Page 35 of Peach Tree Family

"So that cat is already being a good friend to you," Seth said and stroked the cat's back as it came over to sniff Ace's PlayStation.

Later on she climbed on Ace while he was playing, but he didn't get mad at her when he couldn't play so good. At bedtime, he carried her to bed with him, and she cuddled next to him. Theo said goodnight and shut the lamp off, but Ace stopped him.

"It's too dark," Ace complained.

"The bird lamp we put in the other room isn't as bright as that one," Seth said to Theo. "We can put it in there."

"I can't take your light, Seth," Ace said.

Seth chuckled at how serious Ace was. "I don't mind."

"We'll just leave the door ajar and that will let light in from out here," Theo told him. "You have Butter, and I'll leave music playing in there. That should help too."

In the end, Ace was fine, and the next time Theo checked on him, he was asleep.

"That cat tuckered him out," Seth said as Theo came back to sit on the mattress they had left in the living room.

"It was a busy day, and I was proud of Ace. He didn't whine too much about all the things I couldn't afford to buy him," Theo said and he smiled. He was a loving big brother.

"He's a smart shopper and a good kid. Too bad that old man spoiled things, he was a nasty piece of work." It made Seth mad to think of how he spoke to Ace and Theo. And then that other guy trying to start a row. Seth wasn't sure he should say any more about that, but he just couldn't help himself. "You know I wouldn't let anyone mess with you and Ace. I'd fight for you."

"Why do you think you need to protect us?" Theo asked him, and his eyes took on that hard look that meant Seth might be in trouble.

Seth couldn't think of a good answer to get himself out of it. "I don't know. I just..."

"I can take care of us," Theo said, his voice sharp.

"I know. It's... It's just how I feel."

There was a long, thick silence between them then Theo asked, "Have you done a lot of fighting?"

"Not if I didn't have to, but I had a reputation for it anyway. When I was younger, when my mom and dad got themselves into trouble with the law, I got into fights at school. I was defending them from what the other kids were saying. Then my grandpa sat me down and told me they did the crime. They stole from the Henshaws, the richest family in town. By then, I had a reputation for starting fights and just being no good like my folks."

"I'm sorry. I appreciate that you want to defend us. I do," Theo said, but Seth knew he was dead set on handling everything himself. That's why he didn't like taking help from anybody.

Staring at his feet, Seth suddenly felt Theo bump him with his shoulder. "Let's watch something Ace isn't allowed to. Then tell him about it in the morning so he'll get mad at us."

"Just that first thing," Seth told him and Theo grinned at him.

"Oh, yeah, you're bad news, real scary guy," Theo said, making fun of him.

"You thought I was bad news," Seth told him.

Now Theo got serious. "Are you talking about...?"

"When you found me here," Seth said but he could tell he had made him think of something else. "So what are we watching? I'm up for anything. I mean watching anything."

He was babbling like a fool, but that was because he was pretty sure he and Theo were now both thinking about how Seth kissed him. When Theo started playing something on the iPad, Seth didn't even know what it was, but he forced his brain to pay attention only to what was on the screen and nothing else. Not Theo's face so close by, not the glow in his eyes, not his lips, that's for damn sure.

They watched some zombie action, and Seth could see why Ace wasn't allowed to. When they were done and Theo stood up, Seth finally took a proper breath. He felt like he hadn't been able to breathe the whole time they sat next to each other, like he was always measuring the inch or two of distance between them and telling himself not to lean in any closer.

"I'll drag this into the room now," he said standing up too and picking up the mattress.

"I'll help you." Theo grabbed the other end and they got the mattress into the bedroom.

Seth turned on the bird lamp and started pulling on the sheets.

"Check out the luxury, a room with only an ugly lamp and a mattress in it," Theo said as he looked around.

"Everything I need. You won't be too crowded over there with you, Ace and a cat?" Seth asked him and pictured the cat climbing all over him as he slept.

Theo must have been thinking the same thing because he made a face. "I'll see, I guess. Good night."

"Good night," Seth said as he watched Theo go into the room he and Ace shared.

"Good night," Theo said again just before shutting the door to their bedroom.

Not bothering the shut his own door, Seth looked around. A good size room, a decent mattress and that lamp Ace picked out – Seth didn't need any more than that. He had brought hardly anything with him, but then he hardly had anything to bring.

Theo brought a life with him, and Seth just had some ratty, old clothes. Those t-shirts Theo picked out for him were the best things he owned. He took them out and looked at them under the light of the lamp and he smiled. When he shoved them at Seth, the look in Theo's eyes was different. Hotter maybe. It wasn't there for long, but it made Seth want to kiss him even more than before. Not that he ever stopped wanting to. He burned to kiss him all the time.

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