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[orangehoodie]

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[orangehoodie]

[He stares down at them. And then he says that he needs to know where Ken is at all time.

He's not gonna take away Ken's Evoker in case something happens, and he's not going to say you can't see each other. But Ken has to be home by nine unless you clear it with him first, and if you want to hang out you have to clear it with him first. If you go out and want to change locations, you have to tell him before you do.

... If you still want to go to New York next month, he'll think about it. Maybe if you manage three weeks without getting into trouble.]

[pheromonecoffee]

[Matt nods quietly. He casts his eyes down again.]

[orangehoodie]

[Ken is quiet, too. He was almost expecting his dad to say they couldn't hang out anymore so it's better, but.

A sigh. Papada uncrosses his arms. Do you need anything?]

[pheromonecoffee]

[He shakes his head.] Sorry I came so late. I just got in. I'll go if you guys are busy.

[inretribution]

[Don't worry. Thank you for coming in at all, really. You can stay if you want; Ken's been worried about you a lot.]

[pheromonecoffee]

I don't want to impose. [He also doesn't want to stay because he'll ask questions like how he's supposed to contact Mr Amada when he's almost never around anyway?

He gets up, though. He'll go because he doesn't want to cause or be a part of a fight. He's also exhausted and broken, and he doesn't...

Want responsibility right now.]

[orangehoodie]

[Ken gets up a moment after. Not to stop him but...]

Can I walk you to the lobby?

[pheromonecoffee]

[He smiles again. Ruffles Ken's hair. But for some reason his hand seems heavier now. Ken's dad isn't mad. He can't understand it. That's the best possible outcome, right?]

Aren't you kind of under dressed?

[orangehoodie]

I've run outside in worse. [Before they met. In winter, too, with only sandals back when his pajamas were flannel instead of a shirt and sweats. He looks worriedly up at Matt, feeling the weight of his hand. He makes himself stand straighter.]

Would it bother you?

[pheromonecoffee]

[He looks at Mr Amada, questioningly?]

[orangehoodie]

[Mr Amada answers that as long as it's okay with Matt. He's handing Ken his jacket though.]

[pheromonecoffee]

Sure. Come on. [He'll wait until Ken's got his jacket on.[

[orangehoodie]

[He's quick to put it on, walking already as he does. He shoves his feet into some slide sandals and shuffles after Matt, not bothering with the lock.]

Sorry. He's just been worried.

[pheromonecoffee]

He's a dad. It's what they do. I'm sorry if you got in trouble because of me...

[orangehoodie]

I'm not in trouble. [He started off on one side of Matt, but he takes a few steps forward, ending up on the other side, peering up at him.]

Hey. Would it be better if I stayed away for a while? I mean, it can't be easy, right? Even if he's just worried, having him breathing down your neck like that... I mean, he's not gonna stop us from talking, but. Maybe I should hold off on visiting for a while?

[pheromonecoffee]

[He blinks in confusion and then looks... guilty.]

You do what you want. Okay?

[orangehoodie]

... I want to keep hanging out. [He lets out a breath. Not quite a sigh, but a deeper breath than before.] Over the summer, even if we don't go to New York, and if you're not busy, I want to do homework with you once school starts, too.

Nadia's dad thought she was getting Echoes because of me, once. And he's the senator. I thought we were a goner and I might not get to see her anymore. I didn't want that. But I didn't... want her to to get in trouble, or for her to worry that she'd get me in trouble by being around her.

Is it hard to be around me?

[pheromonecoffee]

... You're like a little brother I never got to have, Ken. It's not that it's hard to be around you. [He crouches to look him in the eye, so he's shorter than Ken and takes him by the shoulders.] But I was supposed to be keeping an eye on you and you got hurt.

[orangehoodie]

... You've done a better job of looking out for me than SEES ever did with him.

[He looks back at Matt, not breaking eye contact, but raising one hand to grasp Matt's sleeve gently.]

You're still like a brother to me. One dumb mob's not gonna change that.

[pheromonecoffee]

We aren't SEES, Ken. We have chances of being happy. Of not running into danger we can't beat.

I saw you get hurt enough to last a life time.

[orangehoodie]

... I don't want to see anyone get hurt. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore, either.

But -- being a Numbered got me friends. I don't want to let go of that either. It's dangerous, and it's messed up -- Ken keeps giving me fucked up memories and so does Minato to you -- but I want to stay, and be your friend.

[pheromonecoffee]

Being Numbered didn't get you friends, Ken. I was tutoring you, whether you were Numbered or not. And you were lonely. It doesn't matter we share echoes--I would have been your friend. You were nice to Nadia when she didn't know what was happening. You helped her when she had no one else. You were nice to Basil in class when he could've been feeling alienated.

Ken, that's not being Numbered. That's being you. Do you think anybody cares about your Numbers? They care about Ken Amada. The only thing being Numbered did was give you a better platform.

[orangehoodie]

[His face turns red, and his mouth shuts tight. The blood rushes to his head and he his grasp on Matt's sleeve tightens.

Without the Numbers, to him, he would never have had the chance. Matt would've been any other tutor, any other person sent his way by a teacher or his father. He would've never spoken to Nadia; he would've never spoken to Basil if he never spoke to Nadia. Even if they didn't care about his Number, it was because he had it that he even had this chance. Even if it came with the memories of being shot at or being crushed by a table, or losing so many people to death. Being a Numbered had given him the chance for all that change, even if he hated it. He even cared about Nemesis, at this point. She was his.

if he lost his Number completely, he might forget something important. Maybe not everything, but something important. That scares him.]

... Are you [a pause] okay with me sticking around? [He doesn't want to lose anything he's gained. But he doesn't want to hurt the things he's come to care about either.]

[pheromonecoffee]

I don't want you to get hurt from my stupid ideas, Ken. [Of course he wants Ken to stick around. His grip tightens on the smaller boy's shoulders.]

You're just a kid. You need to be safe.

[orangehoodie]

You're older than me, but you need to be safe, too. [He's still holding his friend's sleeve.] Your ideas've never hurt me.