By Any Other Name Read Online Free PDF Page B

all the luggage you got?” Dru asked, and Skye nodded.
     
    “Let’s go, then,” Thom said and linked his hand with Dru’s before leading them outside to a dark gray SUV in the closest parking lot.
     
    “Any preference where you want to sit?” Dru asked politely as Thom rounded the car and went to the driver’s seat.
     
    “Nope, I can take the back,” Skye said, and Dru climbed in the front with Thom.
     
    This was good—he didn’t have to look at the others, which made the possible conversation easier.
     
    “So how was the trip? Did you get around the airports fine?” Dru asked, turning his torso a bit. Enough to be polite but not enough to make Skye feel crowded.
     
    “It was okay, I was concentrating on myself and where I was going and kept ignoring the people, so I didn’t really panic at all,” Skye said, and Dru smiled at him.
     
    “It’s about half an hour drive to the house; it’s twenty minutes from the city. We thought we’d cook for once, if that’s okay by you?” Dru asked.
     
    “Yeah, I think it’s a good start.” Skye mumbled a bit; he wasn’t anywhere near ready to go into some restaurant or whatever the options were.
     
    “We don’t cook often. Usually we order takeout,” Thom said and glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “I can’t always get out of work in time for cooking to make sense, and Dru doesn’t like cooking alone even though he works from home.”
     
    “All I really like to do is bake,” Dru said, probably to fill the silence.
     
    “Well, I can’t cook, but I can clean; that’s something I liked to do at Haven,” Skye said, and the others nodded, Dru smiling a little again. They were making an effort, all of them, and it felt vaguely good. These two strangers—because that was what Dru was now too—were taking him in, and he could work with what few skills he had.
     
    “Sure, that would be great. Though I have to warn you that Dru’s office space is… chaotic. He doesn’t let me clean anything there. We should see if you have better luck.” Thom smirked, glancing at Skye through the mirror again, and Dru smacked his arm.
     
    Two things happened at once: Thom said “Ow!” and Skye pulled back as fast as he could and as far as he could from where he had been leaning to hear the others better.
     
    “Oh shit! Sorry, Skye!” Dru said in a panicked voice that would’ve been funny if the situation had been different.
     
    Thom shot Dru a glare that intimidated Skye even more, and he closed his eyes to be able to concentrate on his breathing and letting his body relax into the seat. He fucking hated this, but the gut reactions hadn’t gone away.
     
    “No… no… it’s just… fast hand movements and hitting someone even while playing like that…. It’s me who should be sorry. Nothing threatening about that at all,” he said quietly as his breathing returned to normal and the looming panic attack was avoided once again. He was getting better at calming himself down in these situations; it did give him some hope for the future.
     
    “The problem is that Dru acts before he thinks. This will happen again, or not this, but something like it, and I’m apologizing beforehand, Skye,” Thom said in a compassionate voice, most likely trying to make his tone as non-threatening as possible. “We can all work on how we act and feel. It will take time, and we’re prepared for it, otherwise we wouldn’t have agreed to this.”
     
    Skye took in a deep breath and then exhaled. Okay… so maybe this would work somehow.
     
    “Skye?” Dru asked in a small, insecure voice Skye hadn’t heard ever before, not even when they were kids.
     
    “Yeah?” he asked, slowly leaning forward again.
     
    “I’m sorry. I’ll try to be better. And I’ll never hit you, okay? Or Thom. Neither of us has ever hit the other, and we’ve been together for three years now.” Dru turned to look at Skye. His eyes were apologetic, and it looked like he was