Roads Untraveled(Odion)

[Lani Hunter]

Christmas. Needless to say Lani was nervous beyond reason. He had reached an agreement with his folks after Odion had left. Alone his father didn’t pull any punches and neither did Lani. Luckily his level headed mother stepped in and scolded them both thoroughly. The compromise was that Lani could bring Odion but he had to go with his father to lunch at some point so they could discuss his ‘future’. It was a price he had to pay and it was agreed that he and Odion would come for Christmas and at least Lani would stay a few days after. Odion could leave anytime. Lani was a little worried by that. What if Odion found his family to be too much? What if they started fighting and Odion decided he couldn’t handle it? What if he wanted Lani to tell his parents about them?

Caroline had gone ahead of them leaving as soon as break had started. Lani had taken her to the bus station taking the transfer trip from Pilot Ridge to the next major city so he could see her onto the bus to Boston. He hadn’t stopped fretting until he got word that she was safely in. He was worried about her. She didn’t talk much, she had seemed to be adjusting so well but it seemed even big brother Lani couldn’t make becoming a meta any easier. This bothered him. Something bigger was happening but he couldn’t get her to talk to him about it. He hadn’t said anything to Odion about it yet but he was thinking maybe he should. He was a worrier and maybe Odion would be able to see if he was over thinking it or something.

Packed with a just a sack filled with clothing and a few books. He also had a few gifts for his parents and Caroline as well as something for Odion. Oh god he hoped Odion didn’t deem his family too crazy. He was about ten seconds from chickening out. Things were good between them, he thought. A little strange but good. Being with Odion was something he didn’t want to ruin. Sometimes it felt like things were smooth as glass between them and other times it felt as rough as sandpaper. The last time he talked to his parents he pleaded with them to not bring up anything about Odion’s family or about the last time he and Odion had been in Boston or what had happened soon thereafter. His mother had told him not to worry but worry he did. Before he could back out and pull the disappearing act he was so good at he forced his hand to knock on Odion’s door.

[Odion Martins]

This was the first time Odion was planning anything other than drinking himself silly. Honestly, it made him a little nervous, and a little happy to be spending time with a real family. No, it wasn’t his own, but maybe he could practice or something, or at least see how real families interacted before he tried developing a good relationship with his own. Besides, people spoke of their families all the time, and now he got to see one in action and maybe even be an active participant. He only hoped that Mrs. Hunter was as friendly in person as she was online. But something told Odi he had nothing to worry about, as usual. He was concerned over Lani’s father though, and hoped the man wouldn’t rub him the wrong way. Odi wanted to do his best to make a good impression, but he couldn’t promise anything. He would stick to his word about keeping them a secret though, Lani seemed worried about the whole trip as it was, to which Odion had to ask at some point, ‘why invite me then?’.

Packing wasn’t too difficult. Odi had bought a new backpack and had rolled a few nice shirts into it, along with his best pair of jeans, and a few other colorful pants. He didn’t think too much about it. Along with those things were some books to read and a couple of presents. Just a thank you for Lani’s family for bothering to have him over at all, and something special for Lani, a present which Odi wasn’t planning on giving the blond in front of everyone else, but it wasn’t something that needed to be hidden either. He smiled at the little box, already wrapped up and begging to be in Lani’s hands – or was that Odion wishing it were so? Either way, he was excited about his selection and thought the time taken to find it was well worth it.

Odion was doing his best not to think at all, not until they got to Boston anyways. The knock came, and Odi rose from his resting spot in the common area of the dorms. He had been alternatively petting the three cats, who were going to miss him terribly, but they could manage without him. His roommates seemed to have a sore spot for them as well. Pulling his backpack on, Odi opened the door and stepped out quickly. He was ready to go and there was no need for hesitation. Well that, and his mind was preoccupied. He didn’t even say hello to Lani, though he did wait patiently and anxiously next to the blond, expecting Lani to tell him what kind of transportation they were taking to get to Boston.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani wasn’t worried about Odion doing anything to upset his parents. He trusted Odion was tactful enough he was more worried that something his family did would make Odion run away. Lani had a few times wondered why he had invited Odion himself it had been spontaneous but he didn’t regret it. He was just as excited as he was nervous. Lani tapped his pocket doing a quick check to make sure he had his keys, cell phone and wallet. Odion emerged and Lani caught sight of the kittens, well not so much kittens anymore. He missed them, he was trying to be more helpful but they had long since become Odion’s cats. He was like their uncle, Odion was like their father. Or mother, sometimes. Lani loved watching Odion with the cats there was a side to him that was so soft.

A smile crossed his face and he started walking with Odion. “Have you traveled much by bus?” Lani asked passing Odion two tickets. One from Pilot Ridge to their first stop and the second from there to Boston. It was only a two hour, three hour if the bus was slow and traffic was bad trip. Leaving this early would get them to Boston and to the Hunter home by early afternoon. They could steal a car but that would be far too much trouble for such a short trip. The air was still cold and snow had been falling off and on with relative steadiness. Luckily nothing to stop the transportation on this all important date for traveler. The bus station was easy to find and Lani smiled, right on time. He watched Odion, he seemed a little distant. Lani bit his tongue knowing if he started talking he would just fall into rambling utter nonsense.

He was wearing comfortable jeans and a hoodie, great for traveling. He adjusted the strap on his shoulder and stuffed his hands into the front pocket of the hoodie. Finally Lani couldn’t take the silence anymore. “My mother’s really excited you’re coming. She’s broken out the nice plates,” he chuckled a little to himself, his mother was always looking for an excuse to use those. As they filed onto the bus and found seats and sat a little uneasily and smiled at Odion. He wondered how much he should warn Odion about how much his mother was going to try to bully him into eating. Lani couldn’t imagine his mother pulling out the big guns but one never knew. “Have you and Declyn planned anything?” Lani asked curiously as the bus started to move. This was the short leg of the trip Lani was trying to talk out his nerves now, perhaps on the longer portion he’d settle enough to read and not be such pain.

[Odion Martins]

Odion wasn’t going to run away from something he felt fascinated by. The ginger wanted to see what Lani’s family was like, and he thought that maybe it would be similar to watching Back To The Future – like he wasn’t really there and only observing. Lani couldn’t change who his family was any more than he could, so there was no point in running away now. Lani wasn’t the first one to think of Odion has a mama though. Odi could only hope that Lani would never meet Jared. Speaking of… he supposed that was something they could talk about on the way to meet Lani’s family. Lani had long since been invited back into Odi’s life, and the cats were included. The ginger wasn’t ashamed of being sweet in front of Lani anymore.

Suddenly there were tickets in his hands and Odi swore he had passed through time unconscious for a while. He was so nervous about the possibility of flying, that when his eyes scanned the tickets, Odion visibly relaxed and even let out a sigh. “I have,” he said, a smile on his face now. This trip just got better. Besides, he wasn’t ready to be scared out of his mind in front of Lani. Not yet. He didn’t think Lani would appreciate a very panicky Odion, not to mention clingy. If they did steal a car, Lani would have to drive. Odion had never driven a car before. Odi was totally fine with the utter silence between them, because he found it rather comfortable. Odion spent a lot of time by himself, so spending it silently in Lani’s presence was perfect in his eyes. And now that he knew they weren’t in an airport, he could talk without the fear of throwing up.

Dressed to the nines as usual, Odi wore a nice pair of jeans and a new dress shirt, a light purple jacket draped over the whole thing. And just because he could, he was wearing a purple fedora. Odion smiled, his blue eyes light and bright. “I’ve never seen fancy plates, other than while window shopping,” he mused, glad that Lani’s mother had taken to him already. It would make things more comfortable, but no less interesting. Odi sat right next to Lani, stowing their things under the seats in front of them and making himself comfortable. The ginger looked out the window, before looking at Lani, their hands brushing slightly as they sat. “We have,” Odi said with a small smile, “it had taken some convincing but… it’s a long story.” Of course, they had time for it and Odion was excited to be in the small spotlight on the bus ride to Boston. “And, I’ll be staying in Boston for a while,” he said proudly, looking at Lani with mischievous eyes. “Avi’s wanting to do a little dancing, and she has family out there.”

[Lani Hunter]

Lani hadn’t forgotten about Odion’s fear of flight and he had to wonder if Odion would rather take a boat to Europe but that would probably take all summer. Odion seemed more than relieved when they were bus tickets and Lani found himself smiling. His head was high and his shoulders tense with worry it was going to be a long bus ride. Plenty of time for Lani to plan for everything to go wrong though. Well plan for the worst and be pleased with the best, at least that was the hope. Well hopefully his mother wouldn’t let her interrogation turn in a bad direction and hopefully his father was civil. He knew the impression they had of Odion had been initially a little strained because of what happened in Boston but Lani had desperately tried to explain that away. His mother he knew had enough tact not to say anything, his father… well… If Lani was lucky he just wouldn’t say anything.

Next to Odion Lani was sure he looked like a bum. He should really start taking Odion seriously when he said he looked like a box. But not everyone could pull of a purple fedora. That was simply not fair. Lani chuckled. “She’s really excited; it’s been a while since she’s used them.” His mother really had taken a liking to Odion though she had expressed a little concern when he had called her after his and Odion’s date. She reminded him what happened and Lani did his best to explain away without giving away the depth of the emotions that ran. Lani didn’t get to comfortable on this first leg. He never did sitting still very well. Meditation was what he should do but hell his mind was too wound up for even that. He wondered if Eri was rubbing off on him as active as the other boy was. Perhaps it was just nerves that made sitting still hard. His foot tapped to a tune only heard in Lani’s head.

Lani grinned at Odion and raised a brow. “It’s a long bus ride,” he offered interested in the story behind Odion and Declyn. He was happy that Odion was getting along with his brother better. But what Odion said next interested him even more. “Really? That’s great.” He smiled but a little worry struck his spine. What if Odion went somewhere where someone who might recognize him as the man who shot the mob boss in the foot? Lani had yet to meet this Avi but he just hoped that she was clever and if Odion considered her a friend Lani knew it was safe enough to trust her but there was still that nagging worry. He leaned a little forward in his seat so that he could see Odion’s face better. Odion had better hope that Lani found it in himself to sleep during the longer leg. Lani tapped at his bag with his foot. The bus started moving and something settled in that there was no turning back now.

[Odion Martins]

Yes, if offered the option, Odion would take a boat to Europe. Actually, he would love to be a pirate, exploring things which hadn’t been found yet, and staking a name for mankind. Now Odi was totally relaxed – he didn’t have to deal with a plane, only with a new family.

There was something about a colourful hat that made Odi smile a little more often, or it gave him more confidence, one or the other. It made it seem like he wanted to stand out when really he just wanted to blend it. Sometimes when you were the first one people noticed, you were the first one to be forgotten. “Well I’m excited too,” he said, wondering what said plates looked like. He would ask but Lani probably didn’t know, and besides, Odi would have plenty of time to look at them. Talk of special plates since he was coming over made him feel special. Odi was quite content sitting still the whole way to Boston if he had to, and already he had scoped out some people to watch on the bus. When it came to being the world’s most convincing statue, Odi was sure he could win the title.

“I know,” Odi said, wiggling his eyebrows as though he were about to offer something quite interesting, “do you want to hear the story?” It was already brewing in his head, but he was trying to think of a good way to tell it without giving away the punch line. After speaking with Dec, Odi had been rehearsing more things to say, only now it was to Lani. So much for never planning anything. After waiting for Lani’s response, Odion began the tale of how he had found something nice for Declyn, a blue scarf to be exact, and how he had included something else with the gift.

“I also returned the family crest he had up on his wall,” Odion chuckled at the perfect time, “it was sort of amusing that he hadn’t noticed this whole time.” Because everyone took their family and what they had for granted, and Odi was no exception. “But anyways, he didn’t seem very interested in opening it to start, I think he thought I was trying to bribe him…” Odion reiterated to Lani what he had told Dec, about how he had come here just for Rhett, but now he had different reasons to stay. “And he already knows that you’re one of them, but now he knows he’s one of them too.” And Odi just kept on talking, and he used his hands as he spoke, often touching his face and the hat which sat on his head. Sometimes things just needed more emphasis. Maybe it was Lani who should worry about Odi never shutting his eyes.

[Lani Hunter]

How odd was it that as much as Odion wouldn’t want to take a plane to Europe Lani wouldn’t want to take a boat? They were opposites in some aspects it was humorous to think about. Lani’s heart yearned for the sky and the time he had had wings, as glad as he was to have his telekinesis back he had hated to see the wings go. He didn’t know Odion’s feelings on water but to get Lani on a boat at all would be a miracle in and of itself and to get Lani to not destroy everything in a panic would be an even larger miracle. Things were so much more easy when Lani could panic and not worry about flinging something. He hadn’t told Odion about his MANifesto date who thought it was a good idea to do boats. He wasn’t keeping it from Odion on purpose he just didn’t want to have to talk about his fear of water. It seemed too ridiculous because one could infer that Lani feared puddles. Which was only sometimes true.

Odion was a peacock. There was nothing more complicated than that, Lani thought. He smiled a little at the thought. Either way he liked how Odion dressed. However it also made Lani wonder if he should try harder, but in all honesty he was too lazy to do more than just throw something that was clean on. Besides everything matched jeans and most of his stuff was gray or dark in color. Lani smiled glad that Odion was excited. Odion couldn’t even begin to imagine how much it meant to him that Odion was willing to deal with his crazy family. Odion’s assumption was right; Lani hadn’t seen the plates in a while and hadn’t cared enough to look at the finer details of the plates. After all to Lani they were just plates. Lani leaned toward Odion bumping his shoulder with his own. “Just promise you won’t run away screaming when the crazy starts to show,” Lani joked with a grin on his face as if to say Odion wouldn’t have been the first to have done so.

Lani grinned and nodded with a knowing grin. “I love stories!” Lani grinned and for a moment Lani cupped his chin in his hands giving Odion a look that spelled that he had Lani’s undivided attention. It was very similar to the look that girls at sleepovers got in the movies. Oh god, Eri was starting to rub off on him! It didn’t last very long as Lani started to laugh at himself and shifted so that he could catch every word. As Lani listened he didn’t have to do anything to feint attention. He could listen to Odion all day and his eyes watched Odion’s darting from one to the next and occasionally breaking from there to follow a hand gesture. Lani found it terribly sweet that Odion had gotten his brother a scarf. He chuckled when necessary, nodded and occasionally raised a brow though the small grin never left his face.

Lani cocked his head at the mention of the crest, “How did he take it when he realized you stole it?” Lani was interested in that. Did Odion give everything up about being a thief or did Declyn assume it was a onetime deal? Lani grinned a little, “I think you got the observant genes.” Lani’s brow creased and it bothered him that Declyn would think Odion was trying to bribe them. It would seem that neither of the twins really knew what it was like to have a brother. Siblings fought, it was part of the job description but what made their relationship different than friends was that moments later forgiveness was given and the fight forgotten. Lani smiled sweetly his heart fluttering hearing those words. He smiled and nodded, it was good for Declyn to know that and Lani was so happy for Odion. Odion was changing right before Lani’s eyes. “I’m glad you’re sticking around,” Lani said with genuine happiness, “Because now I have a reason to stick around.” It was a strange sensation that Lani felt like he would follow Odion wherever he went.

[Odion Martins]

The only reason Lani knew about Odi’s fear of planes was a fluke. It had come up in conversation somehow, but they hadn’t been sharing their different fears. Lani’s fear could be made known in due time, or when Odi’s suspicions were raised. In any case, Odi wasn’t too concerned over Lani’s love or not for water, there were better things to think of, and Odion didn’t care much for swimming anyways. He also didn’t really care how Lani dressed, as that was up to the blond, though Odi was bound to tease Lani for it. Odion didn’t try that hard in wearing what he did, he just wanted to enjoy himself.

Laughing Odion didn’t hesitate in going for Lani’s hand, holding it carefully despite the newness of it all. They were on a bus with no one they knew on it – they may as well enjoy the time together. “It can’t be crazier than what I’ve been through.” Maybe some of Lani’s crazy would show, but Odion had enough stories to occupy the time of a dozen bus rides to Boston – there and back. Lani’s hand was soon abandoned as Odi got into his little storytelling mode, spurred on by Lani’s attention. Honestly, Odion loved it when he received such attention from the blond. He was easier to be around now, but no less exciting. Maybe Odion had found his perfect relationship in America after all.

Odi sighed. “He said what I knew he would, that I should’ve just asked him. And he’s right, I should have.” But he hadn’t and that’s why he was returning it, so he could start over. Declyn hadn’t asked any further questions about that and Odi didn’t indulge him. Maybe Declyn was better off not knowing about all that for now. A sheepish smile crossed Odion’s face. It was nice for someone to observe how observant he was. Odion gave another wave of his hand. “You have reason enough to stay,” he said, meaning Caroline being at Hammel now and whatnot. He didn’t expect Lani to follow him around like a lost puppy.

The ginger’s eyes became shifty, and he sat up a little straighter. “I have other news as well,” he said, and his face became a mask of annoyance, but he also wore a smirk. “But that’s an even longer story.” He glanced at Lani. One that required a lot more explanation and background, but Odi would rather tell Lani about Jared before Jared found Lani. Odion had never spoken so much before, and his voice was hoarse already. Also, he couldn’t help but wonder when Lani would get tired of his stories, and tired of him.

[Lani Hunter]

Fluke or not Lani was glad he knew. It meant a lot to Lani that despite his fear Odion was still willing to help him by offering to have Lani fling him in the air. That still didn’t quite make sense in Lani’s mind but he sort of doubted that it would make sense anytime soon. It wasn’t like Lani was prone to sudden epiphanies all the time. No, unfortunately Lani’s process was much slower than that. This was so strange, being honest and yet still keeping secrets. Part of Lani was afraid that if Odion found out he would be angry with him for lying again. Granted a fear of water was of a much smaller scale than keeping a crime lord boss behind a curtain. Truth was a fickle thing. Sometimes it changed and sometimes it was one thing to one person and another to someone else. People had opinions and people could believe lies. Politicians did it all the time. Fed lies to the populous so much and so often that it became truth.

Lani bent his fingers fitting his hand into Odion’s. It didn’t stop Lani’s eyes from glancing around the bus but no one seemed to notice and those that did seemed not to care. The world was changing indeed. Lani laughed and shook his head at Odion. “You have no idea.” Lani sighed dramatically. He really hoped that Odion wouldn’t have to eat those words. Well crazy is as crazy does. Lani couldn’t change his family and he loved them the way they were but god he just hoped they didn’t do something really crazy. Lani’s hand just moved to fold in with its partner as Odion started. Odion was a good story teller and Lani was absolutely interested in Odion’s relationship with his brother. Lani couldn’t stop smiling for he had never seen Odion get so animated. He couldn’t get the happy ending Eri had been talking about out of his head. Things were new and things were exciting and he was naïve enough to agree that things might be perfect.

Nodding Lani smiled. “Yeah, what’s the crest look like? Did you figure out what it means?” Imagine that. Odion had a family crest. Of the things Lani had never expected that was right up there, probably a few steps under ‘Odion has a twin brother’. There was nothing but happiness for Odion from Lani, he might never had guessed any of this would have happened but he was glad it did. Just as much as Odion was changing because of Lani he was changing because of his brother too. Lani laughed a little bit and shook his head. “I do,” he agreed, “But that’s not what I meant.” He clenched his jaw and looked past Odion out the window at the flying landscape as he organized his thoughts. “Caroline’s always going to have our parents to fall back on if she needs someone. When I first came to Hammel I hated it, more than you can imagine. I wanted nothing more than to… to grow wings and fly away.” Lani swallowed a little and continued with the confession. “I didn’t need anyone. I didn’t want to need anyone.” He shrugged and let out a half hearted laugh at the irony of it all, “But when I did happen to grow wings I couldn’t do it.” He finally tore his eyes from the window and looked at Odion giving the redhead a shrug as if it wasn’t all that big of a deal.

Lani raised a brow at Odion and became even more interested in this new story. “Oh?” He smirked a little and realized the time had passed faster than he imagined it would from Odion’s story. Lani glanced out the window as the bus started to pull up to the bus station. “Well, we have another, much longer bus ride.” He pointed out slyly. “Come on; let’s catch the other bus first.” Boston bound. Off the bus Lani slipped his bag over his head and brushed his hand against the back of Odion’s before taking a gentle hold of it. It was starting to dawn on him that he didn’t want to hide, but that he would have to soon enough when they reached his parent’s house. The other bus wasn’t hard to find but as soon as they had boarded Lani turned to Odion and reminded him he had a story to tell.

[Odion Martins]

Well, if Lani did end up having plane tickets to get to Boston, Odi still would’ve gone. He wasn’t going to abandon Lani, and even though he knew Lani had invited him perhaps to make him feel like he was included, Odion knew that Lani probably wanted him there too. Odion rested in the fact that even though he may not have had a break down in front of Lani’s mom, he still would’ve been invited, and that made how he felt about going unconditional. He could be anyone, so long as he was a friend of Lani’s he would be welcomed. He just hoped that eventually he’d be recognized as more than a friend. Being with Lani made Odion feel unafraid, and he knew that Lani’s powers were unstable, he just didn’t care. For once in his life he actually wanted to help someone, and that couldn’t be wasted.

Odi smiled at Lani’s comeback, “Neither do you.” Because really, Lani knew nothing of Odion’s past, just like how the redhead knew nothing of Lani’s family. Odi was sure he would find certain things stranger than others, but he didn’t think it could be as bad as Lani was making it out to be. Odion wasn’t sure how he would take Lani’s father treating his son like scum though. If Odi’s unseen buttons were pushed, that might cause him to flee, or retaliate. He tried not to think about it too much. But Odi was still flying on cloud nine, so to speak, and that’s how you were supposed to feel at the beginning stages of a romantic entanglement. And he was going to enjoy it.

“It’s silver with a couple different animals on it. A lion and a bear, they’re holding staffs and wearing hats, it’s all rather odd.” Odion chuckled to himself, breaking eye contact to look at his hands. These hands had stolen many things, and yet, he could’ve just asked Declyn what it meant. “I did, but, I did the research myself.” Odion the lone wolf, unafraid and too stubborn to be around others. Well, everyone seemed to be proving that wrong lately. Odi looked up again, curious as to what Lani meant then. Odi’s look turned sympathetic, for he knew exactly what Lani was talking about. “It’s alright to need people Lani, isn’t that what you always tell me?” Odi said gently, not trying to rub this fact in Lani’s face, but simply trying to connect the dots. “You don’t want to fly away anymore, and you don’t have to.” Odion was glad the both of them were growing their own roots.

Odion nodded ‘yes’ at the second story. He was full of them, it was like Lani had unlocked his own personal book. The redhead reached for his backpack, passing Lani’s to his, unbothered by their having to change buses, and keep going. Odi smiled, adjusting his hat and getting off the bus, Lani in hand. The next bus was much the same as the last, and Odion tucked his things away for the second time before settling in. He didn’t speak, he only stared at the back of the headrest in front of him until he felt that stare. He turned his head to Lani. “Right, story.” Odion said, sighing and clearing his throat.

“You know both Rhett and I are from Europe, and that we met a while ago, yeah?” The story began as the rest of the passengers finally settled in. They were on their way. Odion’s brow furrowed, but he smiled, signifying both the good and hard times from the past. “Well, we used to pickpocket together, we were part of a gang of eight boys. We stole a lot to make our keep and sometimes he did more than just pickpocket.” He looked at Lani with wide eyes. “We hurt a lot of people,” Odi sighed, his nightmares formulating at the forefront of his mind, “let’s just say the last time we were in Boston wasn’t the first time I shot someone.” Odi’s face seemed to clear itself of those emotions, trying to rid himself of that past. Maybe he couldn’t tell the story after all. He gave Lani a serious look. “Someone by the name of Jared Bell has transferred to Hammel from Kocher. I haven’t seen him in about a year. He’s from the gang.” There was no better way to prepare Lani for what Odi was about to ask of him, so he waited for Lani to take everything in before getting to the real, planning part of the story.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani was still fidgety thinking about what might go wrong over Christmas. Part of him wondered if his mother would drag them all to church, goodness he hoped not. Lani had found himself feeding off of Odion’s confidence more than once and he still didn’t get why Odion wasn’t as wary around his power as most others. It wasn’t like Lani hadn’t used his powers against Odion before. Granted it was to keep him put while Lani demanded answers from him but it was the small thing that he could control since he couldn’t make Odion give him the answers. Lani was working through telling his parents in his mind, he was planning on dipping a toe here and there and testing the waters to see how they felt. Nothing that would give him away but subtle things that would give him a clue to whether that would be a good idea or not.

With a sigh Lani rubbed his eyes with a hand and a small smile crept onto his face. “Fair enough,” he replied. He had been wondering if he should warn Odion of how much his mother was going to try to feed him. He knew in her eyes he would be much too skinny thought Lani couldn’t even begin to see how she would think that. But she had tried and long since given up on Lani and his father. Lani’s smile turned a tad impish as he thought about it. His mother was very good at laying on a heaping pile of guilt along with the meal, he’d be surprised if she let Odion leave the table without having had two heaping plates. Lani’s smile faltered however when he got to his father. They didn’t get along and it was definitely a mutual dislike. Lani saw his father as a failure unable to protect his daughter and provide for his family, his father saw him as a failure in school and a criminal whose only destination was prison.

Lani closed his eyes for a moment imagining the crest. Lani’s mind of course spun it into one thing while reality was probably very different. “I bet your ancestors were wizards,” Lani said in complete seriousness, his eyes twinkled with humor despite this as his imagination ran away. It was completely possible actually, since no one really knew when meta powers first came to be it was possible that two members of Odion’s family were considered ‘wizards’ because of whatever power they possessed. Lani cocked his head and smiled a little bit at Odion. Odion was killing Lani with curiosity and Lani waited a few moments for Odion to elaborate then finally couldn’t help himself. “Anything interesting?” Lani asked raising a brow. Odion could have asked Declyn, but that would have been what made sense. One thing Lani was starting to realize was that they both seemed rather inept at doing things logically when pride and suspicion got involved.

Turning his eyes to look into Odion’s eyes he blinked slowly adding the action with a nod. Odion might not have been trying to slap Lani in the face with that but it still stung a little. He had a severe problem of ‘do as I say not as I do’. He made a face that was somewhere between wincing and a sulk. Perhaps asking for help wasn’t the most terrible thing on the planet but it was certainly one of the hardest. For so long he had been so independent taking matters into his own hands, he was learning a lot later than most that everyone needed help. Thinking back on it if Odion hadn’t insisted Lani would never had let him help him with his power and he would be just as terrible now as he had been. His control, though not spectacular by any means was much better than it had been. “Yes,” Lani said smiling at Odion. That must have been what changed.

He nodded and somehow it didn’t comfort him to think that this story started with Rhett and Odion in Europe. Lani shifted a little pulling up a leg so that he was sitting on his foot and turned slightly so that he only had to turn his head slightly to keep both eyes on Odion. Lani nodded along in understanding and then raised a brow at Odion. His eyes narrowed a little. What more than pickpocket? Lani shifted against getting his foot loose from under himself and crossing his arms. He didn’t like where this story was heading. Lani’s brow creased and he gave Odion a hard look trying to wrap his mind around what Odion was telling him. Lani’s breath caught at the confession. “What?” He couldn’t stop himself from saying now his eyes were wide. Lani reached out and touched Odion’s hand in a comforting gesture. “Odion are you saying…” He paused cutting himself off due to the presence of people around them. But Odion continued and Lani felt sinking feeling in his gut. That couldn’t be a good thing. Lani sat back staring at the seat in front of him for a moment. He glanced at Odion and nodded a little bit. “Why now?” he asked giving Odion the go ahead that he was mentally prepared for anything he was going to throw at him now.

[Odion Martins]

There was always plan B – going back in time. Odion had never been to church before, not even for refuge. Odi had learned from a young age that it was him against the world, and even those he had spent a lot of time with in a gang couldn’t be trusted. Rhett was exhibit A. But Lani was slowly starting to prove him wrong, and even with his weary power, his heart was still in the right place. And that was the same for when he decided to tell his parents anything.

Odion could become a human garbage disposal if need be, just another asset of time control. Odi really wasn’t skinny at all, but Lani hadn’t exactly seen him shirtless that often. One time, to be exact. And since Lani wasn’t a fan of swimming, he probably wouldn’t be seeing Odion half-naked any time soon. The point was, he worked out and kept himself in shape. He wasn’t a body builder, but he wasn’t scrawny either. Odion could probably have two plates if need be, though he was sort of a picker. He’d get through it all eventually. Even having to meet Lani’s father, Odion could put on a face if need be. He wondered if Lani had told his family about Boston, and if they were aware of why Lani had stolen to begin with. Could they see that he was a hero? Not like Superman, more like Batman. Lani even had the attitude to go with the persona.

Odion shrugged, “Who knows, wizards aren’t far from leprechauns after all.” The ginger was in a good mood to say the least, and even though his accent didn’t reflect it, there were many stereotypes about Ireland that he fulfilled. And where he couldn’t Declyn did – that ‘lad’s’ heritage couldn’t be mistaken for even one second. Odi shrugged again, “Not really, just the history of it all and…” Odi laughed, looking at the gleam in Lani’s eyes, “You’re enjoying this more than I am, aren’t you?” He asked, shaking his head. He should’ve just asked Lani to do the research on his and Dec’s ancestors.

Unfortunately for Lani, Odi was not his sister, and he didn’t take advice for someone who didn’t also heed it. Odi sat properly in the seat, his back straight and tall. Chairs were made this way for a reason, and if they would be sitting for a while, Odion had time to relax later. He was rather on edge now. Without further hesitation, Odi went for Lani’s hand and held it tight. It wasn’t so much Jared’s return that bothered Odion as his past’s skeletons. But Odion needed to plan something big, and they both knew what a terrible planner he was. “He’s here because he’s got a price over his head, a hundred and twenty five.” This was no small sum. “And I think it’s my fault,” and that was the kicker.

[Lani Hunter]

As much as Odion got on Lani for planning he had that backup plan. Lani didn’t have anything that would allow him to go back in time and take things back. He could roll with the punches rather well, so long as he could plan while he was at it, or so he had thought. Oh all the things that bothered him about that night in Boston it had been his inability to act. Hell, if Odion hadn’t been there… Lani didn’t want to think about what could have happened. Lani shook his head a little bit physically banishing the thoughts back to where they belonged. Well buried and well forgotten. Lani looked at Odion and again couldn’t understand how the redhead always saw himself as the bad guy. If anything Lani could see that because of being a thief he had been told he was a bad person and it only took so much of that before someone started believing it. Oh well, Lani would make himself hoarse telling Odion how much of a wonderful person he was if he needed to get Odion to believe it.

Odion would soon learn that his mother had a very different opinion of what was skinny than most people. Lani had seen Odion in his boxers that one time and he had taken a look but torn his eyes away in embarrassment before he could be caught staring. It didn’t take Lani more than that brief span of time to realize that Odion was very well built. And Lani had felt the strength of those arms the few times they had embraced. His mother would love to have someone who she could feed. He didn’t know why but it seemed like it was a family thing. That was also assuming that his mother would stop asking questions long enough to let Odion eat. Lani smiled a little bit at the thought. Imagine that Odion was the first person who had met his parents of all the people at Hammel. The universe had a funny way of working. Now he just hoped that it didn’t do something else. As the universe giveth the universe taketh away. And it seemed to give Lani just enough good to get him comfortable before it tore things out from under him.

Lani laughed a little bit and said offhand, “You know I still think you should have been the leprechaun for Halloween.” That was the first time Lani had seen Odion’s twin and he hated to admit that the anger it caused Odion caused him quite a bit of amusement. But that aside Odion had the red hair and the light Irish skin tone. It may be a little bias but Lani thought the leprechaun costume would have looked better on Odion. Lani smiled as Odion seemed that he was going to go into more detail and then he stopped and Lani almost groaned as his curiosity was disappointed. He found himself laughing. “What? I can’t enjoy an interesting person’s interesting story?” He nodded a little bit and waggled his eyebrows, begging for Odion to continue.

Running his thumb gently over Odion’s fingers in a soothing gesture. Well he wasn’t going to get an answer on shooting people today, oh well, that wasn’t really the point. He’d come back to that later. Something else was afoot and Lani wasn’t sure he liked it very much. Lani nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard the number. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed his eyes wide. “What the hell did he do?” Lani couldn’t even imagine someone costing that much bounty it was mindboggling. “So he came here? Hammel’s not going to be able to protect him.” Lani said grimly and blinked in surprise at Odion. “What are you talking about? You’ve been here…” Unless something happened when he and Rhett went to France. Oh well, if Odion needed a way to make a lot of money really fast he would need a plan, and if he wanted a plan and a master heist planner he had come to the right person. A jewelry store or two, maybe three would do it. Lani was already doing the internal calculations, to not give the majority of the profit to someone else that would increase the cut Lani ever got from robbing a jewelry story blind. But they had to find a seller or a middle man, preferably the latter since jewelry was most valuable when it could be melted down to prevent recognition and they would take a significant cut.

[Odion Martins]

Odion rolled with the punches smoothly, so long as he wasn’t under too much stress. It was why he had simply reacted instead of changed things upon being kidnapped. Well that, and curiosity always killed the cat, and Odi had a hard time keeping his nose out of things where it didn’t belong. Odi was a bad guy. Maybe he wasn’t evil, but he certainly didn’t go out of his way to prove that mankind was anything good. Mankind had a bad side, and he was it. Everything about him said so, and maybe he was just trying to live up to the one thing that was a given instead of trying to prove it wrong. What was the point when things seemed inevitable whenever he stepped into the future? It was what kept him from testing that side of his powers. Now one person had come into his life and the cosmos rearranged. And it was about damn time he got a new start.

Everyone had different opinions, Odi just hoped his wouldn’t be offensive. He knew a lot of the things he said to Lani’s parents would end up being lies or half-truths, but he hoped Lani would understand. He also hoped that his mother wasn’t that good of a lie detector. Odi glanced at Lani, taking him in for the hundredth time. They were about the same build, but Lani was slightly taller, a little lankier. Odion liked that a lot. Maybe Odi could keep his mouth full at all times, then she wouldn’t expect much talking and still be pleased. Odion wasn’t sure what to expect and he was having a hard time trying not to think about it. He was quite excited, but also very nervous. At this point, if the universe tried taking Odion away, he wouldn’t go without a fight.

“Why? Did you enjoy that outfit?” Odion asked, a devilish smile on his face. Declyn didn’t look bad in the outfit, but he did look ridiculous. It was strange, they nearly had the same build. Odion would stick to his V costume, thank you very much. Declyn at least look like a typical Irishman, and for that, Odi was slightly jealous. He often thought he looked unique, that didn’t mean he thought he looked particularly handsome. At least Declyn got those genes. Odion knew his history now, but he smiled slightly, looking at Lani sheepishly. “I don’t know anymore,” he said, glancing up at the ceiling of the bus, “I erased it.” Maybe Declyn wouldn’t mind telling him after all. He wanted another chance, and now he was proving to Declyn that he did.

Odion nodded a couple times. When he heard the story he’d called Jared really dumb, the dumbest thief he knew in fact, but he still wanted to help Jared – that was more than Rhett could say. “Well, he slept with someone’s wife and then took the copy of the key she had to their safe, and he stole everything in it. The man caught him and wants everything back, with interest, or his head on a platter.” Odion didn’t care about what he was saying out loud, no one seemed to be listening to a couple of teenage boys on a trip to Boston. Had Odion known who the man with a bounty on Jared’s head was, he would’ve gone nuts. But Jared hadn’t told that part of the story – that said man was also a part of their gang, but merely someone who had done extremely well by getting extremely involved. And to make matters worse, Jared had only gone after the man because he believed the man was the reason why he got kicked out of their pickpocketing gang.

Odi nodded. “I know Hammel can’t protect him. Rhett seems to think so, but…” Yes, Rhett was involved in Odi’s life once more, and he didn’t like it one bit. “He came here to ask for our help,” Odi explained. And who better to ask than a couple of old friends?

Now was time for Odi to explain. “When I was in the gang, right around the time Rhett started getting his powers, there were a couple weeks where he hadn’t stolen anything,” Odion bit his lips. He’d never told anyone this story, and he wondered if Rhett knew indirectly because of his ESP. “So I stole from Jared to make sure Rhett wouldn’t get kicked out…” Odi sighed, staring past Lani. “I’m not sure how this connects, but I have a sick feeling that it does.” Jared would have to tell him the rest of the story if he really didn’t want to die.

“Point is, we’re excellent pickpockets, but none of us has ever been in that much debt,” he took his hat off and stared at it between his hands. Odi smirked slightly, giving Lani a sideways glance. “Think we can come up with something?”

[Lani Hunter]

Lani wouldn’t accept that. They both represented the darker side of the world but that didn’t mean either of them were bad. There were varying degrees of good and bad from the purest white that no one could touch to the darkest black which no one could completely fall to. They both held ground in the gray area. Lani liked to think that they were on the lighter side of gray. Lani had met people who were close to that pure color and he had also met people who were closer to the black. Neither of them met either, but both had qualities of both. Lani didn’t understand why Odion didn’t go into the future more often. He could see things that would happen and figure out how to avoid them. The future was like wet clay constantly forming and changing. And even when it was set into stone it could be easily shattered by the accidental brush of a hand that could topple it over.

It was all up to Lani’s parents at this point to heed his pleas that they avoid the topics he had listed off for them. He would have to watch his mother in the heat of conversation and watch his father at all times. His father didn’t pull punches with anyone. Lani wondered absently thinking of Odion’s body if it would be weird for them to work out together. Lani was a runner but he had no idea what Odion did to stay in shape all he really knew was that it wasn’t all that hard for Odion to follow after Lani over the rooftops. There was still so much he didn’t know about Odion and the more he went through things in his head the more he realized that and the more his curiosity was turned on. Lani could sit here and listen to Odion talk for hours, he loved it when Odion got animated and he loved the accented voice Odion had.

Narrowing his eyes Lani grinned slyly loving that smile Odion wore. “I think it depends on who it’s on,” Lani answered carefully. Now Lani looked over Odion and cocked his head. “I think you’d look good in green,” he said because he was such a fashion expert. Now that he thought back he hadn’t seen Odion were green very often if at all. Odion had looked good in his V costume Lani just wished he had seen Odion’s face. But that was kind of the point of a costume. Lani blinked as his eyes widened at Odion and he did groan this time. “You’re killing me Smalls,” Lani said with a laugh, of course Odion should get all of the information he could on his family because Lani wanted to know. “But I don’t get it, why did you erase it?” Lani’s brow creased as he couldn’t understand. They had both gotten into each other’s files when they first met, desperate for information and when Odion had it now he just let it go?

Lani could tell the story was going to go badly from the moment Odion said he was sleeping with someone’s wife, but ironically enough that was not the reason this Jared was in hot water. Lani smacked his palm against his forehead. “Idiot!” Lani rolled his eyes and had half a mind to tell Odion to let natural selection take its course. A thief foolish enough to get caught didn’t deserve to be a thief at all. When a thief Lani knew got arrested or caught he, or she, had better not come showing their face around the boss. They would get no help there. And they all knew better than to talk, that would be a quick and easy way to find oneself six feet under. It was awesome when it was gotten away with but well Lani hated to think it but his friend was pretty much screwed. Which he probably realized, which was why he was here now begging for help. If it wasn’t a friend of Odion’s… Well Lani had never had someone come to him with a problem like this? Could he have turned down anyone?

“Rhett’s an idiot,” Lani said reflexively before he did a double take at Odion realize that Odion was plotting with Rhett most likely. Lani felt a surge of jealousy, only one more reason to get involved. Lani sighed and shook his head a little bit. Lani watched Odion the humor before swallowed by a solemn serious expression as he listened and planned at the same time. Lani nodded slowly and frowned. Even back then Odion was looking out for Rhett. He shook his head. He found it a little strange that they would be kicked out for not supplying. It just showed more and more how their situations had been different. Perhaps Lani would have been better off teaming up with pickpockets instead of his boss. He shook his head a little. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that he doesn’t know about that little detail?” Lani asked with a raised brow. Why would Jared have come to someone who had stolen from him? It didn’t make sense unless he didn’t know. “I don’t see how that would have anything to do with it, Odion,” Lani said squeezing the hand in his. “Plain and simple your friend is an idiot and is lucky to have friends like you.”

The conclusion came and Lani nodded in understanding. “That’s a lot of money.” He agreed, “You’ll never make that kind of money picking pockets.” By the time Odion gave him that look Lani already had the makings of a plan in his mind and his smile became impish and his expression screamed that he was mid-plan. He shrugged feinting humility but ruined it by saying, “You came to the right place, Mr. Martins.” He winked and leaned closer to Odion his excitement growing. “We have one of two options,” he held up one finger, “We find a few well to do jewelers,” another finger, “Or we clear out a gallery.” Lani’s eyes were shining as he acted consultant. “Now the latter is going to be the hardest but have the biggest pay off. We’d first need a buyer and figure out if they’ll pay us enough to get what they want. But we’d be damn lucky if we found someone willing to pay that much money for something. The first will be easier to get but take a little longer. Jewelry can get a little complicated if you’re not careful. The best thing to do is find a middle man and sell to him.”

Odion had gotten Lani into his element. He might be a mediocre pickpocket but when it came to big scale heists there was no one better. And Lani wasn't just being arrogant. He had been good with his hands but now in tandem with his power he was the perfect criminal, but he wasn't so cocky to not be extremely careful for there could be the perfect detective out there somewhere. "But Odion, I think your friend should sit this out." Pretty much, Lani didn't trust him not to do something stupid again and get them all caught. No, Lani would help but he would not take any of the fall for this kid's stupidity.