[Bob the hobo] A Celestial Wars Spin-Off Part 0150

PART ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY

Whoever coined the phrase ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach’ definitely had Llyr Nascerdios in mind. Robbie was convinced of it. Or maybe it was the fact that Ivy had finally lost the last of her reservations about him and the three of them had chatted while Llyr ate his breakfast.

Robbie may have started the conversation by asking about the first time they actually met, but it opened a floodgate of communication as they both had different points in time when they first noticed the other. Llyr had the distinct advantage of revisiting his memories to get the details exactly right, but after being a little too blatant about it, Ivy slapped him in the bicep for cheating and banned him from doing it for the rest of the day. As it so happened, Ivy’s memories were just as strong, and the more they reminisced without Llyr’s absolute authority on the matter, the more at ease they became. They even laughed as minor details were brought to light about different people they both knew.

After a while, Robbie felt like a third wheel and excused himself to feed his fish. “Have you seen him do this?” Ivy asked, patting Llyr’s wrist and pointing to where Robbie had pulled a shot glass out of the cupboard and had moved to the fish tank.

“Do what?’ Llyr asked.

“I don’t waste any fish food,” Robbie answered, scooping the shot glass through the water.

“He gets it exact,” Ivy insisted. “No waste.”

“He’s a culinary specialist, the way I’m a water specialist, babe,” Llyr said, by way of explanation.

“Oh, I know. He told me just before …”

Robbie’s phone ringing alongside the kettle cut Ivy off. But rather than walk across the two rooms, Robbie realm-stepped from the fish tank to the bench beside the oven and grabbed up his phone. Two steps. The number on the screen wasn’t one he recognised. “Hello?” he asked before it rang a third time.

“Robbie, it’s Daniel Nascerdios. Are you free to talk?”

Robbie turned to look at Llyr and Ivy. The latter was glaring daggers at him, while the former was doing his best to keep his laughter from bursting past his lips. Having a fair idea what Miss W’s problem was, he cradled the phone on his shoulder and went to the freezer, effectively putting his back to her. “Sure. What’s up?” he asked, removing a pack of LRS Fish Frenzy. After lengthening his thumb and forefinger nails into inch-long, razor-sharp claws, he carved a half-inch chunk from the frozen brick and returned the rest to the freezer. Shifting was so natural to him now. He then dropped the piece into the shot glass of fish tank water to defrost and headed back to the kitchen island.

“Mason’s awake.”

Robbie froze; the shot glass slipping through his fingers to shatter on the marble-tiled floor. “What?”

“Robbie?” Both Llyr and Ivy started to converge on him, but he held his hand up to stop them.

It wasn’t bad news. It was good news. The best news! News he’d been waiting a month to hear! Tears of relief welled in his eyes until he wiped them away impatiently. “Mason’s awake,” he said, more so Llyr and Ivy would know what was going on than because he doubted the detective.

“Yes, and Lucas seems to think he will be more comfortable if you were there to support him while he gave his accounting of events. The only thing is, you can’t help him or answer anything for him. I need to hear it from him, no matter how painful. Can you do that?”

“Easily,” he nodded, even though he knew the detective wouldn’t see him doing it. “I can realm-step and be there in half a second, man.”

“Good. Count out forty seconds once I hang up. I’ll get into position in his room and keep his attention away from the window. You can step in from over there.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

As soon as he hung up, Ivy was all over him. “You realm-stepped from one side of the room to the other, you lazy shit!” she shouted, breaking her cardinal rule about swearing.

Thirty-seven … thirty-six … Robbie glanced at Llyr for support and found the ocean lord leaning his hip against the island beside her, with one arm folded across his chest while he traced the bottom half of his broad grin with slow, leisurely strokes of his thumb and forefinger. His eyes danced in merriment.

So much for his support. Thirty-three … thirty-two …

“If I ever catch you doing that again, I’ll kick your backside through your teeth, Robert O’Hara!”

She came around the island to get properly into Robbie’s grille, only to have his hand shoot out to stop her. Twenty-seven … twenty-six … “Careful! Broken glass, Miss W!”

“Don’t you be changing the subject, young man! God gave you two legs and the muscles to use them!” Llyr had followed her around the island, and at Robbie’s warning, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him, keeping her bare feet away from the glass.

Robbie deliberately paused and twisted his neck to mimic a striking snake, quirking his eyebrow silently at her. Twenty-two … twenty-one …

“Well, you know what I mean!” she said, not losing a second of steam in her rant. “Don’t you be teleporting back and forth all over this apartment like you’re some blasted comic-book character. I swear, if Sam picks up that bad habit …”

“We’ll stop him,” Llyr said wholeheartedly, giving her a quick squeeze of reassurance.

…twelve … eleven … “Llyr, do you know how to feed the fish?”

“No,” Llyr answered. “If I was back home I could sort something out easily enough, but not here.”

“I remember,” Ivy said. “Shot glass of fish tank water. Square of frozen food thawed out in it. Stir it up with a meat skewer to break it all up. Sprinkle it in two batches across the top. The Banggai cardinalfish need to have theirs dropped right in front of them.”

… one … now!

“You’re a life-saver, Miss W. Could you do that for me? Mason needs me, and I might not get back for hours.”

“Go,” Llyr waved him off.

Robbie raised his right hand in a light-hearted salute and stepped away. He was in Mason’s hospital room beside the window by the time he dropped his hand.

“You’re Lucas’ boss?” Mason asked from the bed, facing the door on the other side of the room.

“He sure is,” Robbie said, coming to join Mason on this side of the bed.

“ROBBIE!”

Robbie slid his hand through Mason’s outstretched one and clamped his fingers around the younger man’s wrist. Then it was a matter of who hauled who into a back-breaking embrace. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, little buddy,” Robbie commanded, clinging tightly to him. “I swear, I’ll kill you myself if you do.” He pushed Mason to arm’s length and looked him over.

A few bruises here and there on his arms with a particularly nasty one just starting to peek through his pyjama shirt over one shoulder. “How do you feel, kiddo?”

“Weird,” Mason said, scratching his eyebrow. “I mean I know what was done to me, and I know it only happened a month ago. Every piece of medical training in me is calling bullshit, but I don’t know why I’m complaining.”

“Because you’re an idiot,” Robbie answered, not wanting to delve into Lady Col’s mastery of shapeshifting that dumped all over everyone else’s. Everyone’s except her grandfather, Lord Belial … and that was one nasty trucker Robbie NEVER wanted to cross paths with. Ever! He incited fear everywhere for a reason.

Twisting to face Detective Nascerdios, Robbie perched one thigh on the edge of the bed. “Scoot over, pal,” he said, flexing his fingers in a shooing motion.

Mason immediately made room for him, waiting just long enough for Robbie to make himself comfortable before leaning back against the left side of Robbie’s chest.

Robbie reached around Mason’s shoulders from behind with one hand, holding him by the shoulder to let him know he wasn’t alone no matter what he was asked; even going as far as to give that shoulder a quick squeeze to convey that sentiment.

It was then that he noticed the way Detective duckhead was looking at them and knew he was reading way too much into the familiarity Robbie shared with his roommates.

The middle finger he wanted to roll off Mason’s shoulder would've said as much too. Except all his fingers rolled with it and he looked as if he were giving Daniel a British royal wave instead of the bird. Rats.

He didn't care.

His roommates were his brothers from other mothers.

They were close, but not like that.

That was all she wrote.

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PART ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE

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

For more of my work including previous parts or WPs: r/Angel466 or indexed here

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