I can hear his muffled breathing as I slowly walk closer, not wanting to startle him. I stop next to his bed for a moment and hesitate again, but not for long. I can't leave him like this, and I don't trust Masquerader to take care of him.
I pull the blanket off of him and move to touch him, only to freeze when he whimpers, "P-Please not ag-gain..."
He sounds so genuinely scared I momentarily wonder if he knows I'm Macer, but then I shove that thought away. It doesn't matter, I'm staying with him either way.
I lean over and scoop him up despite his struggling, then cradle him against my chest as I turn to sit on the bed. It only takes a short second for him to stop struggling and instead start clinging to my shirt.
"Lance?" he sniffles.
I nuzzle his hair and speak softly, which tends to be hard when I'm Macer. "Yes Lovely. I've got you now, you're okay."
He must have known it was me by the way his nose is pressed into my shirt, and he seems to be breathing deeply. The fact that he knows how I smell and maybe even likes it sends a warm feeling through my chest.
The warmth is replaced by something else when he opens his eyes for the first time and starts to look up at me. I turn my face away and guide his head back down with a gentle hand on his neck, then press a kiss near one of his kitten ears.
"Trust me Baby, okay?" I implore, smiling softly when he nods and rubs his cheek against my shirt.
I stand up and position him on my hip, when I can hold him with a single arm. He's still worryingly light, and I make a mental note to stuff him with food whenever I can.
"Good Cutie. Now cover your ears, and don't look," I wait until he's covering his ears and has his face buried in my shoulder to advance toward Masquerader.
"I'm sorry I scared him! At least after he changed-" I cut her off with a low snarl, also grabbing her wrist to keep her hand from flailing around as she tries to explain.
"I know," I hiss, barely loud enough for her to hear. "Which is the only reason I'm sparing you right now. But if you follow us, I will assume you mean to harm. Know that I will not spare you again."
I release her wrist and it falls to her side while she looks equal parts vexed and remorseful. "I wasn't finished talking," she snaps. "I did mean him harm at first, but I thought he was just a stupid fame-craving Hero! I also didn't realize how much he meant to you."
I shoot her an angry, questioning look at her last comment, but she ignores it.
"And before I admit anything else I'll regret, please take my car as an apology," she finishes.
I nod in answer, wondering what could have brought her to act so... odd. No Villain in their right mind would act this compassionately toward anyone, and definitely not toward Falcon himself. A normal Villain would jump for joy at finding Falcon in this weak state, as it would mean it was easier to hurt him.
Masquerader seems to be living up to her name. It begs the question of which seemingly genuine identity is real.
Unfortunately that is something I'll have to work out later. Right now my focus is on getting the adorable boy in my arms somewhere safe and anonymous.
First step, get Masquerader's keys.
That's easy, I saw them earlier when I was pacing. I pluck them off the wall near the TV on my way to the door.
Second step, convince a clingy Kitten it's safer to sit in the passenger seat than on my lap.
"Darling I'm sorry but I can't hold you the whole drive," I explain as I rest my cheek on the hood that's covering his ears.
He shakes his head, and I can see his tail twitching in what I can only assume is distress. "N-No please, wanna st-tay with y-you!"
"Sh... you're going to, I'm not letting you go Baby. I'll hold your hand the whole drive, I promise okay?"
Finally he agrees, so I get him situated in the passenger seat then hurry to get behind the wheel. He mewls and reaches for my hand, which I give him as soon as I've started Masquerader's car.
He curls his knees up to his chest, his tail wrapping around his ankles and for the most part keeping still. He holds my hand in both of his in between us, his body angled to face me.
I shake my hair, letting it shift forward to obscure my eyes from him. Despite trying to convince myself it would be okay if he knew, I can't bring myself to believe it. He would be scared of me, and I don't know if I could handle that. Precious few people aren't afraid of me, and I would like to keep him as one of them.
I feel like I've been speeding around a lot lately, so I drive a bit slower on the way to Amelia's apartment. By the time we're there Calen is hunched over, my hand now resting on his knee, under his cheek. He's so cute with his brown hair tickling my fingers, and his soft little breaths warming my wrist.
I'm loath to wake him up and I try not to, but when I move my hand his eyes flutter open and look straight into mine. I know my eyes are still glowing even if it's slight, and I stop breathing until he hums softly and closes his eyes again.
I sigh in relief and gently move my hand again, then hurry to the passenger side to unbuckle him and scoop him up. He nuzzles his nose into my shoulder, his arms weakly wrapping around my neck.
"Lance has pretty b-blue eyes..." he mumbles, giggling softly and bringing a small smile to my face.
As soon as I step through the door I see Amelia sitting in the kitchen, her eyes glued to Calen and I with a mischievous grin.
"Hello Dear! I see you brought someone with you, who could it be?" She muses, eyes roving over what she can see of Calen, which is really just his pants and big hoodie that covers his head. "A fellow Villain looking for refuge from the big bad cops? They look small, is it that newbie, Heph?"
She silently walks forward, then follows me into the sitting room. I set Calen down on the couch, doing my best to ignore his tiny whine when I withdraw from him. Amelia crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow.
"Definitely not Heph. Please tell me you didn't just pick up a random person off the street." She leans over to get a better look at his sleeping face, then straightens and faces me. "You're awfully silent," she comments, prompting me to speak up.
I had been wondering whether I should tell her who he is, but I know she'll find out eventually anyway so I may as well.
"If you're upset about him being a random street person, you're really going to love this," I warn, and she just gives me an unimpressed look. I sigh and my gaze slides back to Calen, who's pouting slightly in his sleep.
"He's a Hero," her eyebrows fly up, her expression growing a bit stern. I continue despite her obvious judgment. "And not just any Hero, he's... well... Falcon."
Amelia dramatically rubs her temples. "Really Dear, out of all the dashing young men you could have chosen from you ended up choosing Falcon?" She questions, her tone long-suffering.
I sputter out an argument, blaming the warmth that rises to my face on my powers. "I don't know what you mean," I manage, showing her a grumpy expression . "He came to me."
She claps her hands together, looking amused. "So he's bold then? I didn't know you liked the bold ones!"
I groan and roll my eyes. "He'd just been kidnapped, beaten up, and said he didn't know where else to go. I still don't know how he knew where my house was. Anyway, it turns out he doesn't have his wings all the time, and that Falcon is one of many 'forms'."
"Forms?" She asks curiously, and instead of explaining I remove his hood. She stares for a few seconds, then smiles softly. "Kitten ears? That's so cute!"
I can't help the way my lip curls into a silent snarl, and I know she notices. "Don't call him Kitten, he doesn't like it," I snap, immediately sending her an apologetic look as I rub my face.
"It's okay Dear, you'll feel better once you're back to normal. Your eyes are almost there!" Her attempts to cheer me up would work if I hadn't had a lot of time to think on the way here. Nothing but what I have in mind could cheer me up right now.
"They'll be glowing for a while longer, actually," I look at her, seeing blue reflected in her lively hazel eyes. "I need you to watch him for me. I'll pay you for your time and for the apartment. I'll likely be back before dawn, but don't worry if I'm not. This isn't a dangerous venture."
She studies my gaze, her face growing serious as she nods. "I'll watch him, but you won't be paying me for it. Anything I should know?"
"Be gentle with him, especially when he's in this form. If he questions where I am just make something up. Oh, and Amelia? He has no idea I'm Macer," I whisper the last part, and while her eyes widen a bit at the news, she nods.
I sigh and brush my hand over Calen's hair, then kiss his forehead and murmur, "You'll never have to worry about them again, Kitten."
What that I swiftly turn and stride away, not looking back.
Time to have some fun.