Finn shifted at that, fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt. Maurice caught it instantly and hated that Caleb caught it too.
“I wasn’t trying to interrupt,” Maurice said. He didn’t bother pretending he wasn’t here for Finn; subtlety had never been his strong suit. “Just checking in.”
Caleb snorted. “Yeah, you’ve been doing a lot of that lately.”
Finn’s eyes flicked between them, wide and overwhelmed. Conflict made him fold in on himself, and right now he was practically disappearing.
Maurice softened his voice. “Finn. You okay?”
Finn nodded too fast. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
He wasn’t. Maurice could hear it in the thinness of his voice, see it in the way he leaned away from Caleb’s space.
Caleb rolled his eyes. “See? He’s fine. We were talking.”
Maurice let the moment breathe, then angled his body slightly toward Finn, giving him space but making it clear who he was here for.
He didn’t push. Didn’t crowd. Just stood there, solid and unbothered, until Finn’s shoulders eased again. Caleb noticed. And he didn’t like it.
Caleb stepped in before Finn could speak. “You can’t just swoop in every time you feel like it. Some of us actually wait our turn.”
Maurice finally looked at him, expression neutral. “Didn’t realize there was a queue.”
Caleb scoffed. “There should be. Might stop people like you from acting like you own the place.”
Finn winced at that—small, but enough. Something hot and protective flared in Maurice’s chest. Not anger. Just a line he didn’t like crossed.
“I don’t own anything,” Maurice said, voice low but precise. “I’m here to see Finn. That’s all.”
Caleb’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah, we all know.”
Finn stepped forward then, just enough that his shoulder brushed Maurice’s arm. “Caleb… it’s fine. Really.”
Caleb looked between them, jaw tightening. “Is it? Because it doesn’t look fine.”
Maurice could feel Finn’s discomfort rising again. He didn’t want him stuck in the middle of a pissing match he never asked for.
So Maurice gentled his tone. “Finn, if you want me to go, I’ll go. Just say it.”
Finn shook his head immediately. “No. Stay.”
Caleb saw it. And it hit him like a slap. He let out a sharp breath through his nose. “Right. Well. I guess that’s my cue.”
Finn looked guilty, but Caleb didn’t give him a chance to say anything before turning away.
He straightened his jacket, muttered something under his breath, and walked off toward the next car, shoulders stiff.
Maurice watched him go, then turned back to Finn.
Finn looked up at him, cheeks a little pink, eyes a little wide as if he wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden quiet now that Caleb was gone.
Maurice kept his voice gentle. “Are you okay?”
Finn nodded, but it was the kind of nod that meant barely. “Yeah. I just… didn’t expect all that.”
Maurice exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain from his shoulders. “Me neither.”
The train hummed beneath them at a steady pace, and for a moment the whole car had gone still with just the two of them standing there, trying to figure out what came next. Maurice let his fingers drift along the side of Finn’s hand, a quiet invitation rather than a grab.
