Atlas snickered because he couldn’t help it. “You must have heard that on television.”
“Yes. People are weird. And what is a noogie and why would someone want one?”
Atlas drew close and wrapped Bazel in his arms, rubbing his knuckles over his head, albeit gently. “That is a noogie, and no one wants one. It’s something bullies and mean people do. Now, come on back and let’s finish the amazing dinner you made before it gets cold.” And his part of the bargain was to find a topic of conversation that was lighter and not fraught with emotional pitfalls.
Bazel returned to the table and ate a little more while Atlas finished his dinner. Once they were through, he packed up what was left and put it in the fridge. Then he did the dishes, telling Bazel to sit in the living room and relax. He had cooked, so Atlas would do the dishes. It was only fair, even if every pan in the house was dirty.
“What are you watching?” Atlas asked once he was done and found Bazel enthralled in a show on television. “Oh, the oldHighlanderseries. I watched this when I was a kid. It’s pretty good.” And Adrian Paul was hot.
“Is this real?”
“No. It’s fantasy. A made-up story just for fun. Are you liking it?”
“Yes. I like the action parts and the swords. It’s cool.” Then he grinned. Atlas wasn’t sure he would ever get used to Bazel using semi-current lingo and reminded himself not to let him watch any rap videos. The guy soaked up language like a sponge, and the last thing he wanted was for him to start talking like Bunny D or something.
They settled in to watch for a while, and by the time Duncan had defeated the bad immortal, Atlas was yawning and Bazel seemed half asleep, using Evie as a pillow. Regardless of what Bazel might say, this felt as close to a family as Atlas had experienced in years.
ATLAS STRETCHEDand rolled onto his side, encountering Bazel’s warmth next to him. At one point, Bazel had woke up yelling, and Atlas offered him part of his bed. From then on, he had slept like a log and Bazel had barely moved. He had to go to work, though Atlas wished he could stay in bed. But he carefully got up, grabbed his uniform from the closet, and left to clean up and get dressed.
He ate quickly before getting Evie ready and locking the house on his way out. He had some time booked at the range this morning, and he wanted to get there in time so he didn’t miss his slot. Once he arrived, he left Evie in the air-conditioned car and went inside, checked in, and got into position before squeezing off a set of rounds.
“What’s with you?” Red, a fellow officer, asked from the booth next to his. “You usually do better than that.” He had hit the target each time, but his pattern was usually tighter. “Got something on your mind? Or someone?” He took his turn and ended up with the kind of pattern Atlas usually had.
“Don’t know.” He reloaded and cleared his mind, squeezing off his shots. “That’s better.” He set the gun down and pulled off his ear protection. “I keep thinking about….”
“Bazel. The guy staying with you?” Red stepped back, and Atlas did the same. “You got to give yourself a break. If you like the guy, then good on you. Being alone sucks, and liking someone but holding yourself back sucks even more.”
“Tell me about it. The guy has nightmares and has been sleeping in my bed for the past few nights. And it’s driving me crazy. I think about him all the damned time. And it’s all so innocent with him. He’s been through a lot, and I’m not going pressure him, but I wake up next to him and….”
“Everything shifts into overdrive and you have to somehow get the engine cooled down.”
“Exactly. Maybe instead of the gun range, I should sign up for one of the martial arts classes and take my frustrations out that way.” Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea. He was fully trained and had earned a black belt years ago, so some training would hone his skills, and he could work out these feelings he didn’t seem to know what to do with. It was a good idea for him to refresh his skills anyway.
“You could just talk to the guy about it. Sometimes that actually works, you know.”
Atlas sighed. “I get that. But sometimes I wonder how much Bazel understands. He’s smart, but I worry about language and if he truly understands all the time.”
Red patted his shoulder. “You know that means you really care for him, so I think one way or the other, things will work out. Now let’s kill some targets.” He put his ear protection back on. Atlas did the same, and they shot off some more rounds, their session turning into a competition with Red’s shooting really on point.
ATLAS PICKEDup his phone through the car an hour before the end of his shift.
“Atlas, help.”
“Bazel, where are you?” he asked, flipping on his lights.
“I not know. I being chased and I scared… really scared.” He sounded it. Lately Bazel had been growing confident enough to leave the house on his own.
“Is there a street sign?” Wind whistled through Bazel’s phone, and Atlas heard yelling from behind him. “What does it say?”
“One says F, the other College. I keep running.” The call ended, and Atlas took off as he called in, reporting what was happening as he flew through the intersections.
“Close your ears, girl,” he told Evie and flipped on the siren. She lay down, pressing to the seat as he raced to that section of town, the siren screaming the entire time. As he came up on B Street, he saw a group of men and then Bazel against a wall. He pulled right up, keeping the lights going as he raced out of the car, calling for backup.
“Stop,” he heard Bazel say over the yells.
“I’m glad you’re here. He stole my wallet,” a man said.
“I not steal nothing. You lie,” Bazel protested. “They call me names and say they going to send me back where I come. Then they throw things at me, and I run.”
