Algid (#TronnorAU)

Chapter 27: Mikey's family

-"I know you did it."

-"No. You think I did it."

-"There couldn't have been anybody else."

-"Not wit that thinking, there isn't..."

It was nighttime at Losey's inn, and it was particularly warm for Yule as of late. Connor and Alexa had just left the bed, and were now getting dressed up. Connor had to go back to Grace's, he had told everyone he had been to Lilly's house to study for a test they had next week. It wouldn't be as bad if that part wasn't true; Connor had actually made plans with Lilly to study and he hadn't gotten around those plans yet. He'd have to figure that out later, but right now he needed to confirm his suspicions.

That weekend he had been to the Andrew Graham Foundation center for the first time, and after doing his first shift of community service with the foster kids at the Second Life program and reencountering with Ricky, he had run into Troye. Which had led him to believe that he had been sent there on purpose. But not by Lisbug; she had no clue of what was going on between Connor and Blue. Red, However, did, and she had already proven in the past that she was skillful in working behind closed doors. She had probably told Lisa to send Connor as a voluntary there so that he could spend more time with Troye in one of her sessions with the guidance counselor. Or at least that was Connor's theory. A theory Alexa was spending all her left energy in denying.

Connor was already fully clothed, as he tied the shoelaces of his sneakers facing away from the girl with red hair, who was still topless and adjusting her own bra. He hadn't brought up his question until after they laid together. Partly because she didn't give him a chance to do so, and partly because he had forgotten. However, the thought never stopped bugging him in the back of his mind, as he kept thinking about a pair of blue eyes finding his own in the midst of that psychiatric clinic in the forest.

Connor let out a sigh and went back to his inquiries.

-"Come on, Red. Did you give Lisbug the idea of the center, or not?"

-"I thought you had figured that out already..."

-"Give me a straight answer."

-"Huh. Funny you ask for anything straight..."

Connor felt his cheeks flushing red with heat, and then turned around to talk back to the girl. But he lost the words he was about the speak the minute he saw the scars on Red's back as she finished putting on her blouse. Instead he just frowned and let the anger seep out of him. There was a deal that had to be kept, and if he was keeping his end, that meant she was too.

-"... So you did tell her about the nightmares?"—Connor asked after calming himself down.

-"That, I didn't do."—Alexa answered, turning her head around and sending a sly smirk in Connor's direction—"I did give her the idea of sending you to the center. But I wasn't the one who told her about your nightmares, Green."

Red got her legs on top of the bed, and started crawling all the way to Connor, who was still facing her. Her hair glistened with the candlelight and her eyes had an otherworldly glow. She was menacing, inviting, sexy. And yet Connor couldn't see past the blue in his mind.

Alexa got close enough for them to feel each other's breaths on their skin. As Connor's stood still, hers was slow and enchanting, and the smell of her perfumes intoxicated his lungs.

-"... Are you having trouble sleeping, then?"—she asked—"Are you seeing me in your nightmares...?"

Connor gulped down saliva and cleared his throat before he could answer.

-"... It's got nothing to do you with you."—Connor said—"So... Lisbug really didn't tell you about them?"

-"... Not precisely."