From outside, Eden's Diner appeared unfriendly, gloomy, and dull. It was a hole in the wall, complete with plastered walls and worn down marble pillars. It was difficult to see through the stain glass windows, but the interior seemed equally ruined.

As he entered through the wooden doors, Finn was greeted with judgmental eyes and a layer of smoke hanging just below the ceiling. The woman at the front desk was coughing into a napkin, disregarding the two bodies that entered.

"Why exactly did you choose here," Finn whispered as he batted his long lashes anxiously. "They don't seem welcoming."

Inside was just as horrible as the outside. Wooden beams creaked as they held up the second floor, the constant trickle of sand and dust from above made Finn's skin crawl. The walls were covered in slurs and messages, some of them worn away and unreadable.

Liam took Finn's hand in his own and gave him a reassuring smile. "We aren't here for them. We're here for us."

Us. Like they were a couple. Finn nodded and followed him toward the back of the diner, still taking in bits of scenery.

The few people they walked by were ominous, to say the least, and Finn wanted to stay as far away as he could from them.

Liam pulled out his chair and pushed Finn in as he sat down, promptly taking his seat after.

"What do you want to drink?"

Two dusty menus were tossed on their table as the woman flipped through her notepad, searching for an empty page.

Finn felt his nerves begin to get the best of him as he toyed with his fingers. "I'll have apple juice, please..."

"What are you? Five?"

The raspiness of her voice made them both tense up; Liam's face stunned at her tone. "He wants the apple juice, so that's what he'll get."

The point of her pencil snapped against her notepad as she glared at him. "We're all out."

"All of a sudden?"

"I don't need to eat anything... I'm fine with just talking." Finn gave him a weary smile and pushed his menu to the center of the table, earning a roll of the waitress's eyes. As she left, Finn bit into his lip and tucked his hair behind his ears. "What did you want to talk about anyway?"

"Nothing really," Liam chuckled nervously and grinned. "Just wanted to see you again."

His hair was different from this morning, shaved on both sides with the top long enough to cover his forehead. Liam's eyes seemed to twinkle every time he made eye contact with Finn. Twisting himself in his seat, he tugged his phone from his pocket and placed it face-up on the table.

"Are you seeing fine? How are your bruises?" He outstretched a hand and fiddled with Finn's fingers, shaking his knee anxiously.

"Alistaire had backup contacts for me," he shrugged and held his breath as he felt Liam take his hand in his own. "I guess it was bound to happen."

"And you're okay with that? Is that what you're worth?"

Finn's face was utterly baffled as Liam began scolding him, his bottom lip quivering as he pulled his hand away and placed it in his lap. "No..."

"Then explain why you tolerate it."

"I'm not," Finn grumbled, shifting in his seat. "What would you know, anyway?" If this was Liam's idea of a date, it wasn't working.

"I know a lot of things," he snapped back, "Probably more about yourself than you know." His icy stare made Finn bow his head apologetically as he furrowed his eyebrows. He wasn't trying to be mean, but it was the truth.

He wanted to steer away from where this conversation was headed- steer away from ex and boyfriend drama. Finn was starving, and he'd already told Liam he wasn't hungry.

"Do you want anything to eat?"

It was as if he read his mind, and while the sternness on his face remained, Finn forced himself to look past it. "Yes, please," he decided.

The waitress was called over once more, her face twisted into a daggerlike grin as another toss of the menus in their direction and another plume of dust greeted her two customers. "Hurry up," she demanded, "I've got a seat calling my name."

As Liam placed their order, his phone lit up, drawing Finn's attention to his screen. He received a text from an unsaved number that looked vaguely familiar. Upon staring at the conglomeration of numbers on his screen, he felt a ping of anxiety suddenly tackle his nerves. The number looked familiar because it was Alistaire's.

"I got you the Red Wine Cobbler. Is that okay?" As he asked his question, he casually grabbed his phone and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Hm? Yes, thank you." Finn smiled and tilted his head to the side, a playful tone masking the fear in his voice. "Who was that?"

"I got a message from the principal, is all," he lied.

As he opened his mouth to confront Liam's poor lie, he watched him struggle to free the phone from his pockets and answer his call.

"Hello, yes, ma'am..." From the expression on Liam's face, Finn held his breath and clenched his fists around the rim on his sweater- it seemed like he was telling the truth. He covered the receiver with one hand and stood up and apologetic frown washing a wave of guilt over Finn's body.

"Can I take this?" he mouthed.

Finn shooed him away and gritted his teeth as the raven exited the diner.

"Stop your bitchin' and enjoy." Two bowls were tossed in front of him- filled with a surprisingly appealing looking dish. Her sudden wink made Finn's cheeks flush.

"Thank you," he smiled.

"You're welcome." A voice chimed from behind the waitress, causing Finn's eyes to widen. There was a warmth that came from that voice, and he'd only heard it a handful of times.

"Embry?"

"You remembered my name?" A flirtatious wink kissed his sentence closed as he sat down.

Dark-green eyes were set narrowly in his sockets, his chestnut-colored hair falling naturally to his chin. Even with the coolness in his tone, Finn noticed the discreet hostility in his posture- as if he was expecting something terrible to happen. His face was sparsely coated in freckles and they seductively decorated down his neck.

"Of course I remembered," Finn blushed and gave him a shy smile. "I just didn't expect to see you here."

With further inspection of Embry's appearance, Finn noticed a scar trailing down the center of his neck and averted his attention elsewhere.

Regardless of his past, something was charming about Embry. It could've been his body language or even how they met, but there was something about him that made him feel comfortable.

"Where's your friend?" he asked.

"He had a call," Lifting his spoon from the dessert before him, Finn paused before taking a spoonful of the red mass into his mouth. "He'll be back... I think."

The thin black chain that dangled from Embry's left ear ended with a cross- three other miniature studs lining behind it. He cocked his head to the side and smirked smugly as he examined the entrance. "'You think?' That doesn't sound very promising."

A river of sand from the second floor dusted over Finn's dessert, like graham cracker crumbs as a roar of laughter and chortling sounded above.

"Somebody doesn't have much luck."

Finn pouted and pushed his bowl to the center of the table, a frustrated groan escaping his lips.

A group of males was stumbling down the rotting wooden steps, their howls of laughter the only lively energy he'd witnessed so far.

"Do you want another bowl?"

Another seductive wink flew in Finn's direction as he gave him a subtle nod, an arched brow disapproving of his response. Embry grabbed hold of Finn's cheeks and noted how he flinched when he held him- his frigid glare sending shivers down his spine. "What happened to you, and where are your glasses?"

"I accidentally broke them..." he lied.

"And to your face and neck?" he questioned. He waited until Finn parted his lips to slap his cheek lightly, the sound of him wincing, making him lean back in his seat. "You're an awful liar; you know that?"

Finn held his cheek in his hand and nodded before pursing his lips. If Embry wanted the truth, he'd tell him. "Alistaire did it..." he whispered, the fear in his eyes intriguing Embry even further.

"Who's that?" A sneer was plastered on his face as he propped a leg up on the seat. "Wanna go somewhere else and talk about it?"

"I can't just leave Liam here by himself..."

Embry grinned and pushed himself to stand up once more, outstretching a hand toward his blonde friend. "Then, Liam shouldn't have left you alone."

⍝⍝⍝

Finn found himself on the other side of the city, an entirely new environment and expanse of land- even the people were different. The stars overhead twinkled like fireflies in the night, a crisp gust of air finding its way underneath Finn's sweater. They'd spent hours talking about his situation, confiding in one another about different events, but Embry was still reasonably secretive.

He was seated on a marble bench that complimented a fountain, its sleek features coated in the water pumping from its spout. As Embry took a seat next to him and grinned, he found himself appreciating their accidental clash. Finn evoked something he'd never cared to feel before, but Embry pushed the feelings aside and bit into his lip.

"You look better without your glasses anyway..." he mutter, glancing over at the blonde.

Finn tucked his hair behind his ears and shyly smiled as he was complimented, the redness in Embry's face making him squirm. "Thank you, you aren't as much of a delinquent as I thought you were." A chuckle burst from his lips as he playfully nudged Embry's side and shielded his face. It felt freeing to laugh again, to enjoy someone else's company, and for once, feel like he was worth something.

Embry's eyes were glued to his, almost in awe as he cleared his throat. "It's nice to see you laugh for a change." As he shifted against the bench, he felt his heart nearly skip a beat as his fingertips brushed against Finn's.

"Ah, it's getting pretty late..." A bashful smile spread over his face as he pushed himself to stand, tugging the neck of his sweater upward. As much as he didn't want the night to end, he knew he needed to go home. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow. Do you want me to walk you home?" Any time he could spend with Finn was worth it, especially with his situation at home.

Finn nodded and outstretched a hand teasingly, but to his surprise, Embry took it in his own and interlocked their fingers. "Y-You weren't supposed to grab it, you know... It was a joke." His face flushed with embarrassment as Embry tugged him close to his chest.

"If not your hand, then what should I grab?" A promiscuous chuckle escaped his lips as he let go of Finn's hand and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"You're too close, Embry..," Finn huffed and gently pushed against Embry's chest. "What if someone sees?"

"Then let them see." he brushed his lips against Finn's forehead and felt his fight turn to submission.

His knees gave out from underneath him as Embry's lips brushed against his skin, the heat in his face making his bottom lip tremble. "I really need to get home... Alistaire might be worried."

"Fine, I'll take you home." He loosened his grip around Finn's waist and took his hand in his own, a faint smile on his lips as he began trekking toward Blackburn.

They walked in silence for ten minutes, and Finn couldn't help but think he'd just pissed Embry off, his narrowed eyes strictly focused on the road ahead.

"Did I upset you..?" he whispered into his sweater.

Embry kept quiet and stopped in his tracks, turning on his heels as he responded. "If I lied or told the truth, you'd never know the difference."