Henry’s eyes widened, brows shooting up in surprise. “Like…the him?”

“Yes, the him! Who the fuck else…” Aden retorted sourly before he realized he was being a dick. “….sorry,” he mumbled, sipping at his drink.

“Dammit, Henry,” Callie snipped, seeing Aden slumped over the bar. “I told you to not let him get another! Who did you even order it from?”

Aden struggled to sit up before saying, “What do you mean? You didn’t…” Aden looked at his friend and felt his lips fall in a frown. “…you…let someone else make my drink?”

Henry’s laugh was loud enough to startle Aden and Callie, though the latter soon joined in.

“Oh, love,” Callie giggled, “why do you sound so sad?”

Aden felt the embarrassment creeping over his expression. “I-I just…I trust you-I know you know how I-I know you look after me…a-and, well, I don’t know! Okay?! I just—”

Callie gently took Aden’s face in her hands. “Oh, honey,” she reiterated with a softer yet more serious tone, “what has you so distressed?”

Her warm eyes were like a hammer that shattered the dam in Aden’s heart. Everything spilled out like a pipe had burst. “I-I spent so long, so long, telling myself that-that he’d lead a happier life. Without me, because…well, things. Complicated things.” Telling her about the phoenix and its incarnates was pointless. It’d only make him seem like a madder man than he already was.

“Sure,” Callie nodded, moving her hands to Aden’s shoulders.

“B-b-but now…now I don’t know, Callie,” Aden said, a mangled sob escaping his lips. “He was so…so hurt. He must have been in-in so much p-pain and he—oh my god, the drugs!” Even thinking of their evidence riding atop Logan’s veins had him nauseous, but he continued brokenly, “I…I did that to him. I could have…protected him. No…I should have. I can’t believe I was such an—”

“Whoaa, whoa, Aden,” she interrupted just as Henry’s hand clasped Aden’s shoulders. “Who are you talkin’ about, sweetheart?”

“Logan,” Aden said without hesitation. He liked saying that name. It…relaxed him.

“So, it is him, then. Lad…I’m so sorry, but—”

“I’m confused,” Callie interjected. “If Logan is who I remember you talking about, didn’t your mother throw him out? I thought it had nothing to do with you. You were still a teen when he was taken.”

“Yeah…” Aden agreed forlornly, “But I-I s-stopped looking. I…I thought-he should have been better. He…he should have found peace and love and everything he fucking deserves but because of my dumb ass he’s suffered for who FUCKING know how long and I don’t—no, I can’t—”

Aden’s drunken rambling came to an abrupt halt as Callie threw herself over the bar so that her arms wrapped around Aden’s stiff shoulders. “Aden, baby,” she murmured into his ear, “stop talking about yourself like that. You didn’t-it wasn’t your fault. You were a kid, for Christ’s sake.”

“Lass’ right,” Henry added, slinging an arm around his friend. “But, Aden, you don’t act like this for no reason. What happened?”

Aden didn’t want to tell them. He didn’t want his brain to string along words that came with the memories of Logan’s battered form. “Some guys were-I think he’s been…prostituting…to make ends meet.”

There were identically sharp gasps but Aden forged forward.

“I-I mean, I can’t judge him. I-I don’t even think I can say I know him at this point. But they were just…so violent. I can’t believe-I don’t know how he was still fucking conscious when I got to him.” Aden paused, looked at his drink, and took a heavy sip before anyone could stop him.

Henry snorted and Callie reached for the glass.

“I…I need more,” Aden whispered.

Callie and Henry shared a look of concern.

“You don’t need more alcohol in your blood,” Henry said with a comforting squeeze. “I think it may be time to head home.”

“I agree. This conversation seemed to take a lot outta ya, and I think it’s time to call it a day,” Callie affirmed.

Aden must have missed the conversation she seemed to think they’d had considering he hadn’t even told them about the nights he was kept up by Logan’s piercing cries, or the towels he stained every day when Logan’s wounds reopened. And he hadn’t told them about the way Logan just…left. All that pain and agony evaporated by a terror so strong that it kept Logan running on a severely sprained ankle with an impossible ability to outmaneuver someone nearly twice his size.

But Logan had done it. Disappeared like a fog breaking in the daylight, and Aden knew that’s where all the brokeness came from. Logan wasn’t shocked about his physical state of being; he had already been honed to it. Sharpened by years of misfortune and abandonment. So adept was he at tolerating the pain, Logan took his fall with enough momentum to drive him to his feet once more, his ability to ignore the reopened gash atop his head frightening.

What caused Logan to run wasn’t his pain or his confusion or even the anger Aden had fully expected to be met with. It was fear. Daunting, unrelenting horror brought about by someone Logan had once trusted with every fiber of his being.

No. Aden didn’t say any of that. He just let it well up in him, knowing it would only fester and worsen but unwilling to do anything about it. Especially as sober as he was.

Instead, he nodded and waited patiently for Henry to pay their tab. Followed quietly as Henry lead them both to his truck, and barely made a sound when he tripped down the last step. Aden hadn’t even realized he was buckled into a seat when Henry spoke up.

“You still want to smoke? Have anything else you’d like to, uh…get off your chest?” he whispered.

But Aden didn’t reply; he couldn’t.

He’s panicked, and frustrated, the bird cooed, but he is well.

Aden didn’t realize how much he needed to hear that until the words were spoken. He silently cursed that they were delivered by a voice he despised but…it brought relief knowing that if anything terrible were to happen to Logan, the bird would know about it in that same breath.

…No quick clips tonight, it seems?

Aden quietly shook his head, completely incapable of anything resembling a retort.

“Sure thing, lad. Take all the time you need,” Henry responded to the subtle movement, his voice fading with Aden’s consciousness.

Spun Like a Yarn and Mangled