Cut and Run 5 - Armed and Dangerous

surprise, Julian agreed that making it to DC was now what they wanted to do, rather than escaping.
    “The enemy is too powerful. We need someone on our side. These two and their boss will have to do until we find someone bigger,” he explained to Cameron.
    It made sense, in a very Julian sort of way.
    They headed for the nearest airport, which happened to be Pittsburgh. Ty and Zane didn’t flash their badges this time, going for low-key as they went through the security checks. They had ditched their guns and wallets. Julian behaved himself, staying close to Cameron. It all went smoothly, which immediately put all of them on edge.
    While standing in line with Zane to get a sandwich, Cameron watched as Julian moved around the sizeable shopping area in the airport, Ty trailing only a few steps behind him. Julian had assured the FBI agents that he wasn’t going anywhere, but Ty didn’t trust him.
    Cameron couldn’t help but watch his lover. When other people noticed Julian, they tended to do one of three things: stare at him, hustle away, or some odd, jerky combination of the two. Cameron shook his head as a couple of teenage girls stopped and watched him pass.
    “I really feel for people sometimes,” Cameron said once Julian was within hearing.
    Julian raised an eyebrow and gave Cameron a fond smile. “And why is that?”
    “Oh God, don’t make him talk about his feelings,” Ty muttered as he joined them.
    Cameron shook his head. “You’re like a shark. You walk around and all the little minnows go swimming away.”
    Julian hummed and glanced around the room. Ty began to snicker quietly, and Julian looked over his shoulder at him.
    “Dude,” Ty said as their eyes met. “Your boyfriend just called you a shark. That’s a besotted burn.”
    Cameron saw Julian just barely roll his eyes as he looked away from Ty and back at him. Cameron edged up a shoulder. He heard Zane laugh behind him.
    “While I appreciate the spirit of the observation, there is a flaw in your theory,” Julian told him, voice lowering as he took a step closer.
    Cameron tried not to grin. “Really? Because you do like to bite.”
    “Oh Lord, TMI,” Zane muttered.
    “This whole trip has been TMI, Zane,” Ty grumbled.
    Julian ignored both of their comments, returning them with a mere smile before he explained. “A shark, while frightening to us, is not a threat to the minnow at first sight. We know what a shark can do, the minnow doesn’t.”
    Behind him, Ty rubbed his eyes. “Oh God, now I’m actually agreeing with him.”
    Cameron shifted his weight to peer around Julian at Ty. “Excuse me?”
    Ty looked up and waved a hand at the airport around them. “Sharks eat fish, right? Or seals or… whatever. But if a seal is afraid of a shark on sight, then the shark will never get close enough to the seal to do anything.”
    Julian was nodding, looking moderately surprised that Ty knew what he’d been talking about. “What he’s saying is if the prey recognized the predator as a danger, they would instantly flee. So the shark regulates its behavior. The majority of the time, a shark swims peacefully through schools of its prey, never causing trouble, never being pegged as a danger, barely noticed by the very things it hunts.”
    Cameron looked back and forth between them. “So… if you’re not a shark, then what are you?”
    Julian winced, and to Cameron’s surprise, he flushed as he looked down at his shoes. “I’ve always associated myself more with a lion,” he mumbled.
    “I’ll buy that,” Ty said as he stepped away from the counter so Cameron could see him more fully.
    “I’m not convinced,” Cameron said, crossing his arms. He looked over his shoulder at Zane. “Does Julian look like a lion to you?”
    “I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it’s stupid,” Zane said, mimicking Julian’s way of speech, before stepping up to order his food.
    Cameron turned back to Julian. “Well?”
    “Big cats are the only predators on earth who are known to kill for fun,” Ty provided almost merrily.
    “Meow Mix,” Zane said over his shoulder in a flat tone.
    “You said that before, at the apartment,” Cameron remembered. “When Ty picked up Wesson.”
    “Wait, he picked up Wesson?”
    Cameron nodded.
    “How?”
    “Grady has a codependent relationship with big cats.”
    “Why?”
    “One tried to eat me,” Ty said, the answer flippant.
    “Actually, that explains so much,” Zane muttered to