Theo wasn't sure why a gang would think something like that or spread rumors about it. He was clearly just friends with the fiery redhead. It's not that there was something wrong with her, he was sue that she would have been an excellent partner to somebody. It was just he felt like he was the trouble in relationships and didn't feel ready to date. And he was very sure that he didn't really like Alleya like that.

He heard a low groan and the sound of water splashing. At least Nike was listening to him and actually taking a bath. The dude did smell like a little bit of sewer. He was sure there was an explanation for the reason for that. He just figured it was best not to ask.

Theo couldn't help but blush at the thought of being able to hear the newbie in the bathroom. His mind couldn't help but imagine him in the bathtub, relaxing and closing his eyes. Hopefully, he wouldn't fall asleep in the bathroom since the gang leader couldn't lift him out of the tub.

Theo just remained quiet, lost within his own thoughts. He was thinking why he kept on making himself appear like a fool in front of Nike, the issues with the Rebels and police, and everything from Alleya to stargazing.

There was a lot going on with the gang. Well, there was always a lot. Theo couldn't remember the last time he had a free moment to just be. With the new heat and water system, the gang was running low on money. That meant that Theo had to work overtime to earn money to make up for the ones they lost. He would rather not steal money, especially with the police on his tracks.Stealing wasn't really a thing he wanted to do to start with.

"Theo..? I um..."

Theo drew in at the sound of Nike's voice. His expression became curious but then Nike changed his mind. Whatever the man was going to say must have not been too important. His brain lingered on what it could have been before pushing it away. Nike could always bring it up again whenever he felt like it.

"I'll leave you to relax," He responded, not pushing the man to share what he was about to say earlier. He moved off the door,"I'll still be in here if you need anything. Let me know when you are ready for your clothes and a towel."

Nike was about the same size as him. He always kept his own winter clothes underneath his bed and separate from the rest of the gang. His winter clothes was what he had from home. They were what he packed the day he decided to run away. Surprisingly, most of them were still in good condition. They just fit a little baggier in some places. There was also some winter clothes that Flynn had bought him. Those were sentimental and hadn't been touched since the day he lost her.

He stood up and went back to his window, back to stargazing. He loved the way the stars seemed to shine brighter in the colder seasons. It was relaxing to him just to have time to look at the stars.

Theo had used the last towel for his face that he kept in there. He had also forgotten to give Nike's stuff to him before he had gotten into the bath. It was strange for him to forget things like that. It was probably due to stress or something. After all, there had been a lot of that because of everything that had been happening.

While he was waiting for Nike, he heard a soft knock on his door. He gave a sigh, it seemed like things never stopped. People never seemed to leave him alone. He didn't mind company at all, it was just annoying when that company just talked about gang related stuff. He would like somebody to just sit and have a normal conversation with him. But sadly, that rarely happened.

He sighed and got up, taking the clothes he picked out for Nike and neatly folded them onto his bed along with the clean towel. He slipped outside the door, shutting it quietly.

"Theo so sorry to bother you-" It was one of the night guards. That was never a good sign.

"Nope nothing to be sorry for. What's going on?" His voice was low and quiet.

"It's just that the gang is worried about the Rebels and the reason why you sent three members outside of gang territory shortly after the attack," The night guard explained.

Theo ran a hand through his hair, frowning and thinking for a moment,"Okay I'll have a meeting tomorrow. Just tell them that everything is fine for now." He slipped back inside without saying anything else.

It just so happened that Nike had called for a towel and his clothes while the gang leader was outside. Theo had no idea that Nike was waiting on him to hand him anything. He just assumed the man was relaxing and taking his sweet time. The gang leader returned to his position by the window, trying to connect the stars in his mind to see if what shapes they made.

Theo's presence by the window was a common sight. He loved looking out and keeping watch. He had also discovered a fascination of the stars since he had gotten this place. He hoped at their new place, his room had a window like this. Of course relocating wasn't necessary right now. He just preferred to have a place in mind just in case things went south. He doubted he had much to fear but it always nice to have options.

As he looked, he heard the sound of the door squeaking open. He didn't turn his back but curiously looked at the reflection of the doors in the window. For a moment, he had forgotten about Nike in the bath. That was until he saw the door open and a head pop out.

"I'm done, the towel and clothes would be nice now, please."

Theo turned around, his gaze sliding over Nike's appearance a bit longer than he should have. He couldn't help but blush when his eyes lingered down where he could see the man's chest before the door covered it. He could see water dripping down his chest. Quickly, he looked away and cleared his throat.

"Sure thing, sorry about that," He said quietly and moved away from his place by the window. He didn't mean to study his body, it just sort of happened. He didn't understand why. He grabbed the pile of clothes and the towel, walking over to Nike and handing them to him, making sure to stay on the side that hid the sight of Nike's body from him. He didn't want to make this situation any more awkward or make the new guy uncomfortable by accidentally seeing him in the nude.

As soon as he handed off the clothes,the other door opened. Theo jumped slightly, spinning around and seeing Alleya. She looked almost frozen to death, her hair dripping wet and he could hear the faint sounds of her teeth chattering.

"H-H-Hi," She chattered, walking in and shutting the door,"I-I-I-"

Theo turned his back to the bathroom, chuckling softly and grabbing the extra raccoon pelt from off his bed. He wrapped it around Alleya and guided her to his bed,"You know you could have taken a bath in my bathroom. I got hot water put in.

"F-F-Fucking hell!" She exclaimed loudly, glaring at the leader,"Y-Y-You could-d-d ha-av-e told me t-t-ha-t be-e-fore I went o-o-out!"

He chuckled again at her glare and how much her teeth were chattering. She should have given him time to say that. Besides she was looking well-awake now due to the freezing water from the pond outside. She stood her tongue out at him and pouted.

He went back to his window, looking at the stars. He wanted to talk to Alleya as well as Nike about the journey but if he asked anything now, she would be hard to comprehend. Besides, her part of the story could wait.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Alleya finally warmed up enough to speak,"It's just...it's not easy dealing with men all of the time. They were both pissing me off...Taurus for his dumb shit and Nike because he makes me feel like I'm useless. If I wanted to feel useless I would have stayed with my e-I mean parents."

Theo arched an eyebrow and turned around. He moved to sit on the bed beside her,"Now, now I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure NIke knows you aren't useless."

Allleya sighed and rested her head on her hands,"I'm tired of everybody thinking I'm useless. Everybody either thinks that or they hate me. It's not a great feeling to have. You'll never understand what that feels like."

Theo didn't warn her about Nike being on the other side of the door. To be fair, she didn't give him any opportunity to. Besides, what was said had already been said. What Nike wanted to do with that information was up to him.

When Theo sat down, Alleya leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't mind at all, she was probably just trying to warm up. Besides, Alleya had always been a little touchy with people. It took a little while to get used to but now, it was rather normal. He would think it was odd if the woman didn't touch him one day.

"Um actually, I know exactly how that feels like," He stated, frowning. Alleya had noticed the lack of like within the gang and her as well. Alleya was a complicated being, she could be hard to like. She was talkative, outgoing, and a space evader. However, she was also a fast-thinker, caring person that had a spark in her that a person couldn't help but be drawn to.

He didn't get to finish that though because then Nike walked out. Theo had given him a Nirvana hoodie and a pair of joggers that were fleece lined. Warm but also very comfortable. It was supposed to have an impact on the man's ability to fall asleep. Theo was still hoping that he would decide to rest.

"Thank you...um where should I put this?"

Alleya seemed absolutely shocked at the presence of Nike. Her eyes went wide and her hand went to her mouth. She was aware of the thin walls. She knew that there was no way he couldn't have heard her. She leaned off of Theo's shoulder and glanced between the two.

"Just leave them there for now. I'll take care of them later," Theo responded, his green gaze latching into the gray-haired man's. He wasn't sure if Nike was going to bring up what Alleya told him or not.

He could see the potential problem here but he was surprised that Alleya didn't know Nike was here. Or at least that there was somebody in his bathroom. He never kept the door shut unless somebody was with him. Just like his room dorm was rarely shut. He had a thing about leaving doors shut. Shut doors meant that he couldn't watch over the gang as well.

"Nike? Did you hear-" Alleya began to speak but then broke off, looking at the ground. Theo waited quietly for what would happen next. If necessary, he would excuse himself from the room. It did sound like those two needed to have a chat.

Theo felt a little uncomfortable with this situation. He didn't know how Nike was going react but he did know one thing: Alleya wasn't the bad guy. Sometimes she made poor decisions but she wasn't a bad person. She wouldn't purposely try to hurt Nike, it was just something that was said at the wrong place and wrong time.

So instead, he sat in silence seeing what the next move was. He was sure that he would have to leave soon but he held back, wanting to see how this situation played out.

"Yes Alleya, I heard you saying that I’m as bad as your… Parents."

Theo's gaze met the ground. Nike sounded upset but who could blame him? He knew that Alleya and the gray haired man were just starting to build a connection and become friends. Hearing her say things like that must have been tough.

Alleya opened her mouth to say something but Nike continued, not leaving them room to butt in without being down right rude.

"So I’m sorry for worrying about you every time you take stupid risks. Don't worry, if your idea of being useless is accepting help from others and realizing your own limitations then I promise you, I’ll never lift a finger to help you again."

The man was definitely hurt. Theo dared to look up and he saw that Alleya was staring at Nike with wide eyes. She looked sort of like a mix between a hurt puppy and deer in headlights. It wasn't a good look.

"I know you're capable of a lot but that doesn't mean I want you to risk your life and freedom to show that you're not useless, I already know that. I wasn't the one fighting you the entire time we were away and when you wanted to leave on your own, I didn't go with you because I think you’re useless and couldn't do it yourself. I went with you because I cared about you and because I would have beat the shit out of Taurus if you left me with him."

And then the gray-haired man was gone. The door shut and Theo winced like it had been a loud slam. It wasn't though. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Nike obviously wasn't supposed to hear what she ranted off. But he did.

"Nike! Wait!" Alleya finally shouted, standing up. She had been stuck in deer with headlights mode. She was probably in as much shock as Theo was uncomfortable.

She got off the bed, wrapping the raccoon pelt around her and headed out the door. The door shut again and Theo was alone again. Oh well, the company was fun while it lasted. Well until Alleya and Nike had their drama. He trusted them to figure things out.

----

"Nike, please, wait!" Alleya shouted and hurried to catch up. She hadn't meant to hurt him. Sometimes she just did stupid things. Going to Theo for reassurance and a ranting session hadn't been the greatest idea. Making sure that nobody was in the bathroom had been another bad one.

She caught up and grabbed him by his wrist to stop him. She wanted to apologize. She did feel like that but that was because Nike treated her like she was a child. She didn't understand why and it just made her feel chained. She should have gone to him from the start and just explained how she felt.

"Im sorry. I really am," She told him, her grip tight to stop him from trying to get away. Going to bed hurt and angry wouldn't solve anything,"I didn't know you were there and I went to Theo for advice. I didn't know that you were just trying to protect me. Im not used to other people caring for me. I didn't mean you were like him, I just meant that you being so overprotective of me made me feel trapped. I should have told you...I just wanted to ask Theo how."

"Please don't go away angry and hurt at my foolishness. I don't want to lose you as a friend."

She meant that part. Nike was her only friend. Well there was that one night guard but the night guard didn't really pay much attention to her and hadn't talked to her since she had threatened Taurus with a knife. She would never be able to escape that.

"Please, Nike, can we just go somewhere to talk? Please?" She begged, her gaze latched on him. She just wanted to talk and try to make up for it. She never wanted Nike to hear what she said back there-not like that.