it tended to be quiet this late in the evening.

Soft, warm lights from nearby lampposts and surrounding buildings cast a golden glow, contrasting the moon's otherwise cold blue light.

The green leaves rustling in the wind above him, the distinct chirping of nocturnal birds, and even the flowing fountain in the middle of the park did nothing to soothe him.

His throat felt dry.

Sitting on one of the roughed-up, brown benches, Theo stared lifelessly at the spring water.

Footsteps drowned out the chirping, but Theo didn't react. The person said nothing. They just came closer and closer until the bench creaked beneath him.

"Are some of those sounds coming from owls…?" He didn't look away from the fountain.

"Could be. I've never listened to birds out here this late. I'm usually a few drinks down." A warm laugh, but a cautious one.

"Can I stay at your place tonight?"

The bench creaked again as the other man shifted beside him.

"I… Sure. Why—"

As Theo put a hand to his own ear, Luca went quiet.

"I don't know if you expected anything else, but it's over, Marco. Stay away from me."

Hanging up, he turned to face Luca. He was smiling, likely pleased by the reference to his own words.

"I don't feel safe at my apartment right now. So…"

The smile didn't last long.

"Right. Let's go. Is there anything you need to get from your place, though?"

Briar.

"Wait, yes. I need to go get my cat first. And his food. His cage. Toys."

He wasn't even trying to hide his concern for that animal. It made Luca's lips curve up just a bit again.

"Oh no, am I first now learning you're some crazy cat person? Can I bail on this?”

"Fuck you."

"Ooh, there's the aggression I've been searching for."

With a quick glare Luca's way, Theo's up from the bench and raring to go.

He could figure out how to get this nightmare over with later. For now, hiding was his highest priority.