He had done none of him justice.
He reached out with shaky fingers to brush a lock of hair back inside his hood, fingers brushing a material that instantly gave him déjà vu.
It can’t be…
Teddy reached over to his bedside table and found the switch to the lamp, setting it on dim. Amber light filled the room and Teddy fell on his ass at the sight of his old hoodie.
Wren was here in his bed. And Wren was wearing it.
Teddy didn’t know what that meant… No, he didn’tdarethink about what that meant.
He could already feel the quicksand up to his neck, sucking him back down.
A curious chirp made its way into his panic-filled brain, and he blinked down at the light weight that fluttered to perch on his knee.
He knew this face as well. “B-Blu?” he whispered.
“Teddy,” was chirped back with a small hop, like he was ecstatic to talk to him after all this time apart.
“You remember me,” Teddy choked.
“You helped rescue him. Of course he remembers you,” a soft voice mumbled from the sheets.
Teddy’s wet gaze moved up to meet Wren’s hooded one. He looked exhausted still, but his gaze was sharp.
“I saw him with you during Hart’s case, and at the PUMA station.” Teddy was desperate to just keep talking about something that didn’t drive them further apart. “But I wasn’t sure…”
“It’s him,” Wren confirmed. “He wouldn’t be talking to you if it wasn’t. You were the only other person he was allowed to talk in front of.”
Teddy swallowed and nodded, reliving those days of danger and adrenaline. Wren’s righteous anger and determination to save every creature Nexus brought in for demonstrations and practical use. The rage and frustration of their instructors as animals went missing consistently. Teddy had seen what Nexus was doing in a whole new light thanks to Wren.
He found himself smiling slightly. “Our most daring escapade.”
The corners of Wren’s mouth turned up as well. “But we got away with it.”
Teddy smothered his instinctual flinch, feeling a phantom ache in his shoulder. He smiled again, looking down at Blu, who was everything to Wren. “It was worth it.”
Everything was worth that look of relief in Wren’s eyes. The happiness Wren felt at making a difference. It was one of the main reasons he had fallen for Wren so hard and hadn’t found a way back yet. His goodness shone brighter than the mark around his eye.
Not wanting to break the moment but needing to know, he met Wren’s gaze again. “You’re here.”
Wren pushed himself up on his arms, looking reluctant and like it pained him. Teddy wanted to soothe him immediately.
“I have some information about the case,” Wren said. “Which I could have sent you over and not driven all the way here.”
Teddy heard the unspoken question Wren wanted him to ask, reading the intent and expectation in his eyes as he dared him to do it. Mouth dry, Teddy spoke. “So why did you?”
Wren held eye contact bravely. “Because I want to talk about it.”
Teddy’s heart pounded and his vision swam. “The letters?”
“All of it,” Wren whispered. “Without me running away.”
“You needed space to process—”
“And you needed to talk it out.”
Teddy looked down at the floor, feeling guilt squirm in his stomach. “I was the one who left…”
