“For myblood.”
Peter had compelled the bank clerk to forget about that part of the proceedings.He’d almost compelled her to get some nicer art for her office too, but that would have been overreaching, and the post-modernist prints weren’t too bad if he didn’t look at them directly.
“You always give it freely, but that doesn’t mean it’s worthless.”
“And we need a joint account?”
“We live together.Of course we need a joint account.”
“To pay rent on the house I’m pretty sure you own?”
Peter shrugged.“For whatever may arise.”
Theodore let out a long breath, his eyes not wavering from the dotted line.
“I…” He rolled the pen in his fingers.“I don’t know what to do with this, Peter.”
Peter, still riding high from their morning together, put a hand on Theodore’s back.
“First of all, you sign it.And then it’ll just be there.”
“Like all the money you put in the account you tricked me into opening?”
Peter couldn’t stop himself from looking just a little smug, not even when Theodore gave him a grievous amount of side-eye.
“Like I said, it was for your blood.One must be compensated for the things one does.”
“This wasn’t how I thought this was going to go.”
Peter smiled.“Look on the bright side.This way, you’ll be able to fill out every part of the employment forms Celeste will no doubt have waiting for you once you get there.”
“You know what the worst part is?Everything you say almost makes sense.”
“Theodore, I love you.All of it makes sense.”
Theodore looked away from him, and all of a sudden, Peter wished for that side-eye back.After another heavy breath, Theodore signed his name, then went to the other pages and did the same.
“Done.”
Peter kissed his temple.“Wonderful.”
“Makes me want to run.Just so you know,” he whispered.
It was said like something so offhand that Peter could have easily ignored it, but he didn’t.He understood what Theodore meant because it spoke to everything Peter had feared since the moment Theodore had come into his life: That he would just vanish.That he would be too afraid to stay.That Peter would accidentally move too fast and scare him off.He was still very much afraid of that last part.
“Promise to come back or at least tell me where you go.”
“No point in running if I do that.”
Peter stroked Theodore’s back.“I know.But even so, do you think you can promise it?”
Theodore turned to him.“Yeah.Maybe.I’ll tell someone, okay?”
“Okay.Theodore?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
