Isaac rolled his eyes and looked at Neil. “Fuck,” he said with a long sigh. “Always walking that line.”
“It’s the job. What did the docs say? When can we question him?”
Alain started to vibrate. What the fuck? He wasn’t even awake.
“Really?” Isaac stared at the detective. “Not anytime soon if I have anything to say about it.”
“We have to find out who did this. We need to know who he was meeting and why.”
“Well, we need him to rest and heal, and that’s more important. Thank you, Detective.” Isaac stepped closer, backing the man out of the room.
Okay, that was, no question, the dommiest-Dom thing he’d ever seen.
“I’ll check back in the morning.”
“We’ll see. I’ll be here.” Isaac closed the door in Levine’s face and puffed out a breath.
“Did you hear that, Chou. M’sieur’s got your back, he does.” Alain kept touching and talking and praying in the back of his mind.Dear Lord, please hear me. I ask that You put Your hand on him. He’s a good, good man, and we love him. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
“Damn right, I do.” M’sieur’s arms circled around his waist and pulled him back against that broad chest.
He leaned back, fighting the urge to just cry. Folks were so mean, just bad, and he wanted to believe it weren’t so, but it was. There was nowhere safe in the world, and it hurt his soul to admit it.
Isaac hugged him tighter. “I’ve got yours too.” The words were barely whispered but he heard them clearly.
“I know. I got you, Sir. Swear to god.”
“You’re a good boy, Alain, but don’t you worry about me. I’m not out to solve the world’s problems like our Neil. Just ours.”
“Ours is enough, right now. Ours is big.” And Alain was scared, but he wasn’t going to let on.
“You’re not wrong, boy. But there’s only so much you need to take on. You have me. Neil is strong, but even he knows when to lean on me.”
Okay. He needed to think on that some, because weren’t they counting on him to take care of them? “I worry about y’all.”
“That’s fair. We all worry about the people we care about sometimes. But you don’t need to make me feel safe; that’s my job. That’s what I want to give you. I’ll make sure we’re all okay.”
“But—who makes you feel safe, M’sieur?” He couldn’t have stopped his whispered question for love or money.
“Well, if it comes to it, my sub is a cop.” Isaac chuckled softly and shrugged. “Sometimes I think I must have been born with confidence. I’ve always felt safe. That isn’t something I need.”
“Oh. I—” Well, he’d be sure to watch, until Chou could take that mantle back up. Neil wouldn’t thank him for not.
“Neil doesn’t look after me, Alain. I look after him. He takes care of half the damn city, and I give him what he needs. I make it possible for him to let all of that go. And it should be the same with you.”
“Okay. I’m—is it okay to be a little off balance?” What would he do if Isaac said no? He wouldn’t be any less confused.
Isaac turned him around, blue eyes looking right into him. “It’s okay to be anything you need to be. This is scary, Alain, especially since you’ve been though violence yourself. We’ll want to be strong for him, but you don’t have to keep it together every second. Not for me. I’m here for you.”
Alain wrapped his arms around Isaac and held on tight. He didn’t have to keep it together every second, but he did have to keep it togetherthissecond. He knew that Neil needed them both.
“If you don’t move those flags the moose can’t get through!”
Alain blinked, then stared at Neil, who still looked asleep.
Isaac made a snorting sound, and then started to laugh softly. “Goddamn moose.”
“Does he know any mooses?” The words popped right out of his mouth.