At the Malibu house
Tony vibrated with happiness. Cooper was coming to stay at the Malibu house, not just for a night, but for a little while.
Maybe weeks.
Maybe months.
He had a full calendar in LA, so, if Tony didn’t mind, he’d crash at the Malibu house.
Tony didn’t mind.
Tony didn’t mind at all.
Tony sent several texts about a wide range of exotic animals he could import and have wandering around the place in order to make Cooper feel more at home.
Cooper had demurred, saying that it wasn’t a requirement.
Tony had an exotic animal service on speed dial just in case.
Cooper arrived and Tony stopped to study his friend.
He looked tired.
Tony approached carefully and gave Cooper a hug.
He smelled of smoke.
“What’s going on?”
Cooper slumped and then told him.
His former partner was living in LA, because the guy’s mother had cancer.
He’d raised a couple red flags and then gone to bat for the guy so he could be demoted and transfer to LA.
There was a little more history there than what Tony had…he’d get a drink or two into Cooper and then ask prying questions.
The LGBT neighborhood was under attack, some arsons.
The FBI wasn’t officially looking into it….nobody was…but it was his community…so he was looking into it.
So he was looking after his old partner and the old partner’s family.
He was looking after the whole gay community in LA.
Well, that was a lot.
No wonder he looked tired.
Because he was also chasing fugitives because he couldn’t just look after the former partner and the former partner’s family and the entire gay community and call it a day.
But that was okay.
Cooper could do all that.
Tony would look after Cooper.
That was what friends were for after all.