Page 64 of Natural-Born Cullers

Giving a rough sigh, Martin went over and took the list off the guard. “Not being funny, Pauline, but potassium persulfate…?” He cocked a brow. “That goes into hydrogen peroxide.”

The guard didn’t look happy. “Light gave me these when we left the lab.”

Gray gave the list a glance as he gripped Light’s jaw.

“Hair dye.” Martin put the list on the table, closer to Gray, and gave a small smile. “Been doing a little reading, just in case.” His look wasn’t friendly when he looked at Light.

Potassium persulfate, sodium silicate, magnesium carbonate hydroxide…. Added to that, Gray caught the list of ingredients for the toner, which Martin had missed…. “Silver blond?” he said to Light. “Why the sudden change to your hair colour?”

“Th’fuck off.” Light jerked back as Gray went to shift his hair off his ear. A rougher grip under his jaw stopped him pulling away.

“It’s a scratch, nothing more.” The heat of the bullet had already cauterised the small graze. Gray held Light’s look to his. “You want to play at this level? Learn the art of self-care. Clean yourself up.” Again Light tried to pull away, but Gray shook his head. “You answer the question first: why the sudden change?”

“Fuck you,” Light said flatly. “You met me when I was covered in body art. Change and colourismy normal. Get Baseman to mix the colour if trust’s that low, just don’t order it off some shelf. Any impurity can go into that shit.”

Martin cocked Gray a brow, and Gray pulled away. With the mood Light was in, Gray would rather put the call through to Baseman to mix the composition, but—“Substitute it for one of your practical lessons with him over the next few days. You can mix the composition, but per the usual rules: supervised. And only after you’ve learned self-care and the pitfalls of it.”

Martin came level to Gray’s side, arms folded.

“What?” Gray said.

“He gets that seen to. And I don’t mean ragdoll stitches in the field.”

Gray held his look, then went to turn away. “He doesn’t need a doctor.” A grip to his arm pulled him back.

“He gets it seen to,” Martin said flatly. “Your home. Your rules. Ground him in the good.” Anger was there, and it seemed directed towards both him and Light, towards the disturbed waters around… home.

Gray looked down at Light. Light didn’t say anything, his look shifting behind him as if he heard someone speak. Or maybe the frown there said he didn’t hear someone speak. Then he focused on the table and played the edge around it.

Christ, that deep brown richness in Light’s eyes killed him each and every time. He’d missed every moment of him growing up, but that one look carried a host of memories in Light’s eyes: first crawl, first words, first stumbled steps into walking. First hold of his mother’s hand on a morning walk on Welsh roads to school, playing with a kid’s chemistry set in his bedroom with Brin, then hushes and chuckles as brothers hid under a blanket as parents tried to sleep in the next bedroom… everything. Everything but the spark of life back into all that history, the one that saw Light feel his way into the life he carried so unconsciously in his eyes.

Gray didn’t see all that in the heat; he wouldn’t allow the tie, but…. “Make the call to the MC, Ray. We get him over there.”

“Doesn’t hurt anymore.” Light finally pulled out of his touch. “So fuck you.”

Gray frowned, not quite sure who Light spoke to there, because his focus was back on the table, his ear tilted slightly as if he took part in a conversation with someone else, or looked for someone to bite back at him for it.

“Will do,” said Ray, tugging out his phone.

Martin looked Simon’s way as he came through, rubbing at bloodied knuckles. Simon took a seat opposite Light and pulled his breakfast over, and silence hung around them both as they shared afuck youlook.

“Trip and fall over the same bar of soap in the bathroom, did we?” Martin shifted his gaze between them, and when nothing came his way, he looked at Gray as Gray moved out of the way. “You need to watch that around here. The not-so-accidental report is looking a little dubious even to the delivery boy who does his monthly airdrop by glider to avoid facing you at the door.”

Snorting, Gray turned away for the guard. “Let Baseman know about the list and that he can leave early.”

“Way to skive off school, kid.” Martin scowled at Light, but Light ignored him.

“I need to let Jan know we’re off site.” Gray nodded at Martin. As he reached the door, he paused to let Martin go first.

As they walked across the green, Martin tugged something free of his pocket before offering it over with a slow smile.

Gray eyed up the note.

“A list,” Martin said, giving a sniff.

“You into demands now?”

“More giving you something else to focus on.” He gave Gray a wink as Gray took it. Martin carried on alone, and Gray stopped and looked it over, not catching on.

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