Evenfall (26 page)

"Ahh, I have to get back to the Tower."

Boyd nodded and stood. "Thank you for the information." He paused, wondering about the last incident as well as details on the others. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd be interested in borrowing your flash drive."

Ryan nodded, not looking surprised and went over to his desk. The drawers appeared to be full of assorted discs and implements just like the mixed
Ziploc
bag that he carried in his backpack.  And just like with that bag, despite the disorderliness of the drawer, he somehow found what he needed without a problem.

"If you ever want to talk or hang out without Hsin being the topic, that'd be cool too."

Boyd looked at Ryan with surprise, his eyebrows lifting as he accepted the flash drive. He wasn't used to people being interested in spending time with him unless necessary. Most people ended up ignoring or disliking him. Since that had continued on a larger scale at the Agency, he'd expected it to stay that way. He'd expected that Ryan would forget about him after this aside from work or Sin-related interaction.

Having not anticipated that response, he answered without thinking to hide that he was caught off guard. "Oh. Alright."

The response brought a loud laugh from Ryan. The shorter man beamed, looking pleased with Boyd's reaction. "I'll get you to loosen up. We can watch Gundam together and eat nachos. But I have to jam at the moment so I'll talk about that more later."

It was probably just as well that they ended up parting after that because Boyd didn't know what to say to that. He didn't know what Gundam was, although he'd seen the name written on one of the posters. Whatever it was, he couldn't imagine sitting around eating nachos watching it. Things like that seemed so far removed from him that he didn't even consider them.

He didn't know what to make of Ryan, or even Sin for that matter despite the additional information he'd been given. As far as he could tell, Sin seemed to overreact, often psychotically, if he felt threatened. But were the threats real or were they imagined? It was so difficult to know.

He could be at the thought all day long and still not come to a conclusion so he decided to leave it be for now. Maybe he would understand more once he'd seen the information Ryan had gathered. Or, more likely considering the enigma that was Sin, he would only have more questions.

With the flash drive securely in his messenger bag, Boyd headed toward the library on the fourteenth floor of the Tower. He'd discovered it on accident when he'd first started exploring the Tower to determine what was where.

There was a library and report room that most people seemed to frequent in the lower levels, but fourteenth had the original reference library. It had everything from research material to a breadth of genres for casual reading, no doubt kept up for agents on their downtime.

He had discovered that the library on the fourteenth floor was usually empty and when it wasn't there tended to be at most a handful of people there. It was a quiet place to get away from the constant press of people that sometimes wore away at Boyd. And although most people opted toward digital books and information, Boyd liked having a book in his hands when he was reading or studying.

When he walked into the library, he thought it was empty aside from a man who appeared to be around Ryan's age. His light brown skin was offset by dark, uncombed hair. He had a stack of books in his hands and was gathering others that had been left on the tables. He kept pausing, setting the stack down and lifting parts of it to insert the new books in the correct order.

Boyd assumed the man worked in the library and was putting them in alphabetical or numerical order so he could shelve them. When Boyd entered, the man glanced up and then stared. Hazel-brown eyes shifted across Boyd and along his face before their eyes met. The man jerked guiltily and looked away abruptly when it became clear Boyd had noticed the stare. He almost knocked over part of the stack of books in his haste to return to his task.

Boyd didn't pay much attention to him and walked further into the library, perusing the aisles. He'd borrowed the first part of a series so he first returned that and picked out the next one. Bookstores and libraries had always appealed to him and they were one of the few places that could still suck him in even when he'd shut down his interest in almost everything else. He liked the peace and quiet of libraries, and the history contained in the books surrounding him. He liked the smell and feel of old books the most.

He lingered especially in the architectural and art areas, grabbing one of the larger photo books that he wanted to flip through but didn't want to haul all the way home. He decided to look through it while he was here, since it was quiet enough that he didn't have to feel like people were staring at him as so often seemed to be the case on compound. He wanted to be in the area where he would be least likely to be disturbed so he headed toward his favorite table, which was in the far back, as far away from the door as possible.

When he rounded the corner of an aisle he was surprised to see Sin sitting there at the table, reading a book. Boyd stopped and stared at him for a moment. It was strange and a bit startling seeing Sin so abruptly after he'd just been prying into the man's life.

Sin looked up at him, his expression instantly wary and kind of annoyed. "What?" he demanded.

"You're sitting at the table where I intended to sit," Boyd answered, then looked down at the mostly empty table. There weren't any other good choices of tables that were as tucked away as this one so Boyd was reluctant to leave.

Pale green eyes regarded him skeptically. "You're randomly here of your own accord?"

"Yes," Boyd said, setting the books down so Sin could see. "I came to continue a series and look through art books. I prefer this library. It's quiet, which is also the reason I prefer this corner. Fewer people come back here so I can spend time without being bothered."

"No shit," Sin said flatly, gaze continuing to bore into Boyd distrustfully. He slammed his book shut and Boyd saw that it was a collection of post-war poems. "I find it odd that you're here. I don't believe in coincidences."

"Well, that's unfortunate because that's what this is," Boyd said impassively. "If I'd wanted to track you down, why would I do something so obvious? Accidentally running across you would be a ridiculous excuse when this is such a quiet and removed area."

The other man gave him a flat look and began stacking two more books on top of the one he'd been reading. "I was thinking more along the lines of someone sending you here for some purpose but thanks for the speech."

"No one sent me." Boyd looked down at Sin's stacked books and then up to meet Sin's eyes. "Are you planning to leave?"

"Didn't you say you wanted the table?"

"You don't have to leave for that," Boyd replied, pulling his books closer toward him. "I was only hoping to take one side of the table but if you don't want me to, I'll leave instead. You were here first."

Sin gave him another one of his long blank stares, shook his head and opened the book again. "Whatever."

Boyd pulled out the chair on the opposite side of the table from Sin and sat down. He set the reading books to the side and opened the large photo book. It was a compendium of some of the most well-known buildings, cities, and styles across the world, with a portion of it devoted to the history of different movements and architects. Boyd liked it because the size of the book afforded larger, higher resolution photographs that he could look at more closely, while the history provided context.

He flipped through the pages but he couldn't help paying partial attention to Sin. He felt a gaze on him and looked up, meeting Sin's eyes. Sin dropped his gaze back down to the book in front of him but Boyd forgot about the photo book for a moment.

Boyd couldn't help feeling perplexed by Sin. Was the distrust and sarcasm that bordered on rudeness his true feelings or were they a defensive reaction to others? Where did truth end and deception begin when it came to Sin, or was it all an act regardless? Sin seemed reasonable enough now but he didn't know whether Sin was acting this way for a particular reason.

But what was of particular interest to Boyd and what he hoped he may end up finding more information on within the flash drive was the quieter side of Sin. The person he was at moments like this, when he didn't seem like he wanted to push Boyd away immediately. When there was the indication that there could still be more to him.

The books he'd chosen were interesting enough on their own. Poetry, albeit post-war, and classic literature hinted at a deeper intellect or at least a person who may be thoughtful. And the fact that Sin had dropped his gaze rather than staring defiantly into Boyd's eyes was just another moment to consider.

Sin seemed to have so many aspects that were deeply or partially hidden and if Boyd had felt the strength of emotions he once had, he would have characterized his interest in Sin as fascination. As it was, he found himself growing almost grudgingly intrigued by the older man.

He leaned against the table with his arms partially crossed, and studied Sin more closely for a moment before he flicked his gaze down to the poetry book.

"How is that?" he asked, his voice a low tone for the library but cast with a faint hint of curiosity.

Pale green eyes flicked up instantly. "What?"

"The book," Boyd said, gesturing at it. He didn't look away from Sin's face. "I haven't read anything by that poet. I was curious if it's good."

There was a pause where Sin stared at him mutely but then his eyebrows drew down and his full mouth twisted slightly, giving his face more animation than it had had since Boyd arrived at the library. The expression was at once incredulous and confused but then a silhouette from the nearby aisle shifted and Sin's face smoothed back into his usual bland look.

He looked over as the library attendant shelved a couple of tomes before hurrying back the way he'd come. It was only then that Sin answered.

"Rather dull, actually."

"Hmm." Boyd leaned back in his chair. "Do you read a lot of poetry?"

Again, green eyes leveled him with a suspicious stare. It seemed as though Sin couldn't figure out why any of this information would be of value to his partner. "I don't really read a lot of anything. Until recently, I haven't had access to books since very early in my childhood."

The response was spoken curtly but then after a breath Sin added, "However I enjoyed classics and epic poems at that time. After enjoying Milton as a child, the word play here seems relatively amateurish."

Boyd studied Sin with increasing interest as it became apparent that the intellect he'd thought was there did exist. After all, there weren't many children who would enjoy Milton. "You had advanced taste for a child," he observed. "I used to read well above my grade level as well."

"And look where we both ended up in the world," was the dry response. "How far our good taste has gotten us."

Boyd's lips faintly twitched at the edges. "Intelligence doesn't always equate to common sense. Or, for that matter, the ability to fully choose one's path in life."

Sin watched him for a moment and leaned back in his chair, pushing unruly strands of fine black hair out of his face. The constant fall of it seemed to irritate him and it was obvious he wasn't used to having so much. He seemed to be considering something, perhaps whether or not he should say something, but in the end he just looked back down at his book.

Boyd debated going back to reading but he was loathe to give up one of the few times Sin seemed relatively approachable. "Is your love for Milton why you got that tattoo?" he asked curiously. "Initially I thought you simply enjoyed the irony of the quote."

The other man made a face at the word 'love.' "It was both. Milton's use of language was extraordinary. Especially considering it's a nearly four hundred year old text but the subject matter manages to still be applicable now." There was a slight pause and Sin raised his eyebrow. "I'm surprised that you recognized the quote."

"His wording is memorable," Boyd replied simply with a shrug.

"Indeed."

Before any more could be said on the topic, the silence of the library was broken by a loud voice towards the front. A slightly disjointed conversation floated to the back where they were sitting. Although the context meant nothing to Boyd, he noticed that Sin's eyes had narrowed slightly and his posture had stiffened.

There was no immediate indication as to what exactly had made him so tense until heavy footsteps came closer to them and Harry Truman appeared next to the table. The muscular dark-haired man leered down at them, his mouth twisted in a mocking grin.

"Study date?" His thick eyebrows lifted, brown eyes going from Boyd to Sin. "Mind if I join?"

"I do, actually. I only give reading lessons on Sundays."

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly but the smirk didn't leave his face. "You're a real smart ass when they let you out of your cage, aren't you?"

Sin just stared at him flatly.

"Is there a reason for your interruption?" Boyd asked, watching Harry impassively.

Heavy lidded eyes swung over to Boyd. His eyes flit over Boyd's thin build and his smirk widened. "We're meant to check on Vega here from time to time. I volunteer for the job. He's like a pet of mine."