Chapter Text
Wilmer pulled the covers over himself and stared at the ceiling. Joel had clocked him and so they had spent the night together. It was a welcome break from all the grunt work Gutman had him doing, but over far too soon. In the morning he would wake and Gutman would call him again.
Joel suddenly sat up and retrieved a cigarette from the nightstand. He didn’t speak, not even to offer one. Wilmer would have refused it anyways; he was now incredibly exhausted. He promptly drifted off to sleep as Joel smoked.
While Joel was laying awake, Wilmer unconsciously rolled over and laid his arm on him. The man flinched sharply and promptly put out his cigarette. He couldn’t stay here any longer. Joel was not that type of romantic and wouldn’t give Wilmer any impression of it. After the falcon business was over they'd never see each other. And that was how he wanted things to go.
“Cairo?” Wilmer murmured.
Then on finding the bed empty, he sat up quickly and spoke louder, panicking, “Cairo!”
That’s right… he was after the falcon wasn’t he? Cairo was one of those men whose love didn't last ‘til morning. How many men had he had like this in his search for the falcon? He had been all over the world; what was so special about Wilmer Cook? Wilmer had been naive for thinking Cairo wanted him for more than a playmate. He was just using him. All those praises he sang last night were just talk. But how he wanted things to be different. How he wanted to be loved again. It had felt so good to be adored. He didn’t want it to be over already.
He had a man once, when he was a teenager. They were young and both lonely so naturally they sought sanctuary in each other. Wilmer did everything he could to make him happy; anything he asked he would give it. Wilmer’s life was bleak, but his partner had made it a bit brighter. At least that’s what he thought at the time. Until one day he was left alone without a goodbye. Eventually when he was a little older, Wilmer found himself filling that void not with love but business, working for Gutman. He was the closest thing he had to a father.
Wilmer shook his head. It didn’t matter, what mattered was finding the bird. He didn’t want to disappoint Gutman, now would he? The sooner they found the falcon the sooner he would be rid of Cairo. He already dreaded seeing Cairo again, pretending like last night hadn’t happened.
He put his head to the pillow, in no hurry to get up yet. If Gutman needed him he’d call for him anyways.
“You have such pretty eyes, Mr. Cook.” Cairo had told him.
Tears stained his pillow despite his best efforts.