If Wishes Were Fishes (Lani.)

It was inevitable. Lani kept his phone nearby as he opened his book in expectation that suddenly people would want to get in touch with him. He had come into the possession of a few new books over Christmas and he was planning on doing nothing but reading. He had prepared himself however when his phone rang with a particular tone that made him set his book aside. It took him a moment to realize that it wasn’t a text but a call. Surprised, Lani flipped it open a little paranoid, the last time Odion had called him he had been kidnapped while Lani was still on the line. He shook the memories away. “Hello?” He asked unable to keep an air of worry out of his voice. Listening Lani nodded not really thinking about the fact that Odion couldn’t see him.

He waited patiently and he shot to his feet at the first. “Fuck!” He cried and started pacing as well with the need to do something to do but lacking something to do. He wanted to ask more questions but Odion was continuing. And what came next was just as big but somehow it seemed to pale in comparison. At least the part about Cameron. Odion would feel that was important, of course it was his brother, but Lani really was stuck at the ‘someone from your past work saw me.’ He was floored by the amount of information and the sheer number and magnitude of the problems. Sitting heavily in his chair he blew out air trying to calm himself from the shock. He didn’t realize how long he had been silent until Odion asked his question.

“Alright, alright, let’s take this one at a time, okay?

“First,” Lani began taking what he saw as the easiest problem. Lani was having a hard time keeping calm but his voice was level and focused, after all what good would it do if they were both terrified. “As for Cameron, I would say yes, now you may break his face.

“Second, I need to know this guy’s name.” Lani was less concerned now about keeping a watch for his people coming in and was more afraid that Lani’s old people would catch wind of it. “Odion, take a breath. You don’t know that this guy didn’t also steal from him. Let the past be the past. You’re helping him now, that’s what matters.”

Lani took a breath himself and started on what he saw as the biggest problem. “I need you to tell me exactly what the person who saw you looked like.” Lani needed to tell Odion now about how he was working with Dr. Neville. But things in the legal system were taking too long. Lani needed to take this in his own hands. It was his mess and he didn’t need anyone cleaning it up for him. He didn’t need to pull anyone else down with him. A sudden thought occurred to Lani. Odion didn’t pull the trigger. “I pulled the trigger…” Lani said his voice barely audible as he whispered the thought. It would be perfectly believable that Odion had been trying to intimidate and Lani had used his power to pull the trigger.

Lani blinked in confusion as a bark came from his phone. “Where are you?” Lani asked in a sudden panic as if the fact that he didn’t know exactly where Odion was gave the potential for something catastrophic to happen. Anything could happen. Odion could be kidnapped again or a sniper hiding on a rooftop or an assassin, or someone could run him down with a car. Lani almost dropped the phone as he tore his hands through his hair as his brain was suddenly filled with all of the possible ways Odion could be injured or killed. All new versions of the worst case scenario. And from where he was he didn’t know where Odion was and he couldn’t stop it. He wanted to tell Odion to just sit in a bubble until he took care of this. He couldn’t handle it if Odion got hurt because of him again. Or worse. But even as he thought it he knew that the chances of Odion listening to him and staying put were about as likely as telling a hurricane not to make landfall. This was bad this was so so bad.

Grinding his teeth as the conversation changed to Jared again he did his best to stay calm. He thought for a moment his hand resting on his chin. Lani knew if it were him he wouldn’t say anything. He would fix it and let the person go on thinking as they did and just rest assured in his own mind that he had made it up. He didn’t know how Odion felt about that. This was eerily similar to when Lani had lied. He wouldn’t have said anything about his boss ever. “It’s up to you, what would leave you with a clear conscious? If it were me I’d help him and leave the rest to ignorant bliss.” At least he was being honest but that was exactly his though process when all of his shit hit the fan. Now it seemed like it was Odion’s turn.

“Either way he’s probably going to be pissed,” Lani added, “I think that if you’re dead set on telling him wait until this is over.” It could potentially create more problems if the secret came out but here’s to hoping for once Murphy ’s Law will leave them be.

Lani just shook his head not answering. Odion wasn’t going to like where Lani’s thoughts were going, but it was the only way to quickly clear Odion off of the hit list. He didn’t want Odion to talk him out of it because his mind was set. Lani groaned and shook his head. “Odion, that’s like everyone I used to work with!” At least he had identified him as male. Lani found himself getting angry as he heard Odion joke. How was he making jokes at a time like this? “Seriously, Odion?” He asked not covering the annoyance in his voice. He shook his head pushing it aside that he felt a little jealousy, ok a lot of jealousy. “Can you remember anything else? Hair color, skin color? Did he have any scars?” Focus on the task at hand. He could be pissed at Odion for calling someone else gorgeous later. He blinked surprised at himself for how much that bothered him.

Lani huffed in false relief. At least he was somewhere Lani knew. What Odion was thinking was exactly what Lani was worried about. It was his mess and he dragged Odion into it and because of what Odion had done they were going to kill him! The thought patterned continued in that paranoid pattern. In reality Lani had paid his debt and he didn’t have anything for them to hold over his head anymore. The problem was that they knew that he was meta as well and so they might try to kill two birds with one stone. Hurt Odion and get Lani back. But they couldn’t know about the two of them. Beyond friends. This was really doing nothing for Lani’s health. He might as well say goodbye to sleep for a little while and hope that he could take enough pain killers to keep his brain from exploding as he used his power to get to the bottom of this.

Despite himself Lani connected his hand with his face and chuckled a little bit, granted it was a tired slightly unsettled laugh. “You are ridiculous.” He informed his redhead. Lani nodded, “That’s the safest thing you can do. If you tell him now chances are something bad will happen and that won’t fix his problem.” It was a good thing Odion didn’t comment on how it was familiar. Lani would probably immediately jump to saying that it wasn’t the same. If Odion and Rhett got Jared out of trouble and then he found out that Odion was the one that he stole from chances were that Jared would just leave. At least he would be alive. Lani found himself smiling a little bit, Odion had changed. He was willing to suffer to make sure that someone else was better off than he was.

Lani frowned and glared at the wall. “Good,” he said despite his determination to remain quiet. Odion fell silent and Lani was on his feet again about to head for the door. “Odion?” Odion was doing a spectacular job of freaking Lani out at the moment. Odion continued and Lani’s breath caught in his throat in a sharp sound. Lani let out a string of swears that would have surprised a sailor. “I need to see him,” Lani said wanting Odion to be wrong. If Odion was right that meant that was one of his boss’s guns. They didn’t need to avoid tattoos because anyone who usually saw them would end up dead. It was at least a relief that he hadn’t done anything when Odion had seen him. He had probably gone back to report. “Please be careful,” Lani implored Odion, “This is bad, this is very very bad.” He had to go he had to go tonight. Pull the blame onto himself and off of Odion. He held the phone to his ear with his power as he changed into his blackest clothing. He was going to go declare war and finish this before it began. “Are you coming back to Hammel?” He asked his thoughts already working. He’d have to trap Odion in a closet if he wanted him to stay put. And even then he wasn’t sure how long that would hold.