When I come to the living room the next day, I'm greeted with the sight I'd never guess I'd see.

Wade's sitting on the couch and watching TV, yeah, no surprise there. But next to him, curled under a comforter, is Lana. Her head is resting on his thigh and I see a bucket laid by and a wet towel on the table before them. I arch my eyebrows at him in a silent question.

"What? She was sick early in the morning." He smirks down at her. "Looks like we broke her in on the secret of nasty hangovers. She doesn't have a clue about how to handle it."

My eyebrows go even higher. "Is that so? You suddenly Wade-The-Caretaker or something?"

He gives me a mock offended look. "You say it like I don't know how to be nice to a girl. I can be very nice!"

I snort at that. "Sure, being nice to women, that's how you usually get them!"

And as an answer, he flat out laughs at me. "You are one to talk, that yesterday wasn't very you either, mister 'Don't touch her, she's here with me!'."

I guess he's trying to mimic my voice but fails miserably, he has a hard time to even speak because of the laughing, which eventually makes Lana stir and groan next to him. I can't believe my own eyes when I see Wade pet her head, lulling her back to sleep, his laughs softens.

When she seems to be sleeping again he looks at me and whispers!

"What was that anyway? I thought you said you two aren't fucking, or something changed there?" He suddenly stops smiling and points his finger at me. "Are you? Because if you are actually fucking her I will be very pissed you had me to handle her drunken ass!"

I just shake my head and go make some coffee. I'm so dropping him at his place the next time. I don't care if he'll have to walk back here to get his bike, I don't want to listen to his bullshit first thing in the morning. I need my caffeine.

I start a pot and go through the fridge again. Looks like Wade had quite a few snacks during the night because there is not much left. I look to the couch, maybe Lana wouldn't mind to make us some eggs when she wakes up. I see Wade slipping from under Lana's head, putting a pillow there instead and then going to stand beside me.

I groan internally. Is it too much to want to have a quiet morning? 

He nudges me away from the fridge. "Baby brother, I don't know how you survive here all that time, by yourself," he says while he takes out the eggs.

Can he read my mind or something? Wade looks at me then. Fuck! He can! He sneers at my expression and continues with the cooking. With his back to me, he adds. "You might be slowly catching forty, but sometimes, you look again like the little boy I used to take care of."

"Fuck you!" I snap and go to the couch, when I remember that Lana sleeps there, ugh. So I turn around, go back and sit at the table, waiting for my breakfast, just like the little boy I once was. Fuck!

By the time the coffee pot is ready, Wade is done with the eggs as well and he goes to wake up Lana. I don't know if that's a good idea but what the hell do I know. I don't suffer killer hangovers and I never took care of someone who did so... I leave it to him.

"Go away!" I hear from the couch. It's muffled. Looks like she's hiding.

Like that would work on Wade. I snort at the thought.

"Come on princess, you need to eat something."

"I don't want to. I will be sick again. I am sick right now!" She complains in a hoarse voice.

"Come on, be a good girl and go eat your breakfast. You know I know what's best for you right now." He's telling her while stealing the comforter from her and tugging at her hands to get her to stand up.

She has gray sweats on, guess she had to put them on sometime during the night. Or was it Wade last night? My eyes slide to him. What's up with all that? He's definitely acting weird.

By this time he manages to drag Lana to the table. He sits her down and a plate with eggs and a glass of water with aspirin in it lands before her followed by a cup of coffee. He takes his own cup and looks at me raising an eyebrow.

"What? Want me to make your plate too? Get your ass up and do it yourself. Jeez!" he says while sitting next to Lana. He turns to her to encourage her. "Go on sweetheart, eat some! Drink the water. It'll do you good"

She looks at him distrustfully but then starts to eat slowly while he's watching her, drinking his coffee.

I go to fix my plate. What the fuck is happening here? Wade isn't nice! I've never seen him be nice to anyone. Even less to women. The nicest thing I've ever seen him do toward a woman was holding some bitch's hair while she was puking just to fuck her right after that. His motive for the nice act quite clear. Wade's a pig, Wade's a sexist, Wade's a racist, Wade's an asshole, Wade's a lot of things, but nice? No!

"So I was thinking about those books of yours," he says, bringing me out of my thoughts.

Oh right, the books, I completely forgot about that. I look at Lana when I sit back down across from her. She looks like she forgot about it too. But then she seems to remember because she turns scarlet red and glues her eyes to her plate.

Playing with her food she mumbles, "Right... I am so sorry about the scene I did there, the crying I mean. Actually, I'm sorry for the rest of the night too, I've never drunk that much and-" She starts to apologize but Wade cuts her off.

"Nothing to be sorry about. You should see some of the things I do while under influence... actually no, forget what I said, you really shouldn't see any of that." He clears his throat. "Anyway, now at least we know, right? And we can help you out." He looks at me, but although I know I agreed to help her I don't say anything because I still just can't believe what I'm seeing.

So when she looks at me, my face must say it all, because she looks quickly back at her plate and shrugs. Obviously thinking I'm not so for the idea of helping her anymore.

I am, but-. Wade gives me strange look. -What? Not my fault! I'm not the one acting all weird out of the blue, am I? I give him a 'what a hell' look back. Wade shakes his head and turns back to Lana.

"As I was saying, I was thinking about it. How many books are we talking?"

"A lot, but I have most of it in boxes anyway. There was only one bookcase in the apartment and I didn't buy another."

Wade grins at that. "Good, good. We should ask someone to go with us. To help to carry it all. I'll call Clyde."

I see Lana make a face.

"Do you have to? I mean, it's awfully nice of you, that you are willing to help me, but this guy? Something's off about him." Lana's eyes travel to Wade. "I can't imagine that guy with a kid." She whispers the last part as if she was afraid Clyde could somehow hear her.

Wade smiles at her knowingly. "Neither can I, that's why I think it's bullshit."

Clyde is indeed a strange character. And believe me, coming from me, that's saying something. He came seemingly out of nowhere a few months ago. One day Wade came with his new buddy and he's been around ever since. I never asked where they've met or anything. To me, it was obvious what this friendship is based on. Drugs.

I don't know if I believe the little girl he's talking about exists, to be honest. But there is something in Clyde, something I'm very familiar with and I don't like it. That something was in my father too and I have many scars as a reminder. Kids always have been off limits for me and if the girl does exist? I wish for her to get away from Clyde as soon as possible.

"Okay, so you wanna do it today?" Wade finishes the coffee in one big gulp and slams it down on the table.

Lana cringes at the noise and shakes her head. "I don't think I'll be able to do anything today besides sleeping. Much less to deal with that ass. I don't actually know how to do it. I don't have a key anymore and I don't know when he'll be home. And even if I did know, he won't let me in." She sighs.

An evil smile breaks on Wade's face and he turns to search in one of the drawers in the kitchen for a paper and a pen. He puts them on the table before her once he found them. "Don't you worry about a thing, sweetheart. Old Wade will take care of everything. Just write down the name and the address."

She gives him a questioning look but does what he asked.

Wade looks at the paper. "Alright, so I'll be going now, things to do, people to find." He winks at Lana who gives him an unsure smile in return. "Hey Jackie boy, you come by later. Yeah? I'll call you." And with that, he leaves.

"Thank you, for everything." She calls after him and he just waves back and shuts the door on his way out.

This all is so strange.

I hope you enjoy the story. If you do, feel welcome to push that little star to let me know, or better yet, leave me a comment ;)