Tonka spotted Elliot first, waving him over. He had just gotten to the diner himself. Skoll might have told him where he could find Elliot every day at lunch. The diner was only a few blocks from his office. 

Elliot slid into the other side of the booth. It wasn't till the man told him to breathe that he realized he had been holding his breath. 

"I'm Tonka." Said Tonka, placing his hand over his chest. 

"Elliot." 

"I know." Tonka smiled, as the waitress walked over. "I'll just have a coffee." He motioned towards Elliot. An Elliot who no longer had an appetite. "He'll take a coffee too." Answered Tonka while Elliot sat there still puzzled. 

Elliot wasn't sure where his words went. 

"Relax." Tonka leaned back, "I don't bite." Not usually at least. "Skoll told me I could find you here." 

"And you are what to him?" Elliot found his voice though more timid than normal. 

"I'm many things but for this conversation we can say a concerned friend." 

Elliot was getting more than just a concerned friend from the man. He held this sense of power and authority that demanded attention.  

"Skoll was pretty shaken up the other day. He thought you might have been the cause of our little visit." Skoll was more than shaken up when he came to him after the cops left and told him that he trusted someone with his secret and was fuming from the ears at the thought he fucked his whole pack over. 

Elliot leaned up to speak but Tonka waved him off, "He told me that you didn't say anything and I'm inclined to believe him but I wanted to meet you myself to see." Tonka smiled again as their coffees were brought over. "He's honestly still pretty pissed off at the whole thing."

"He has a temper." The two of them said at the same time. 

Tonka laughed, nodding his head. "That he does. I like to see it as more of a passion. He feels harder than he lets on. Hell, he probably feels more than most people do." 

Elliot could believe that. Skoll walled himself up but that didn't stop the hits from coming. Elliot was pretty sure he was one of the main reasons Skoll had those walls. They had met years ago when Skoll was court ordered to see him for therapy as part of some bind he got into. It was either therapy or jail. Skoll would have gladly taken the jail time but the judge felt therapy was the better option for him. Skoll was sure his parents had a say in that. They couldn't have a son in jail, but therapy. He was young and had a chip on his shoulder, acting out getting into trouble over dumb shit. Talking about his feelings was better than him hardening even more while in jail and never dealing with them. 

They didn't get very far in their session's at all. Skoll never opened up to him. He hated to admit it but the huge sexual tension between them was a pretty clear indicator that things weren't going to get solved in any sessions. He should have sent Skoll to see someone else but he couldn't bring himself too. Elliot let himself think more with his dick when he signed off on the sessions to please the courts. The ink had barely dried before Skoll had Elliot bent over his desk. 

Elliot stirred the pound of sugar he poured into his coffee. "Think he'll ever talk to me again?" 

Tonka huffed then laughed. Elliot didn't see anything funny about his question. It was a real concern on his part. Skoll had never ignored a single call from him before let alone several. Skoll was better at being there for him than he was. 

"I know you're new to all of this . . . but Skoll's not going anywhere even if he wanted to." 

Elliot arched his brow, "Sorry?" 

Tonka rubbed the back of his neck. It really wasn't his place to say anything but he knew Skoll and he would never say anything. "To put it simply, Skoll loves you so he has no choice." 

Elliot shouldn't have been shocked by that information but he was nearly choking on his coffee as he swallowed. He knew Skoll liked him and wanted more from him but to love him. To be in love with him. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. 

"Wait, what do you mean by 'has no choice'?" 

"Well, 'we' tend to only have one person, a mate. And we mate for life." 

Skoll had unknowingly fallen into the protector role. Since Elliot told him there could never be anything serious between them he took what he could get to keep Elliot in his life. He watched him from afar and came running when Elliot called. So to think for even a moment that Elliot would cross him like that really broke him. 

Tonka wasn't ready for the slew of questions that came but he had already let the cat out of the bag, so he did his best to answer them. He was sure Skoll would tear him a new one if he ever found out that he told Elliot any of this but honestly he felt Skoll needed a push. He had been in a grey area for so long. 

Tonka wasn't blind he knew when Elliot was and wasn't around. The two of them caught in this endless dance over the years never seeming to get anywhere. When Elliot was around Skoll was move level headed, calm even. He prefered Skoll more when Elliot was around. It made things so much easier for everyone.