[Bob the hobo] A Celestial Wars Spin-Off Part 1266

PART TWELVE-HUNDRED-AND-SIXTY-SIX

[Previous Chapter] [The Beginning]

Thursday

I might not have been allowed to talk, but that didn’t stop me from thinking nonstop about it for the next two hours. Someone else around us was family. Someone close enough for me to feel a connection with. Angelo was still at the top of my suspect list, even if he had died and lost his divinity before anyone knew about it.

Of course, the same alcohol issues Boyd had could be applied tenfold to Angelo, back when he was partying hard every night and convincing himself he was dying every morning. The problem was, if I crossed him off my ‘not it’ list, that only left…Lucas.

And Lucas couldn’t be, simply because there were similarities across his whole family. He, Levi and Maverick were definitely Coach D’s kids, and even though the other three grew longer and skinnier like their mom, other similarities between all of them were right there. They would’ve all had to be hybrids, and that many was just ridiculous.

Unless that wasn’t what he really looked like. I mean, if he was a shifter like Robbie, he could’ve subconsciously made himself look the part to fit in with his family. And he did go from a career-ending injury to fighting fit literally. And Robbie knew him as kids. What if…what if that whole family being subconsciously drawn to each other thing started way back then?

But that would mean Coach D’s wife had an affair, and I’d known her for three years. Granted, one never truly knew anyone, but I’d never seen two people more in love than Coach and Mrs D. They never even argued.

For the same reason, when I expanded my possibilities list to include Charlie, I wrote her off too. I mean, I suppose an argument could be made that she had the model looks that Dad’s family were renowned for, but she was also in a relationship with Robbie, and I couldn’t see them tolerating that if they knew.

Which left…no one. That was literally it. I had run out of options.

Just in case I’d imagined it, I went back into my memory and replayed exactly what I’d heard Lady Col say through our telepathic communication. It was fuzzy, but there was no mistaking the S at the end of cousinS.

So, who was it?!

Something nudged my calf sharply to the left, and my whole body lurched forward since at some point I’d been resting my elbow on my knee and my head on that hand like that French thinker statue. When I straightened up, all three of them were watching me.

“Earth to whatever planet you were on,” Robbie said from where he sat beside Boyd. With only two couches in the room, I’d ended up in the closest seat to Boyd’s workshop, along the side wall. Larry was next to me, on the side closest to them.

“What?” I asked, having spaced out completely.

“You’re doing some heavy-duty thinking over there, little man,” Boyd said with amusement. “What’s on your mind?”

“Lady Col and I had a conversation outside, and I’m still trying to make sense of it,” I admitted, without going into the specifics.

“You could be there a while,” Larry said with a chuckle, stretching his legs out in front of him.

“Why don’t you tell us what she said?” Robbie suggested, tilting his head to one side in anticipation of my agreement. “Then we can brainstorm together,”

Problem was, I wasn’t allowed to. I huffed out a long, tired breath. “I wish I could, but she told me not to.”

“Does it involve us?” Boyd asked, sitting up straighter in his seat.

Doing an end run around not speaking about the subject had me wondering if his fiancé’s detective interrogation methods had started to rub off on him. “I don’t know,” I replied, for at least that was honest. “It’s a whole lot of maybes and hypotheticals, and I was told very specifically not to talk about it with anyone else because it would happen when it was meant to happen.”

“Then you’d better shut up,” Larry said, laying his arm across the back of the sofa behind my head.

My dad may not have been around growing up, but I recognised that move from other dads and pulled away from his hand. “Don’t even think about clocking me in the back of the head, turkey,” I warned with a scowl.

“I was just getting comfortable.”

Liar. But at least his knowing grin made a mockery of that claim. I glanced at the other two, who were still way too focused on me. “Thanks, but I’ll figure it out on my own.” Eventually.

“Hey,” Larry said, tensing in his seat. His eyes were locked on the bathroom door ahead of the hallway, but I got the distinct impression he wasn’t really looking at the door. “Looks like Lucas is up, and from the looks of things, he’s already dressed for work.”

Boyd’s head snapped toward the clock. Four a.m. Although we’d been chatting for a couple of hours, it was still way too early for Lucas to be on the move.

“Shit,” Boyd snapped, lunging to his feet. Robbie was a hair faster, and as they both rushed for the front door, Robbie slapped his hand on Boyd’s back and the pair disappeared into the celestial realm.

The moment they were gone, Larry’s friendly expression fell away as he twisted in his seat to give me his undivided attention, and I rolled my eyes, because that play had been about as subtle as a tsunami.

* * *

Lucas suspected that when he’d set his alarm for three forty-five, Boyd wouldn’t be in bed with him. He’d already spoken to Larry and Robbie about it when Boyd wasn’t around — where one had assured him it was nothing to worry about and the other promised to keep an eye on it and make sure Boyd took naps if he needed them.

Still, it saddened him to wake up and find his beloved gone. Especially when he ran his hand over the indentation and found no warmth at all, meaning Boyd had been gone a while. Probably most of the night.

And it didn’t take a genius to figure out where he’d gone either. Although he didn’t want to worry his fiancé, Lucas was leaning towards Dr. Kearns’ fixation theory, but he had so much else on his plate right now that he either had to delegate it or combust.

Despite showering last night, Lucas took another quick one to properly wake himself up, then headed into the dressing room to get changed for the day. He had never been so grateful for Robbie’s housekeeping and sense of style, for the matching suits and shirts were hung together, each with the corresponding tie already looped around the hanger’s neck.

Back in the day, it had been so much easier to roll out of bed and throw on any one of the five dress uniforms that he’d worn any other day before. But that was the only downside of being a detective, and one he would happily live with.

A couple of minutes later, still carrying his jacket, he strode out of the dressing room and headed for his bedside table. He draped the jacket over his pillow and opened the gun safe. One firearm went into the holster beneath his arm, the other at his ankle. Then came the jacket — and everything else he needed — ending with the badge clipped to his belt.

Just as he walked around the base of the bed, the bedroom door flew open, and Boyd rushed in. He skidded to a halt and looked him over. “You’re going in early to work?” he asked, frowning in concern.

I’m running on less than five hours sleep, and you think I’m up for doing another crazy workout? Lucas thought incredulously to himself. But rather than start an argument that would veer back into Boyd’s lack of sleep, he moved into his fiancé’s space to cuddle the man. “I need to stop in on the 9th on my way to picking Pepper up,” he said, after pulling back to look up at him. “I would’ve come in to say goodbye before I left.”

Boyd dropped his head and kissed him. And despite melting into the moment, the detective in Lucas couldn’t help but notice there was no lingering morning breath on the man’s tongue. Another red flag that he’d been up much longer than he should’ve been. “Are you going to go to bed soon?” he asked, staring into his fiance’s baby blue eyes.

Boyd closed his mouth and nodded. “Soon. I was next door, talking to the guys.”

That part surprised him. “Not working?”

One side of Boyd’s lips twitched. “No, Detective. I stopped working around one when Robbie came over because … hey, did you hear about Mason?”

Lucas tensed, not sure if he wanted to hear anything else given the unlikely possibility that it would be good news. He then chastised himself because, regardless of the reason, of course, he wanted to know. Facts were what he was all about. “No, but you might as well tell me. You know I’ll only worry if you don’t.”

By the time Boyd filled him in, Lucas wished he’d gone with his initial instinct of ignorance. That, or be given five minutes alone with one of Tony’s men without his badge (since the pryde had taken care of his most recent attackers). “When is that guy going to catch a break?” he muttered, fists clenched.

Boyd tucked him into another hug. “I know, love. I wish there were something we could do, but it’s all being done. The rest is just a matter of ‘hurry up and wait’.”

Lucas gave him a squeeze and then pulled away. “I’ve got time to grab some breakfast, but whatever you eat has to be light enough not to give you a stomach-ache since you said you’re going to bed very soon, right?” He arched an eyebrow sharply in challenge.

And Boyd popped him on the ass in return. “Don’t be Robbie-ing me, mister,” he smirked, pushing him towards the bedroom door.

With Lucas being in front, he jammed both hands against the door frame and locked his arms at the elbow, pushing back against the giant behind him. “What was that?” he asked playfully over his shoulder.

“Fine. I’m going to bed just as soon as I see you off. Happy?”

Lucas went up onto his toes and gave Boyd’s chin a chaste kiss. “You know I only do it because I love you … and if our roles were reversed, you’d be lying on top of me until I fell asleep.”

Boyd captured his wrists and peeled his fingers from the door, using his chest to push Lucas through the opening and down the hall. “True that.”’

Out in the kitchen, Robbie was already throwing together breakfast and lunch.

* * *

((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I’d love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))

I made a family tree/diagram of the Mystallian family that can be found here

For more of my work, including WPs: r/Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.

FULL INDEX OF BOB THE HOBO TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!