in the midnight hour

[Jiang Wen]

"Nice isn't usually the word people use."

Because they're too busy calling him queer or odd or quiet but he decides not to share that part aloud. Instead, he lightly clears his throat. Megalomaniacs, he said. Gently, Wen lies back to listen to Seb's inevitably long story. He hasn't known him long but he knows this--Seb loves to talk.

As a witch, what he hears is believable. Myths, he has learned, are real--or at least they are based on reality that humans cannot comprehend.

"...So you don't have anybody?"

[Seb DeMarco]

"Well, you are hanging around wrong people. And now that we are friends, I've got your back. I won't say shit about you when I'm around. I can be intimidating. Allegedly. We'll make it work."

That question hit Seb hard. He wasn't expecting to feel that way. Or maybe he just ignores it. When it's pointed out it's reality again. But reality is harsh. You can't do anything about that.

"I mean... I guess. It's weird, I get that - I have siblings in the double digits and none of them take my calls. But it's better now. I have friends. Well, there's you for sure. Others I'm still working on. I have a frenemy. There's an old lady across the hall that gave me chocolate chip cookies. The customer service representative at QVC loves me. What more can you ask for?"

[Jiang Wen]

"Oh? So you're going to become my bodyguard? Most people in my line of work don't need one. I'm not sure I have the kind of money you're used to, either."

Especially given the fact that he lived in an old rust bucket of a trailer and barely sold any of his odd artwork.

"...forgive me for saying as much, Seb, but... it sounds like you don't have many people in your life. I don't either. Most of the time, I like it that way."

And sometimes the loneliness is so crushing that a robot boyfriend filled in the cracks.

[Seb DeMarco]

"I wouldn't say bodyguard. More like bro-dyguard... Nope, that doesn't work. Ignore it. This isn't a service. It's just friends helping out friends. Which we now are. So no money needed. Just your awesome company. And the tolerance of me bringing up sex six or seven times in a conversation, minimum."

"Hm... you're right. It's fine most of the time. But then you think about it. You can be in a packed club with the hottest people in the world but when it hits you, you might as well be standing alone in an empty building. It's not just people we need - it's the right people. Some of those people just happen to be robots."

These deep conversations were not Seb's forte but he felt pretty good about this. Usually deep has other connotations for him and they involve his ass. Better not bring it up with Wen.

[Jiang Wen]

"That makes us friends then. Doesn't it?"

What a strange concept for him. Wen can't remember the last time he had a friend. Even as a child, he was a strange one, not the type of person people naturally reached out for. He likes it but he doesn't want to admit it so he doesn't.

"You really want me to find him, don't you?"

[Seb DeMarco]

"Yes, absolutely. You know, you are my first friend ever! This is so exciting!"

Seb silently celebrated by flailing around the apartment. He bumped into at least two walls and the kitchen counter. It didn't matter for Seb had an actual friend now.

"I do and I think you want to find him too. That scientific part of your brain must want to solve this. And your heart wants you to find him because you care. At the end of the day, it's your choice. But know this - I've got your back so you're not alone. And even if you don't do it, I'll still be there for you when you need me... and sometimes when you don't because I have a problem with boundaries."

Seb was going soft and he didn't give a damn. If having a friend felt this good, he had been missing out for so long.

[Jiang Wen]

Suddenly, Wen feels like a child again. Little kids would be excited in the same manner over making a friend. Was this what he'd been missing out on all this time? He feels strange. A little bit... happy. Yes, happy. That must be that warm, bubbling feeling in his chest. Curious.

"I have an idea on how to look for him. Of course he was installed with a tracking chip but..."

[Seb DeMarco]

A tracking chip! Seb knew it. This was the beginning of a beautiful story for sure.. And Seb was going to tag along like the fanboy he was for this whole thing. But selfishly, he wanted to see what kind of man Wen built for himself... and if he was hung. For scientific purposes.

"Yes! Tell me everything but don't because I don't understand how it work. All I know is once you find him it's road trip time and I'll get us a caravan. This is the right thing to do. I just know it!"

[Jiang Wen]

"It's really no more complicated than a standard GPS tracker in, say, a smart phone these days. The tracker was implanted on the off chance I lost him... um, on accident, of course... which... you already know... it wasn't an accident. But I have all the information here on this computer... Of course, there are a lot of them. Trackers are usually built standard in most of my machines. Some like to take off and there's the occasional thief and... Never mind."

He falls silent as his heart beats faster. He can see the tracker he installed in him. His voice falls softer as he next speaks.

"I can see him. He's where I left him, in Portland..."

[Seb DeMarco]

Seb caught some of that. He knows what a GPS is. But what he liked was hearing Wen talking about it. It's so natural for him. It's that special part of your soul that drives you. Also, what were those other machines? Just how many things has Wen given life to? It's both fascinating and awesome!

"Portland?"

Seb was a bit to loud as he jumped up.

"That's so close. Do you want to go now? I can get us there in no time and by no time, I mean an hour."

[Jiang Wen]

Wen pulls the phone away from his ear briefly as Seb shouts.

"Yes, Portland."

And Portland is close. Very close. A lot bigger than Hazleton but he's there. Wen doesn't know what became of his robot after he left him there, however. Some part of him doesn't want to know but a much bigger part misses him so much that he's willing to be foolish and...

"Right now? Right now? I d-don't know..."

Should he? He's already told Seb he will and what else is he going to do with his time? Was this the real reason he called Seb? He swallows hard and sits up, heartbeat kicking up a notch, mouth going dry.

"How? Do you even know where I am?"

[Seb DeMarco]

Seb's spider sense started tingling... if he had one. But he was suspicious. Wen was panicking and rightfully so. Seb's newly develop empathy struck at full force. As a friend, he had to say something useful.

"Hey, you're stalling. I told you before - I bribed the town clerk. Otherwise I couldn't send you all these QVC bread ovens that I've ordered. But that's not the point. It's scary, I get that. So you don't have to go right now. But you should do this as soon as possible before you start coming up with every possible excuse why not. You deserve a chance at happiness and now it's right at your doorstep. Can you honestly tell me that you don't want to at least try?"

[Jiang Wen]

"I'm not..."

But maybe he was stalling. It sure felt like he was, now that it was pointed out to him. Wen shivers, thinking about what it could mean for him to actually go out there and look. No, not look. Track. He'd be tracking him. Him. He lightly bites his lower lip and his gaze drops. Suddenly, he's on his feet. There's nothing better to do. And somehow, Seb's gotten into his head.

"I'm getting ready right now." There's defiance in his tone. "I can have the tracker running in ten minutes."

[Seb DeMarco]

It was happening. It was really happening. The time had come to grab destiny by the horns and... shove it into a well or something. It doesn't matter. There are more important things than maintaining proper idiom usage. Seb got his clothes on and found the car keys, all the while the phone still to his ear.

"That's the spirit. I'll be at your house in 20 minutes. 15, if I break the speed limit. Oh, and one more thing - you are doing the right thing. I'm sure of it."