The Bond

Ch 96

"Bold."/"Bold italic" : animatronic is talking/animatronic is talking in mind

"Normal."/"Normal italic." : human is talking/human is talking in mind

=o^o=

He still didn't agree with having new person coming with them of course. Thomas was suspicious, he didn't trust the man at all. What if Thomas was indeed one of the scientists? Or if he wasn't, Thomas could just be a bad guy pretending to be good, trying to find an opening in their inadvertence to steal, or stab, or kill. Michael was stupid enough, but he didn't expect to be this stupid to trust a stranger.

Even more ...

Why did he have to sit in the back passenger seat? Why did Michael have to sit side by side with Thomas? Was it just because Thomas can drive too?

Ennard gritted his teeth in exasperation, staring in irritation at the two men who had been talking since they left the gas station. The two of them continued chatting, as if their brains were thinking the same thing and adding something else that also matched their demeanor. This suck. Watching how Michael laughed heartily at Thomas' words about their topic that he didn't listen to at all, then threw the joke back with a joke. His ears felt burning listening to them.

Somehow it was so annoying to see the eldest Afton joking around like that with other people. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't.

Who was he to Michael anyways? Just an animatronic, a murderer, or something else.

Ennard secretly swore and glanced away, glaring out the car window with an inexplicable expression; between anger, suspicion, and jealousy, there was a vague borderline.

"Is the grumpy one behind us your boyfriend?"

He quickly turned his head and frowned at Thomas' question—what had this stowaway just called him? Grumpy? He turned to Michael once he heard the sound of Michael's laughter. "No, no, we're just friends." Michael shook his head slightly and giggled.

Just friends.

It bothered him a lot, but if Michael answered with he was his killer it sounded worse than a friend. However, there was another feeling that arose when he heard that, as if it made him annoyed again—it seemed like he always felt irritated today.

"Just friends? I thought you two were dating or something," Thomas responded interestedly, his eyebrows pulling up. Thomas' green eyes glanced back briefly before focusing back on the road. "His face is full of jealousy."

"Jealo—what do you mean?!" Ennard exclaimed in exasperation; he couldn't help it, he wanted this guy to get out right now. "I'm not—"

"That's a common sentence from someone who's in a jealous mood," Thomas interrupted, before laughing softly as Michael glanced at Ennard doubtfully, a faint blush appeared on Michael's face and he looked away. "Especially if you haven't had a romantic relationship yet. There are so many objections to your own feelings."

Ennard growled. "Rubbish."

Thomas shrugged his shoulders. "Mostly like, even I myself experienced it."

"You have a lover?"

"Cross country, he's in France now." Thomas gave Michael a small smile for a moment, then focused forward again on driving.

Michael pursed his lips in understanding. "By the way," he said afterwards. "You said you are looking for someone."

The man nodded. "My brother." He frowned briefly. "I have business with him, I can't help but have to come back here to meet him. I headed to his office but his underling said he's out of town. The night bus took me to that gas station because the driver said the route he would take was different, then after that I met you and it turned out that our destination is the same, and here we are now. With the hothead in the back."

"Hey!"

Michael quickly chimed in so no argument could ensue. "You sound resentful towards your brother ..."

Thomas was silent for a moment, before he shrugged his shoulders again. "Old issue in our family." Thomas's gaze sharpened, his voice also grew lower. "Serious old issue. Just calling him sibling makes me feel sick."

Things went quiet after that, no one spoke at all for ten minutes.

"I had a younger brother before." Michael broke the silence. Ennard glanced slightly at the brown-haired man who was now flashing a sincere smile. "I also used to hate him for some reason, but something happened and now I can't stop regretting it, I just realized I was blinded ... by something, made me forget that I loved him since he was born."

Thomas raised both eyebrows at that and glared briefly. "Regret comes at last, but in my case, it's different." Thomas smiled crookedly as he turned the steering wheel to the left.

Ennard just frowned deeply. It seemed that he always met people who had issues with their younger siblings. From Michael, then Dawson, and then this guy. He snorted a little, then leaned his back against the passenger seat cushion, folded his arms across his chest, and looked out the window. The sky was completely dark, there wasn't a single star up there, not even the moon. The atmosphere was quiet again, awkward.

"Oh right, Michael."

Ennard turned his head again hearing Thomas say the shortie's first name, since when?

"Yes?"

"Why do you trust me so easily? You don't think that I could be a bad person?"

Michael blinked, his lips slightly parted, while Ennard slightly widened his eyes and straightened his sitting position, Thomas only smiled faintly. "First of all, you seemed to have no hope and wandering alone. Second, you are unarmed. Third, you looked like you have no place to go. I never thought you were a bad person because of that." Michael grinned and laughed, Thomas looked offended at points one and three.

"What a cruel word you said," Thomas scowled a little, while Michael was indifferent. "But, well, acceptable. I indeed looked like a beggar before, so I really appreciate your help. Don't worry, I won't do anything."

A wide smile spread across Michael's face as he looked at Thomas, while Ennard pressed his lips together when he stared ahead. His irritation returned, he glanced out the window again and tried not to care. Hoping that the scenery outside attracted him more, wishing they could arrive more quickly at the destination city.

Before he completely followed his feral instincts to tear Thomas' face apart.