chapter twenty-nine:

Caelum and Spider-Man walked as fast as they could away from the block that the Irish men were. When they were finally at least five blocks away ― safely out of chasing distance and easy enough to duck inside someplace to hide, Caelum slowed to a stop.

He was winded and Castor was getting a bit heavy, despite his significantly lighter frame. They couldn’t walk back to the police station ― it was at least an half an hour away, and Castor needed help now. He didn’t know this area as well as he knew Queens. He didn’t know where the nearest hospital was, and he didn’t have a phone to look it up.

Caelum could have swore. He bit his lip, glancing around the street, trying to find someone who could help. “What’s wrong?” Spider-Man asked, not sounding tired at all. “Why are we stopping?”

“We need a plan ― somewhere we can go,” Caelum said, wanting to yell in frustration when he only saw residential buildings and offices nearby. He wished he was back in Queens ― he knew Queens like the back of his hand! He didn’t know anyone who lived here and he wasn’t sure Spider-Man had any connections either.

Suddenly, he frowned, remembering something. He shifted Castor to the other arm and fished through his pockets. His fingers seized on a small card, and he yanked it out. He grinned, recognizing the slightly torn ‘Nelson and Murdock, Attorneys at Law’ business card ― thankfully, with an address.

“Come on,” He said, scanning street names, they were on 49th street, and the business card said 40th. He didn’t know what time it was, but it looked well into the afternoon ― probably around rush hour. Soon, the sidewalks would be packed and he didn’t want to lose track of Spider-Man.

He began to run down the sidewalk, Spider-Man just on his heels.

° · ° · ° · °

Just as Caelum suspected, it was near rush hour as they approached the office building. Luckily, he managed to keep a hand on Castor and Spider-Man’s arm as they navigated through the busy crowds. They had nearly missed the building too, if Spider-Man hadn’t pointed out the plate on the front. “Is this the place?” He asked, stopping in his tracks.

Caelum came over, exhausted, his eye swollen completely shut and his chest hurting. He was ready to drop, and was immediately filled with energy when he read the sign.

NELSON AND MURDOCK

ATTORNEYS AT LAW

Caelum could have wept. He pushed the doors, only to find them locked. Suddenly, he was tense, he they didn’t have a key to get in.

“Don’t worry,” Spider-Man said, handing Pollux over to him ― who had gotten significantly more sickly in the past half hour. He pulled two thin pieces of metal out of his pocket, and began to work on the lock. A second later, it clicked and the gate swung open. Then, he did the same on the front door, and that opened too.

“Why do you have a lock-pick on you?” Caelum asked, moving to pick up Pollux, and letting Spider-Man take Castor.

Spider-Man gave a noncommittal shrug, “You never know when you’ll need it.” Then, they began to walk, closing the door behind them and taking the elevator up. They both leaned against the wall, exhausted by the afternoon’s events to say anything. “What floor are they on?”

“The third one, I think,” Caelum said, and moved to push the button. The elevator shifted and churned to life. Caelum ignored the upset feeling he felt as it finally fell down on the floor.

Caelum shifted his hold on Pollux and walked down the hall, glancing at all the windows on the doors. He found suite 314 and knocked.

A minute later, a woman called from inside, “Coming!” Then, the door opened. Caelum was met with a pretty blonde girl with striking blue eyes. She had a white blouse, with a blazer, and a black pencil skirt with matching heels.

She was smiling at him, until she saw his face, the deathly look of his brothers, and the masked man beside him. Caelum gave her his best smile, “Hello, sorry to show up so. . . so suddenly, but is Mr. Murdock here? I. . . we need help.” He didn’t like asking for help ― that was a fact, and proven over time ― but this was a desperate time. His brother was close to death, and he didn’t have money to get to the hospital, or directions, or money to pay for the bill. He was in over his head, he needed an adult.

He needed his mom.

A man stepped from around the corner, and Caelum recognized the slender man with dark glasses as Mr. Murdock. “Caelum? What are you doing here?”

“I went ― I got my brothers back, sir,” Caelum said, feeling tense. He saw Matthew’s face harden with frustration. He had specifically told him not to go ― at least not to go alone. “My brother ― Pollux ― something is wrong with him. I think he needs to go to the hospital, but I don’t know where it is and I don’t have money and I―”

“Calm down,” Matthew said. “Karen, call 911. I’ll call Foggy and tell him you’re here ― he was looking for you, along with the rest of the police force.” Caelum felt a twinge of guilt, but suppressed it. “Bring your brothers in here for now.” He waved a hand to what looked like an office. Caelum moved, and so did Spider-Man.

Karen took notice of him immediately, and frowned. “Who’s the guy in the mask?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“He’s. . . a friend of mine,” Caelum said, hesitating on the word ‘friend’. He did help his brothers, of course. That was enough of a friend for now.

Caelum set Pollux down in a comfortable looking arm chair, and Karen moved to her desk and dialed 911. He heard the dispatcher on the other line ask what was wrong from where he sat. Caelum closed his eyes as Karen explained the situation. He was tired, he needed to rest.

He glanced over at Spider-Man, who looked a bit uncomfortable. Castor, who was put in the chair just beside Pollux, had moved to sit with him, putting his brother’s head in his lap, and rubbing his arm gently. He was crying, Caelum realized, and suddenly prayed that his brother would be alright.

“Caelum?” Matthew said, and he looked over. “Tell me what happened?”

Caelum frowned, and began to speak, “I went to the address Principal Davis gave me. Spider-Man found me before I entered, and he helped me incapacitate three men before we found my brothers. As we were leaving, the first man managed to wake up and threatened us with a gun. I. . . I sacrificed myself for my brothers and Spider-Man, and he let them go. He hit me ― as you, well. . . can't see ― but I managed to get out of the house. Then, we ran.”

Matthew frowned from the very condensed version of the story. Caelum had obviously left out a lot of pieces of the puzzle, but he wasn’t in any mood to explain. Not right now, he was tired and his brothers needed help and he wanted everything to go back to the way it used to be.

Matthew seemed to understand this and sighed a little, “Okay. We can talk more later. For now, rest.” Caelum nodded, glancing at his brothers, and then at Spider-Man, who had been watching from afar.

Spider-Man caught his eye, and Caelum realized that he knew a lot more about him that he wanted him to. “Is it alright if my friend and I talk outside ― alone?”

Matthew nodded, “Don’t go far, the paramedics will be here soon.”

“Thank you,” he said, and stood. Spider-Man stood too ― a bit clumsier, though ― and Caelum led them outside the attorney’s office and into the hallway. “Look,” he began, breathing a little, trying to find the right words. “I don’t want Peter finding out about this.”

Spider-Man looked a bit tense at the mention of his friend. “Why?” He asked.

“He and I aren’t on the best terms right now,” Caelum explained in the best way he could. “I said a few things that I shouldn’t have, and now. . . he’s. . . well, we’re just not talking, I don’t think. And, if he knows I can do. . . do that ― possess people ― he would be freaked out.”

“Yeah, I am―I mean, I’m sure he would be a bit. . . shocked by that,” Spider-Man admitted, a bit uncomfortably. “But, he’s also your friend, and he knows that you’re going through a lot right now. He wants to help you, Cael. All you have to do is ask for it.”

Caelum bit the inside of his lip, looking away. “I can’t ask him, it’s a lot more complicated than that. He. . .” Caelum felt embarrassed talking about this with someone he barely knew.

“He what?” Spider-Man pressed. “I know he wants the best for you. I know he just wants you to be happy.”

“I want him to be happy too,” Caelum defended. “But, with everything that’s going on in my life right now, between my brothers, Principal Davis, my job, this―!” He waved a hand to the building in general. “I want him to be happy, and I want to provide that happiness for him, but I can’t do that right now. I can’t pay him back for everything he’s done for me. I can’t possibly be there for him when I’m hardly there for myself.”

“You need a break, Cael,” Spider-Man said, stepping closer and putting a hand on his shoulder. It was warm, and Caelum closed his eyes and sighed. He was so exhausted, and he felt like he was just sucking out all the exhaustion in that one touch. “Peter wants to help you, he still wants to be your friend.”

“I don’t want him to just be my friend,” Caelum admitted sourly, looking away.

“What do you mean?” Spider-Man sounded confused.

“I. . .” He didn’t want to say it, he didn’t want to say it to him, and not to Peter. But, he was so warm and Caelum was so tired. He was here and Peter wasn’t. “I love him, okay? I love Peter.” The words felt foreign, and Caelum felt like a thousand bricks were taken off his shoulders.

Spider-Man just stared at him, and Caelum suddenly felt embarrassed and hot with frustration. He turned, trying to go back in side, this was useless, this was stupid, this was silly. God, he knew Peter ― he would tell Peter everything. He would make Peter hate him.

Spider-Man caught his arm, and turned him around. Then, soft, pink lips met his.

Caelum was stunned and was warm all over. He didn’t know what to do, what to say, how to say it. He’s never kissed anyone ― no, wait, he’s never willingly kissed anyone. And, he was so warm and hot and tasted like, Caelum almost laughed, he tasted like crab apples. God, this boy was kissing him.

Then, he was kissing back, it was messy and weird, and their lips felt awkward against the other’s. The tickle of the boy’s mask against his nose almost made him sneeze. In the kiss, Caelum thought he could imagine Peter. Him standing right in front of him, pressing his adorably pink lips against his own, closing his eyes and letting their mouths discover one another.

He pulled away, shocked. No, he couldn’t do this to himself. This boy wasn’t Peter. He was Peter’s friend. Oh, god, he kissed Peter’s friend. Peter was going to hate him.

“What? What’s wrong?” He asked, his lips pinkish from where they had a brief contact.

Caelum turned, leaving his question unanswered, and escaped back into the office. His eyes were wide and his breathing heavy. He could hear the boy calling his name from the hall before footsteps retreated and the ding of the elevator echoed.

“Caelum?” Karen said, watching him closely, her eyebrows knit together.

“Do you have a bathroom?” Caelum said, trying to sound as disgustingly devastated as he felt.

She gave him a sad look, “Down the hall, past the kitchen.” Caelum nodded, and moved quickly, following her directions to the bathroom, and locking the door.

He moved back, slumping against the wall and sinking to the floor. Oh, dear, oh God. What has he done?

° · ° · ° · °

The paramedics arrived not long after that, along with the police. Caelum cleaned himself up and left the bathroom. Two familiar officers, Watson and York, stood in the doorway, arms crossed as they spoke with Matthew. “He ran away while being held in custody,” Watson was saying. “He needs to come back to the station.”

“The deal I made with your Chief was that he could stay the night with us, and would serve the rest of his 24-hours in the station. He agreed to this, considering his background. Now, if you’re trying to change that, I am going to need to speak with him, not you. If you don’t mind giving me his phone number, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“Matthew―”

“I don’t mind,” Caelum spoke up, despite his hammering heart and red-rimmed eyes. “I don’t mind going to the station overnight. I. . .” he swallowed, scratching the side of his head. “I’ll live.”

Officer Watson smiled, pleased with this development. Officer York, however, stared at his face, raising an eyebrow, “What happened to your face?” He asked. Caelum figured it was just was swollen and red as before ― he needed an ice pack.

“The man that kidnapped my brothers,” Caelum said. “He got a few good hits in.” He knew he didn’t have a broken rib, but his chest sure did hurt.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Officer York asked, concerned, but Caelum shook his head.

“I want to get this over with. The paramedics have already come?”

“Yes, your brothers are on the way to the hospital now,” Matthew answered. “You don’t have to stay at the station.”

“I just want my brothers to be safe ― that’s all,” Caelum said. “Before we leave, can I get some ice?”

Karen, who had been standing idly by, nodded at the request, “Yes! Of course, I’m sorry,” she hurried to the kitchen, preparing a bag of ice for his face.

“Why the sudden change?” Officer Watson asked. “They said you were adamant on not staying overnight.”

“You don’t have to answer that, Caelum,” Matthew said, but Caelum did want to answer. He just didn’t know how.

“I. . .” Got what he wanted? Didn’t want Spider-Man to find him? Needed some time before he came back and ruined something else? “I don’t know. I just. . . I guess I’m tired, and I want to get this over with.” He shrugged, thanking Karen as he took the ice from her. He held it to his face, “I didn’t do anything wrong, that woman told me I was leaving, she escorted me out, so I followed her. I was just doing as I was told.” He shrugged helplessly.

“What about the officer left where you were supposed to be?” Watson accused.

“I asked him if I could go to the bathroom, he’s the one who cuffed himself in my seat. I still had to use the bathroom, and that’s when the woman found me, and took me away.”

Watson frowned, not buying the story at all, but having no way to disprove it. Meanwhile, Matthew’s face was unreadable, but his lips were turned down slightly. Caelum didn’t know why. “If that is all the questions you have, can we go now?”

“Yes,” Officer York said, and moved a hand in the direction down the hall. “This way.”

Caelum followed, and started walking down the hall behind them. He could feel Matthew’s eyes boring into his skull behind him.