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The night on the outskirts of Gotham was a cool one. The few leaves that were still on the tree in this late Autumn were struggling to cling on with the wind that picked up when the sun went down. Remy with a cigarette in his hand continued on his way down the back road, wanting to get by the city without going through it. While a thief at heart, he knew better than trying his usual tricks in Gotham.
Even with how far the back road was from the city, the lights from it glowed brightly in the distance. If Remy chose to do so, he could make out the few buildings with gothic designs that were to die for. Or so he heard. He could never visit the city despite wanting to see the beautiful structures for himself. The vigilantes protecting Gotham made sure that none of the Guild would dare try to cross them - at least not while on their territory.
He flicked the ash into a makeshift tray in one of the cupholders and fought against the wind to keep himself from crashing into the ditch. While Remy knew that the weather would be bad driving up here for one of the Guild's meetings, seeing that it was making the car drift away from the middle made him frustrated. The last thing he needed was Papa to scold him for this.
With a huff, he snuffed out the cigarette into the ashtray and put all his focus on the road. There would be more time later for a smoke break. Right now he needed to get to the place in one piece as well as the car.
As the minutes pass him by and the lights from the city started to fade away, the wind continued to rush across the road. With a tightened grip on the wheel and his sight looking at where he assumed the wind was coming from, Remy almost didn’t notice the outline of something ahead of him on the road.
It was when he turned his attention back that he quickly pressed against the brake. As the car jerked forward from the sudden stop, Remy did everything to keep his forehead from hitting the steering wheel in front of him. Looking up and through the windshield, a foot or so away from the front of the car was a kid standing in the middle of the road. He could see that the kid was short - extremely so - and had dirt all over his clothes as if he climbed out of a grave.
Remy rolled down the window to give a shout. “What are doing out here? You should be home in bed!”
When he received no answer and the kid didn’t move, Remy sighed. As he got out of the car the wind whipped across the road once more. His trench coat fluttered in the strong wind, but it didn’t protect him all that much from the chill that went through his body. Crossing his arms as he walked towards the kid, he had to wonder who would be out here during this weather and at this time of night.
As Remy got close enough to see more details, what he saw made him stop a few inches away. While he saw the dirt clinging to every surface of the boy’s clothes there was also blood mix in there as well. The short black hair looked like it hadn’t seen a good brushing for a long time was matted with dirt and blood as well. The most shocking thing that Remy was seeing was that parts of the boy’s face looked like it had been burned just recently.
Anger welled up in him at that little fact. If he had to guess, he would say that the boy was fifteen or sixteen. Which made the burn marks even worse and his anger grew even more.
As he took a step towards the kid, he saw that they weren’t responding all that much to anything going on. Remy did see him shivering whenever the wind went across the road as he only wore a thin long-sleeved shirt and jeans, but it was like he didn’t notice anything going on in front of him. The stare from those green eyes was one that Remy had never come across in all his years of life.
It was obvious that whoever the kid was, he didn’t have a place to stay. Whoever he was living with before probably wasn’t worried that he was gone. Taking off his trench coat, Remy wrapped it around the kid’s shoulder and guided them towards the passenger door.
When they were in the seat and not going to cover everything in dirt and blood, Remy went back to the driver’s side. He started the car back up and let the radio softly playing in the background, hoping that would help. He took one last look at the kid, wanting to know if anything had changed with a warmer environment.
It did not.
A few hours passed by as Remy drove to the meeting. It was only in the town that he started to strategize on how he was going to handle this. After all, he was only eighteen and had never faced this situation before. Stopping by the hotel he would be using over the next few days, he guided the boy to the room. He got a few looks from the employees for this with the state of what the kid looked like. But Remy knew that they wouldn’t do anything to report him.
After all, the son of the Guild’s leader wasn’t expected to be hassled for anything. Everything could be wiped away without much trouble if one knew where to look and ask in the Guild. (Even for something that appeared to be brutal in this case.)
In the room, Remy checked the boy over. He wanted to make sure that there weren’t any injuries besides the burn marks he saw. When settling the kid into a comfy bed, he went out. He stopped at the town’s Walmart to get the boy new clothes to wear instead of the ones covered in dirt and blood as well as a few other things that were needed. Then Remy found a small diner near the hotel to get both of them something to eat.
It wasn’t until he was within sight of the room that he noticed the hotel staff hovering around the door. As Remy got closer he heard the harsh whispers and the panicking tone of their voices. When he was a step or two away from the group, he cleared his throat. They all whipped their heads towards him, looking like deer that were caught in the headlights. (Probably more so if he hadn’t been wearing his sunglasses.)
“What seems to be the problem? Is there something wrong with my room?”
“Mr. LeBeau there has been a noise complaint from one of the other residents about your room.” A woman spoke up, giving the door a wary glance. “When trying to get into the room, it seems like whoever is in there didn’t want us to come in. We got even more concerned when hearing sobbing and the sounds of something being destroyed. Just what do you have in there?”
With a sigh, Remy went up to the door. “Just someone who needs to be looked after. Now if you don’t mind madame, I must find out what happened.”
“What does that mean, sir?” She demanded.
He didn’t give her an answer as he got the door open. There was something in front of it, but it was no issue to push open the door enough for him and his bags to slip inside
Before the woman could demand an answer out of him again, he forced the door shut. Then he locked it. Looking down at the few pieces of furniture blocking the door, Remy knew he needed to find the boy. Maybe he could finally get some answers about why the kid was on the road.
And why he hadn’t been responding until now.
Turning the corner in the small hallway, Remy was faced with a broken chair, a rumpled bed with blood and dirt stains and the boy kneeling on the floor in between the beds - the chaos of everything in a circle around him with his head hanging as if he were a puppet.
When taking a few steps closer, the boy’s head snapped up, eyes wide with so much fear that made Remy’s stomach churn with disgust. Whoever this kid was living with before has made his list to beat to a bloody pulp. Nobody should be in fear like that for any reason.
Slowly and carefully, he raised his hands in the air. Then he crouched down and lowered his sunglasses so the kid could see into his eyes. Not enough to freak the kid out about the un-natural colours, but just enough to make eye contact if he needed to.
“Can you understand me?” Remy asked. He waited for the kid to answer him back, watching for any signs that would have to make him use force. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to.
Minutes passed by them. Still, Remy stayed where he was, waiting for any signs that the kid would talk to him.
When looking at the bedside clock, he saw how close he was to be late for the meeting. While he knew he had a responsibility to do his duty as the son of Jean-Luc to go to meetings like this one there was also the unexpected responsibility Remy had taken on when taking the kid into his car. He would have to make a decision soon and face the consequences of it.
With a sigh, he stood up once more. Trying to make sure his movements wouldn’t startle the boy, he went over to the hotel phone. As it rang the front desk, Remy kept his line of vision on the kid. He seemed more willing to move when Remy wasn’t near him. He also looked less likely to lash out against anyone if there was someone in the vicinity of the room.
When the employee finally picked up the phone, he made a request that someone inform those who were at the meeting that he wouldn’t be able to make it there. Then when he placed the phone back, Remy saw that the kid had crawled back to the bed that was covered in dirt and blood. Even though Remy recoiled slightly at the blood and dirt staining more of the bed, he knew that it couldn’t be helped.
Taking a few more steps, he started to talk. “I don’t want to do anything to ya, I just want to make sure you’re doing all right.”
The kid looked up at him. Even if there wasn’t as much fear as before, it was still enough to keep Remy from fully reaching the kid. “Can you talk? Or would you prefer just nodding for now?”
Once more there seemed to be a standstill between the two of them. But Remy could wait. He would prefer to keep unintentional harm to the minimum around the kid.
Then as if something clicked in his head, the boy slowly nodded yes. This brought a small smile to Remy’s face before he took another step. “May I change your clothes? It’s gotta be uncomfortable with all that dirt and blood on you.”
It took a minute, but the boy nodded yes once more. Remy went through the bags, finding clothing that would be good to sleep in. Then he walked back to the bed again, holding up the items for the kid to see that he wouldn’t try anything.
When he was close enough, he placed the clothing on the bed where there weren’t any stains on it. Then slowly and carefully, Remy started to take the ruined clothes off. As he went about this process, he stopped and moved his hands away whenever the kid froze up or started to shake at his touch. He didn’t know how long this went on for, but by the time that he got the new set of clothes on the boy, Remy was exhausted.
“Alright, I’m gonna move you to the other bed so the staff can clean this up,” Remy said, motioning towards the other bed in the room. He waited for the delayed nod and then carefully and gently guided the kid to the clean bed.
Even as he pulled the blankets up to keep him warm, Remy saw the way the kid trembled. There was still a bit of the look of them not being aware of what was going on around him, but it wasn’t as bad as when Remy first saw him. As soon as he could, Remy stepped away from him to give him the space that he probably needed.
With a tired sigh, he made his way back over to the hotel phone. After requesting that he have someone clean up the bed - no questions asked - he waited for the call he knew he would be getting from his Papa. He turned his back to the boy, knowing that nothing would happen if take his eyes off of him.
Remy only let the phone ring once before picking up. “Remy LeBeau speaking, who is calling?”
“Jean-Luc, you
imbécile.” Came the clearly pissed off voice of his Papa. Remy closed his eyes knowing that he would get quite the lecture. “Tell me why you cancelled an important meeting, especially when you promised that you would handle it?”
“A thing came up Papa. I would explain more than that, but I wanted to make sure that I done everything to take care of him before even thinking about the meeting tonight.”
“Who is it, Remy? Who is so much more important than that meeting?”
With a deep breath in, he answered. “A boy that I had found while on the drive here. He was standing in the middle of the road, not responding to anything I said or did. I just couldn’t leave him there with how the weather was near Gotham.”
There was a sigh on the other end of the line. “And I’m guessing that something happened that made you decide to cancel the meeting tonight?”
“He apparently freaked out when I went to go get him new clothing and food. At least according to the staff that were at my door when I came back. Had to wait for him to trust me enough to change his clothing and get him into bed.”
“Still you could have given me a call before cancelling the meeting so I wouldn’t have built up all this anger, Remy.”
“I’ll admit I should have done that Papa, but I was more focused on making sure the boy was alright. You can’t fault me for that, right? Oui?”
“No, I can not. However, I need to see him over once you come home. It could be a ploy from the authorities to sneak their way in.” Jean-Luc said. That same churning feeling came back to his stomach at the thought that legal authorities sent the boy like that to get evidence of the Thieves Guild.
It was beyond heartless for all that Remy had seen during his eighteen years of life.
“Of course Papa. But I’m hoping that’s not the case with him.” Remy replied. “I got more of a feeling that he ran away from something horrible. Got burn marks on his face and looks like they’ve been there a while.”
“We can only guess Remy. But for now, just make he’s taken care of.” Then he heard the sound of the line go click and silent followed it.
As he placed the phone back, he heard the sounds of rapid shifting in the bed and soft whimpers. Turning his body towards the boy, Remy saw the thrashing and the pained look on the younger teen’s face, straining against the rough burn marks. Quickly he went to the side of the bed and kneeled down beside them.
Then as carefully as he could, he placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders. There was a low whimper at that, but he focused on waking the kid up and getting him to settle down. As he gently rocked the kid awake, Remy saw the way the green eyes flashed with recognition for a few moments. Then it dulled back to the look he had seen all evening.
It broke a part of him that the kid couldn’t catch a break. Couldn’t have time to know what was going on. “Can I hold you? So you won’t be alone with those nightmares?”
When there seemed to be a rough shake of no, Remy sighed. “How about I sit beside the bed and make sure to wake you when it seems the nightmares are getting back? I can even sing a few songs to lull you back to sleep if you’d like.”
For a moment the boy seemed to struggle over the decision. Remy made sure not to move. There was no need to make the situation even worse.
Then with a hesitant yes, Remy gave a soft smile. Then did what he said he was going to do. Holding onto a sweaty hand, he sat down on the floor and leaned against the bed. He started to sing the first song that came to his mind.
“
Spare a little candle
Save some light for me
Figures up ahead
Moving in the trees...”*
When the maid came in to clean the bed, he was still singing. She gave him a look at how odd it looked. Still, Remy didn’t care, wanting to make sure that the kid knew he was safe. That if Remy couldn’t help it, he would always be there to protect them.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that both of them drifted off to sleep without much issue.
______________________________________
For the next few days, Remy fell into a routine where he would make sure the kid was properly taken care of in the morning and then headed off towards any meetings he was expected to attend. Then afterwards he would return back to the room and make sure nothing like what happened the first day here happened. Before it was time to sleep, Papa called in to make sure the two of them were alright.
Then when the kid started to drift off to sleep, Remy would keep close. Just in case he needed to keep the kid from hurting himself in his sleep. The few times that the kid did wake up, Remy sang something to calm him and get him back to sleep. It seemed at a certain time, he just stayed asleep with no more issues. Which meant that Remy could sleep without worry.
It was weary, barely getting any sleep, but he didn't complain. After all, he took up the responsibility and that was the price he had to pay for that was not a lot of sleep then so be it.
Still, there were moments that he noticed that the boy seemed more aware of his surroundings. Like there was a moment of clarity in the haze of fog that surrounded his mind. Just enough to know he was there before taking him away again.
It worried Remy more than give him hope. The boy should probably be getting medical attention for whatever was wrong with him.
As the last day at the hotel came to a close, Remy guided the boy back into the car. It would be a long trip back, especially since there was bound to be more issues than what they encountered with the hotel. As he got in the driver’s side of the car and turned on the engine, the music quietly played the tune of an 80’s song.
The soft sound of the music and the voice of the singer drifted through the speakers. Remy turned it up a bit louder. Then he focused more on making sure he wasn’t going to crash into someone in the parking lot.
Just as Remy was about to start driving away, he heard the most unexpected thing.
“
Darkness on the edge
“..
On the edge,”
Shadows where I stand
“..
Shadows where I stand.”
I search for the time
On a watch with no hands
“With no hands,”
I want to see you clearly
Come closer than this
But all I remember
“But all I remember,”
Are the dreams in the mist
“Are the dreams in the mist.”
Remy stared as he saw the kid trying to sing along with the words. Even though he was slightly delayed in singing them, it was close enough for what Remy had seen over the last few days. He was even moving his head along with the beat of the music!
Slowly as he continued to sing along with the song, he looked over at Remy. His eyes were bright and focused, the green colour more beautiful now that there was someone behind them in control. There was a small smile on his face, just shy enough for Remy not to say or do anything.
There were just some things that you had to take in stride and not make a big deal about.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It may have been early in the morning in Louisiana, but Remy knew that once they got out of the car that they would be surrounded by unbearable heat. Even now he could see where the heat was rising off the pavement ahead of them. As an afterthought, he turned up the cool air, getting warm even at the thought of leaving the car right now.
Looking over at the kid, he had to make sure that they wouldn’t slip back into the hazy fog. Even if there hadn’t been an incident since leaving the hotel a few days ago, he wanted to make sure the was alright. (Remy had never seen such a thing and frankly, he was sure his Papa hadn’t either.)
The kid tapped, hummed and sang with whatever was on the radio, always giving Remy the same shy smile when he noticed that he was being watched. He couldn’t do much beyond that in terms of talking about anything. The effort to try and get a name out of him when driving through Virginia came to mind. (At some point he would need to be given a name if his Papa approved of him.)
Remy noted the low gas when returning his gaze back to the road. With a tired sigh, he turned onto the next ramp that would take him to a resting spot with a gas station. As he got out of the car, Remy felt the way the heat rushed to greet him. With a groan of displeasure, he moved towards the pump.
He watched as the kid slowly made his towards the store to use the bathroom. Remy was lucky that it was early in the morning rather than the afternoon or night. Or else he wouldn’t have been as lenient of letting the kid go to the bathroom or grab something to snack by himself. Didn’t need to lose the kid in the crowd or be questioned by someone about why the kid was like that.
As he watched the number of gallons of gas keep going up, Remy kept an ear out. While there weren’t that many people around there was always the off chance that somebody could snatch up the teen. He didn’t know what the kid knew or if he had any way of protecting himself. Too many things to go wrong for Remy to relax during any of their pit stops.
As he stopped the pump, he heard the sound of shouting coming from inside the store. And then the sound of something distantly crashing to the ground.
Quickly shoving his card into the pocket of his trench coat, he ran into the store. The shouting got louder and Remy could also hear the sounds of a scuffle going on as well. Following the sounds, he ran down one of the narrow aisles and made a sharp turn at the end of it. What he saw was an older man holding the kid’s head in a headlock and another man on the floor, out cold.
Both of these men were wearing a uniform that Remy guessed was part of the job of working here. The colours were bright enough for it to be a correct enough guess for him.
It didn’t take much for Remy to connect the dots. Before he could quickly get the kid away, the kid himself stomped on the older man’s foot. The man shouted, cursing as he loosened his grip.
Using the reaction it created, he got out of the headlock and then gave a swift kick to both of the man’s knee caps. When kneeling on the floor, the kid then forcibly pushed the man to the floor. The momentum of that, a cracking sound came from the man’s head as he hit the ground, looking similar to his coworker near him. As he struggled to get back up, the kid grabbed at the short strands of hair as he sat on the man to keep him down.
Though he was a small thing, he seemingly had enough weight to do so. (Or there was something more than what Remy couldn’t gleam from without the kid telling him so.)
When struggling against this hold, the kid tightened his grip on the strands of hair and moved the head to hit the laminate flooring. The sound was much louder as there more than gravity causing this. Once, then twice, he hit the man’s against the floor, each one much harder than the last. Then the man was knocked out by the third hit against the floor, the hardest of it yet.
As he looked up to Remy - who only stood there to witness this happening - there was a frightened look on his face. It was enough for Remy to snap out of his awe, to see that the kid was scared witless despite the seemingly professional takedown.
Quitely, Remy made his way towards the kid, stepping over one of the men on the way. When close enough, he held a hand out. “Don’t need to worry about anything oiseau. I know you were just protecting yourself. Think it be best to get back to the car, oui?”
There was a slow nod of yes and Remy gently grabbed the kid’s hand to lead him outside. He felt the way the kid trembled as opened the door to the car, gently coercing him to get in. As Remy got into the driver’s seat, starting the car, he once more returned his hand to hold the kid’s without judgment. He drove one-handed out of the gas station without paying a single cent.
A few more hours went by before they reached the home of the LeBeau’s. It had a spacious lawn with a decent-sized home that many would consider a mansion. But it was home for him and he wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
As he drove the car towards the garage, he saw his Papa standing by the entrance into the house. There was a calm look on Jean-Luc’s face when he finally parked the car. But Remy knew better than to assume his father was as he appeared when facing situations like this. Especially when it has the potential to become a serious issue for the Guild.
When stepping out of the car, Jean-Luc finally moved away from the door. As Remy heard the kid slam the door, Jean-Luc gave Remy a light hug - the kind with a light pat on his back the feeling of being home. Then he turned all his attention to the kid who was standing by the hood of the car. Watching like he was expecting the two of them to attack him.
The gas station from earlier this morning came to mind.
“Papa, don’t get too close to him for now. We experienced something this morning and I don’t think he’ll handle it well if you check him over.”
“Remy, let me deal with this. I know a thing or two about young children being frightened.” There was a light tone to his papa’s voice, but Remy knew there was truth to what he said.
Remy watched as his papa slowly walked over to the kid. There was still a frightened look on his face but didn’t seem likely to lash out as he did with the two gas employees this morning. It was fascinating to see how Jean-Luc carefully walked closer to the younger boy, taking his time to make sure he wouldn’t scare the kid off. When close enough, Papa carefully reached out and gently gripped the kid’s face with one hand. The green eyes widen as Jean-Luc looked down at him, offering him a soft smile.
Remy knew what his papa was doing. After all, he experienced it all those years ago when he was foolish enough to try and pickpocket the leader of the Thieves Guild. It was honestly terrifying at the time to be looked in the eyes of a man who had been so much stronger than him. Who stared into the eyes that made many curse Remy for being the devil.
Who had given him a playful smile afterwards and offered to take him home.
He let go of the kid after a few moments and turned away. “Guess you have a younger brother Remy. Bring him in the house so he’ll be welcomed properly.”
Remy did as he was told and gently guided the kid into the house. Jean-Luc went on ahead, humming a tune that Remy had never been able to place after all these years. As they walked towards the kitchen, Remy felt the iron tight grip that the kid had on his right arm. Looking to the side he saw the wide eyes of the kid, probably scared to hell of what was going on.
Remy stopped. He waved his Papa to go on ahead when the man looked behind him with confusion on why they weren’t following him. When Papa wasn’t in sight anymore, he guided the kid to the side of the hallway and sat the two of them down. Even with the iron grip of the kid still on his right arm, Remy used his other to carefully touch the gripping hand.
“What’s got you so worried, oiseau? Can you give Remy some indication of what’s wrong?”
Remy waited as the kid took his time. He stared at the several new paintings and objects that he could see in the hallway. He had to wonder where Jean-Luc had acquired these during his time of leave whether through legal means or the way of thieving. It wasn’t until he felt a tug on his coat that he finally looked back at the kid.
“Are you...are you like those men?” The kid asked, his soft voice making the question even worse to hear.
“Are you referring to those men this morning?” When receiving a slow nod yes, Remy answered. “Non, not at all oiseau. Papa just wants to give you a home like he did when I was younger. We expect nothing in return from you at all.”
“Then why did...he look at me like...
that
?”
“He was seeing who you were. He’s a man who has to make quick judgments on who to trust and who not to for he is head of the Thieves Guild. It’s a skill that can change the outcome of a situation on whether you come out of it alive or not.”
“So he wants..nothing like what those men wanted from me?”
“Not at all oiseau. Just a man who wants to give you a better give than the one you most likely had before.”
Quiet came in the lull of the conversation. Remy could feel the grip on his arm loosening just enough for him to be silently glad that the kid wasn’t as scared as he was before. A few minutes passed by them before the kid decided to get up. Remy followed and once more guided him towards the kitchen.
The sunlight came through the windows, making the room glow with a soft golden colour. At the kitchen island was Jean-Luc, reading reports from others in the Guild. He didn’t even look up when Remy put the kid on one of the stools.
Then he went to work on making something for the two of them. As much as he liked eating at diners on his road trips, it wasn’t the same as making his own meals. Putting all the effort and time into something you could enjoy or share with others was something that appealed to Remy.
Every once in awhile, he would stop for a moment to check in on the kid. He looked unsure of what he should be doing in this situation. Still, it was amusing to catch his Papa pushing reports towards the kid. Like he was taking on another apprentice on to be the next head of the Guild.
Whatever the man saw in the kid, it must have been something for him to already be doing that. It took at least six months for Remy living in the house with the man to be able to even see any kind of documents.
Soon he finished up the meal he prepared. Remy brought out two meals for his papa and the kid to have before getting his own.
They didn’t talk to each other, they just quietly ate their meal. Soon the kid finished his meal, looking a bit more content that Remy had seen over the last few days. That’s when Jean-Luc spoke up, give the kid directions towards the library. “You can read whatever catches your attention there. No need to hide anything.”
The teen looked confused at this. Like he hadn’t expected someone like Jean-Luc to trust him alone in his house so soon. But when Remy gave him a smile, the kid left the island and quietly went through the kitchen door.
“So anything I should know about Papa or will he have to tell me later?” Remy asked when he was sure that the kid was a good distance away from the room.
“Oh nothing too important, fils. Just some routine things that I wanted him to see for now.”
“You already thinking he’ll be someone to take over the Guild someday?”
“Oui. If not that, then at least someone you can trust Remy.” His Papa admitted. Then he took another bite of his meal. “You need someone like him on your side when taking over. He’s a good kid.”
“I understand Papa. Just please let him have some room for a while. He’s already been through so much.” Remy said. “He thought you were someone that was buying him.”
His papa paused in the middle of bringing more food to his mouth. Slowly he put it back to his plate with a look on his face that spelt out anger and the will to do something awful to whoever caused the kid harm. “I must look into who or what could have done that to him. In the meantime, train him alongside you and make sure he knows that nothing will happen with me around.”
“Oui Papa. Now finish your meal.”
Remy finished his meal before his Papa. Quietly he excused him and left the kitchen to see if the kid found the library. He found him in one of the more comfortable chairs towards the back of the huge room, reading a thick leather-bound book. Remy made out the title from the spin to be one of Shakespeare's plays and for a few moments, he was in awe of the kid.
Remy was not known at any age to read such things in his own time. He enjoyed a good book or series of books of course. But reading things like Shakespeare and anything he studied under his tutors at a younger age wasn’t part of his interest. Even if he understood the importance of those pieces of writing, it still wasn’t enough to make him seek it out on his own time.
As he got close enough to the chair, the kid looked up from the book. There was wonder in his green eyes, shining brighter than when Remy first heard him speak. It caused Remy to smile, wanting the kid to forever look that way.
“I see you’ve found something.”
There was a blush on the kid’s cheeks. “I haven’t read this one yet.” A pause and then, “I couldn’t resist.”
“No need to be embarrassed oiseau. Be glad that you’re reading stuff like that since they’re great stories. Or so I was told by my tutors.”
“Will I...Will I be having tutors as well? Since I’m staying with you?”
“Most likely. Jean-Luc likes to have his children to have the best that he can provide for them. Even if they don’t like classical reading like I did.”
“Maybe you haven’t been able to hear it out loud? Want me to read to you for a while?” He asked softly, a lot quicker than Remy had heard from him.
Remy may not have the same interest in the reading material as the kid did, but how could he deny the kid to read to him when he asked like that?
He moved to grab one of the throw pillows and positioned himself to lay down on the floor near the chair. “Oui, you can read to me for a while. Let me hear what Shakespeare wrote all those years ago, oiseau.”
Remy won’t ever admit it to anyone, but after hearing the kid read out the part of the play he suddenly understood what all the fuss was about for those pieces of writing.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been hard to get the kid to get away from the library, reading everything he could get his hands on at the same time that he was being checked over by doctors Papa had come to the house. It was chaotic for all three of them and Remy knew he had to wait patiently for his chance to see what the kid could do on the training grounds. What he was able to do in the gas station wasn’t something that could occur without previous training.
It made him feel angry that someone would do that and then drop the kid off in the middle of nowhere with no memory of who he was or what had happened. As if he wasn’t worth their time. He clearly had the skill and from only knowing him a short time, Remy could say for certain that he was intelligent if perhaps shy at moments.
Remy sighed as the last doctor exited the room, going straight to Papa to talk to him. Pushing himself up, he went to see the kid sitting on his bed, already back to reading a book. He didn’t even look up from it as Remy sat down on the bed next to him.
“You know, Papa might not need to get you tutors with the way you’re reading oiseau. Just speeding through them like they’re nothing.”
It took the kid a moment to hear him. But he lifted his head to look at Remy, his green eyes showing confusion. “But I thought-”
“I was kidding, oiseau,” Remy explained, cutting him off. “It just seems like every time I see you, you’ve got a new book in your hands.”
“Just so many to choose from.” The kid admitted softly. He shuffled slightly, the grip on the book tightening slightly. Remy spied that and looked to the rest of the room. Even with spending a few days here - Papa giving him everything he needed to live here - there wasn’t a single thing that could be seen, that could be picked up by anyone who entered the room.
It was more telling to him than it would be to others taking in such a kid.
“And you’ll get time to read them all, repeatedly if you want to. Just don’t take that kind of love for granted, not like I did.” Remy said, carefully placing his hand on the kid’s shoulder. When that wasn’t rejected, Remy leaned closer to him, pulling him into a side hug. “Besides, I imagine that Papa would prefer someone who can appreciate such things to be hanging around me. A thief needs to be well rounded, non?”
“Oui, that’s true.” A small smile on his face that made Remy know the kid was fine. He leaned away from him, letting go of the hug, but stayed close enough that was still comfortable.
“Alright, that was the last doctor for now. Whatever this one says to Papa, you won’t have to see them unless it’s something serious. How about we go to the training grounds tomorrow? Would that be good, oiseau?” He says. He watches as the kid looks down at the book, still holding it open in his hands to the page where he last read it.
Quiet graced the room as he waited for an answer. Then he looked back up at Remy with something akin to calmness. “Yeah, that’ll be good.” There was a pause, as the kid looked to be in deep thought. It lasted long enough for Remy to be left confused when he asked hesitantly, “Can I say something to you, Remy?”
“Anything, oiseau, anything you want.”
“I remembered my name. From before.”
That perked Remy up. As best as he could, he calmly asked: “What did you remember?”
“I remember the name, Jason. Nothing beyond that, just flashes of stuff that I can’t make sense of.” The kid said
(‘Jason,’
he berated himself mentally.
‘His name is Jason.’)
All the hesitation from before was gone, leaving a teen who was clearly struggling with his memories.
“Well, Jason,” Remy started, trying out the name. Oddly it felt like it fit the younger teen. “We don’t have to worry about those memories for now. Just come to either Papa or me if anymore suddenly appear, little oiseau.”
A firm nod from Jason was all he needed to lean against the teen again to do another side hug. The younger teen relaxed into the hold, just enough for Remy to do a quick ruffle of his hair. And then he quickly moved away from Jason to escape the swipe of the teen’s hand.
“Gotta be quicker than that to get Remy, oiseau!” He yelled as he ran out of the room. There was the light sound of footsteps following him and the laughter of Papa as he watched the beginnings of their chase.
“You better be in training tomorrow, he’s clear for it!” Was the last he heard from his Papa as he quickly turned the corner and rushed for the stairs.
________________________
The morning began with Jason dragging Remy out of bed.
Grumbling as he slowly made his way to the bathroom, he spied the uncontainable smile on the younger teen’s face. The grumbling turned into a few swear words towards the awake youth, flicking the middle finger up for a few moments before dropping it. As he entered the bathroom, he heard the light sound of Jason’s laughter, slightly hesitant and yet filled with amusement at Remy’s current state.
Remy continued to grumble through his morning routine, even as they headed down towards the kitchen to grab something to eat. Papa was at the table, reading over another file.
Quietly he opened the french doors that lead outside from the kitchen. The Louisiana heat came at them full force, trying to grab every breath of air that they dared to take in. It still brought a smile to Remy’s face as he took the kid towards the training grounds. The garden that had been around even longer than Jean-Luc looked beautiful and full of life as they passed them by.
Shortly they arrived at the training grounds, a building that was big enough for a single large room to hold and practice fighting and a small room off to the side for people to change in. Remy took out the key to it and unlocked the door. There was even a momentary bliss at the cool contact of the air-conditioned training room as they trailed into it.
“Did Papa get you clothes so you could train?” Remy asked, moving towards one side of the room to grab the mats.
“Yeah, he did,” Jason replied.
“Then get changed and warm-up, so we can start practicing.” He said, putting the mats down on the floor. He looked over to Jason disappearing into the changing room, the door closing by itself.
He continued to put the mats down, making sure to cover every possible area of the floor. Depending on how skilled Jason was and how far he was willing to fight the kid, Remy didn’t want an accident on his hands that could have been prevented. It was after he put down the last mat and walked over to the bench that sat near the door that Jason came out of the changing room.
The clothes were form-fitting and seemed to make the step in Jason’s walk a bit lighter, a bit more confident. His green eyes sparkled with excitement as he stood at Remy’s side.
Remy didn’t say anything, reaching up to one of the practice weapons to get down. The bo staff was balanced in his hands, his preferred set of weapon when he didn’t have any playing cards on him to throw. A few swings to quickly familiarize himself with it again before he looked towards Jason.
“Alright, oiseau, I want to test your skills, see what we have to work on. So, for now, you’re not gonna get a weapon unless you manage to get this away from me,” He said, taking a playful swipe at Jason.
There was a moment of laughter as Jason quickly moved away with a backwards flip. Remy couldn’t let the smile slip onto his face as he saw the younger teen looking happier than he had seen since bringing him home - besides when he read out loud to Remy of course.
He waited for Jason to make the first move to start their practice fight. The boy was in the proper stance, didn’t have to make Remy tell him to do so, which was covering any weak spots that he could exploit to take him down. There was also the look in those green eyes that told Remy that he wasn’t going to attack first unless he was given reason to do so.
With an internal sigh, Remy moved forward with the bo staff, using it to make a jab at the younger teen. With the same level of fighting skills that Remy saw at the gas station, Jason moved to block the staff, holding out his forearm to stop it while using his other arm to take a hit at Remy. Remy quickly blocked the attempted hit and used Jason’s momentum from the attempted hit to flip him over and pin him to the mats.
“Good start, but always keep an eye on the enemy’s movement when getting close like this.” He said to the teen as he let him get up. “Now let’s start again.”
Jason once more got into position, waiting for Remy to do the same. Instead of Remy making the first move for the next fight, Jason moved first, making a strike towards Remy’s torso. As Remy blocked the hit, he moved his bo staff to take a quick swipe at the kid and found Jason grabbing at it. His grip was tight enough that Remy couldn’t pull it away like he usually would. With the staff in his grip, Jason yanked on it, forcing the momentum and used it to trip Remy up, smirking while doing so.
With no choice, but to let go, Remy used this moment to take a couple of big steps backwards. Taking a few precious moments to see what he could do next. Jason twirled the bo staff, continuing to smirk as he made the come hither motion at Remy. “What’re you gonna do next, Remy?”
Remy said nothing, moving towards the kid with a flurry of hits and kicks. He watched as Jason blocked most of them, handling the force behind the few that managed to make through. As Remy slowed his movements for a few short seconds, Jason used the staff to make a few strikes of his own. Dodging the strikes while moving away from the kid, Remy took the defensive approach to the battle against Jason. As well to use it to study the kid’s movements as he tried to get a hit on Remy.
Once more, he had to begrudgingly praise whoever taught the kid since he was calculating, but forceful enough in his strikes and blows to be a formidable opponent. He also knew how to protect the weaker areas of his body, leaving little room to get a clear hit on him without risking injury to whoever was fighting.
As Jason once more tried to land a hit on Remy, Remy decided it was time to test the kid on problem-solving. Reaching into his coat, Remy pulled out a few cards, charging them up with his power and waited to throw them as he took a few huge steps back. When far enough from the kid, he threw them towards Jason.
The reaction from the kid was a bit slow, clearly surprised at Remy pulling such a stunt. But he got over it quickly enough, dodge rolling out of the way to avoid most of the blast. As he stood up again, Remy could see a few areas on the kid’s clothing that was singed, smoke rising from those spots. Still, what Remy saw from across the room was the look of excitement on the kid’s face, his bright green eyes shining with the same emotion as he looked over at Remy.
“You’re a mutant?” Came the exhale of a question, still more excited than Remy would ever expect from any human finding out that particular part of him.
“Oui, I am oiseau,” Remy replied, holding up the rest of the cards in his hand. There was a slight glow of pink to them, the only sign he was even using his power at all. “Would be hard to explain the glow and the eyes otherwise.”
There was a moment of Jason’s brow furrowing, almost as if he were momentarily struggling to remember something. “Don’t know why it didn’t occur to me earlier, ” He half mumbled, looking towards the mats.
“No need to apologize, oiseau. ‘M just glad you’re not freaking out about it like others have.” Remy moved across the room, close enough to be next to the younger teen. He threw the rest of the cards to where he was before, the explosion not strong enough to cause any damage other than some singed parts of the mats.
“Don’t have to apologize to Remy like that,” He said when he turned towards the younger teen. When placing a hand on the kid’s shoulder, Remy was surprised to find himself suddenly on his back.
Blinking up at the ceiling and the gleeful face of Jason staring down at him, Remy was still connecting the dots as to what just happened.
“Got you, Rem!” Jason said, still pinning him to the mats. Remy couldn’t resist chuckling and smiling at the kid’s successful sneaky takedown.
“That you did, oiseau. That you did.”
________________________
After hours of practice and a few hours of impromptu studying of old classics in the library, Remy found himself with a tired Jason leaning against him. He didn’t move, letting the kid rest. He would report to Papa when the kid woke up from his nap.
Even with the warm afternoon air drifting in through the windows, Remy couldn’t appreciate it with the thoughts that plagued him. Jason had been trained. The boy had been trained to fight and most likely saw some action with how he was able to change tactics as easily as he had when going against Remy.
It didn’t settle well this new-found knowledge that he had witnessed today. It was one thing to have suspicions and another to have confirmation. It meant whoever had trained the kid had wiped part of his memory away and dumped him on the side of the road when he didn’t have more use for them. This angered Remy.
Who would be stupid enough to not see how sweet and kickass the kid was? How intelligent he was, how he could recite the classic literature and plays as if he were living them?
The questions swirled along with the angering thoughts as the afternoon passed over Remy. He wrapped an arm around the kid, doing his best to not disturb Jason’s nap.
If his former trainers couldn’t see how great Jason was, then it was up to Remy to do so. (Perhaps he had taken to his role as big brother much more quickly than either he or his Papa had ever expected.)