On a very harsh demand from a friend of mine who apparently created fan art for this monstrosity, I give you a story about a colleague noticing Nate's eagerness to answer to Sully or some bull. Read at your own risk. I own nothing
When you first meet the two, you can't help but question Victor's sanity. Picking up a teenage boy off the streets? What a cliché and implication open act; No middle aged man just scoops up a boy for 'lessons,' But Victor, you discover, is anything but perverse when it comes to the boy known as Nate. He's stern, but not harsh with him, nudges on the shoulder and pats on the back being the only true bit of contact. They act as a team, nothing else. Okay that's a lie; they get into childish tussles every now and then. The teen himself is distant, calculating, studying you with such a sneer you actually start to feel intimidated. Where did such a nasty act come from? And Victor's own line of an all business attitude only fueled the child's own unfriendly behavior. But you catch something; something very small that you doubt the older man himself could catch.
Every time Victor acknowledged his young partner, the boy perked. Not like he snapped out of thought, but how a puppy snaps up when their best companion whistles or calls for them. Those steely blue eyes brightened and softened at his mentors voice or touch. And he was always by the man's side unless sent away for something. Nate snipped and teased, but always listened when Victor spoke to him. All you could see when this happened was a pair of ears hiking up on the boys' head, an imaginary tail swishing behind him at the attention of his guardian. It was amusing. On a level. Other times it was very confusing. What made it worse was it sometime seemed Victor reacted to the behavior, playfully pushing the teen's face on your way to the site, or smirking at the boys' quick reactions. Or perhaps you were just too naïve to their relationship.
Either way, the puppy act became more and more prominent.
You lost your patience after the heist, Nate as always trailing next to Sully, the teen harboring their payroll in his worn satchel. It had gone well with Nate being able to virtually climb anywhere. The kid had sharp eyes, warning the two eldest over radio when guards surfaced. It had gone very well. Now here they were, heading off to the buyers location for their money. Victor sets a hand on the boys shoulder, muttering to him with you far behind them, watching body language. Just the way Nate straightens at the contact makes the image of the tail wagging pop up again. Surprisingly the boy runs off, leaving his satchel with Victor as he leaves. You use this time to hurry by the man's side. It was now or never.
"So Nate's interesting." You prod, eye twitching at Victor's shrug. Always so unreadable.
"He's a good kid. Bit of a smartass."
"He seems like a very…different partner." You try not to use the words touching your tongue. "Comfortable and uh, eager with you." Another shrug, but a small hint of a smile. The man's catching on to what you're saying, but refuses to save you the grief of saying it. So you lose it. You've known Victor long enough to know the man was smarter than this.
"Damnitt Victor! That kid follows you around like a lost puppy! Don't get sick of it?!" You blow up, flailing your arms and going red in the face. "You've only had him-what- a year, and he follows you around, so ready for you to ask him anything! You have to get annoyed!" The look in Victor's eyes says otherwise, you picking up on the sound of footsteps. You turn to see Nate holding a greasy bag, some sort of foreign chip between his lips. Ah, Sully had sent him to get food. Victor greets his protégé with 'nice job kid' and moves to get the bag from him. But before so, he very quietly murmurs to you something you'd never expect.
"…Not really." You stand there dumbfounded as the crinkle of the bag settles the air. You take one look at Nate, Victor's focus on him and you see the damn tail again, swishing side to side from the praise and attention. You were definitely too naïve for their relationship.
FFFFF-never listening to her again. Damn girl gets her way too often from me. HERE, HOPE YOU LIKE