Chapter 198: Liam’s Errand.

Liam had been lying on the couch for maybe ten minutes when the thought hit him.

"Mateo."

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling lazily.

The manga. He’d promised. Mateo had asked him specifically, skipping Sophia because she didn’t understand the difference between a manga and a comic and would grab whatever had the brightest cover. Liam had told him he’d handle it. And with everything going on at the Reyes house, a security team outside, his sister barely sleeping, that kid could use something good landing in his hands.

Liam groaned quietly to himself.

He wasn’t done with today after all.

He shifted his legs experimentally. They felt heavy and tight, but they still worked. The real damage hadn’t arrived yet. Liam knew exactly how this went. Leg day never hit in the moment. It waited, patient and cruel, and then sometime tomorrow morning it would ambush him the second he tried to get out of bed. By Wednesday he’d be walking like a newborn deer. He’d probably be out of commission for the next couple of days at least.

Which meant if he was going to do this, it had to be now.

He’d already showered the moment he got back from the gym. That part was non-negotiable. He’d stood under the hot water for a long time, letting it loosen his shoulders and wash off the sweat and the lingering smell of rubber mats. Then he’d changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and an old T-shirt and collapsed onto the couch, intending not to move again until dinner.

So much for that plan.

He rested a little longer. At around 3:30, he sat up, braced both hands on his knees, and pushed himself to his feet.

His thighs protested. He ignored them.

In the bedroom, he traded the sweatpants for a pair of dark, relaxed-fit jeans, loose enough not to strangle his quads. He pulled a plain white tee over his head and layered a light olive overshirt on top, leaving it unbuttoned. Comfortable, clean, nothing that required effort. He laced up a pair of white sneakers while sitting on the edge of the bed rather than bending over, which felt like a small act of wisdom.

A quick look in the bathroom mirror. Hair still slightly damp. He ran his fingers through it, pushed it back into place, and decided it was good enough.

Then he looked up comic stores nearby.

The first result made him pause.

It was close, closer than he’d expected. A decent-sized shop with good reviews and a solid manga section. But when he zoomed out on the map, his stomach sank.

It was right down the street from Ironwood Ink.

Liam winced at the memory. He’d walked in on a whim, sat in that chair, and fallen asleep while she worked on someone else. Then he’d woken up from a nightmare about losing his arm and made a hasty, awkward exit instead of simply telling her he wasn’t interested. She’d been nothing but professional. He’d been the one who made it weird.

*Absolutely not.*

He scrolled further down the list.

The second option was a little farther out, maybe fifteen minutes away, but still close enough that he wouldn’t be overextending himself.

Paper Lantern Comics & Manga.

The photos showed tall shelves stacked floor to ceiling, a corner reading nook with beanbags, and a staff picks wall covered in handwritten recommendation cards. The reviews kept praising the manga selection and the staff who actually knew what they were talking about.

That was the one.

Liam grabbed his keys out of habit, then stopped and put them back on the counter.

Driving needed focus, and focus was something he didn’t have much of right now. His legs were stiff, his brain was foggy from the workout, and the last thing he wanted was to be braking hard on a Seattle hill while his quads went on strike.

He opened the Uber app instead.

A Toyota Camry, four minutes away. He confirmed it, grabbed his wallet and phone, and made his way downstairs very slowly, one hand resting on the railing the whole way.

The car pulled up just as he reached the curb. A middle-aged driver with a grey beard and a Mariners cap gave him a friendly nod as he climbed into the back seat.

"Paper Lantern?" the driver asked.

"That’s the one."

The driver nodded and pulled into traffic.

Liam leaned back, let the soft hum of the radio fill the car, and watched the city roll past the window.

Fifteen minutes later, the car slowed outside a narrow storefront with a glowing paper lantern painted across the window.

Liam thanked the driver, climbed out carefully, and looked up at the sign.

Time to find Mateo his manga.

Fixed. I replaced the gamertags with their real names, and I’ll do the same in all future text-message scenes.

Liam stood on the sidewalk outside Paper Lantern and pulled out his phone.

He thought about calling. It would be faster. But he had no idea where Mateo was right now. He could be in class, on the bus with Tobias trailing behind it, or sitting at home under Sophia’s watchful eye. A phone call could land at the worst possible moment.

A text was safer. Besides, Mateo was a teenager. His phone was practically glued to his hand.

[Liam: at the store. which series did u want exactly?]

The reply came in under thirty seconds.

[Mateo: WAIT ur actually there rn??]

[Liam: standing outside. hurry up before I change my mind]

[Mateo: ok ok ok]

Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.

Liam waited patiently.

The dots kept going.

"How long is this list?"

Finally, the message arrived.

[Mateo: ok so]

[Mateo: jujutsu kaisen vol 1-3]

[Mateo: chainsaw man vol 1 and 2]

[Mateo: spy x family vol 1 (thats for when im sad)]

[Mateo: one piece vol 1 bc everyone keeps telling me to start it and i keep saying i will]

[Mateo: and for comics, miles morales spider-man, the first one]

[Mateo: invincible compendium if they have it but thats like a huge book so its fine if not]

[Mateo: oh and batman court of owls]

Liam read the whole thing twice.

[Liam: bro I said a series]

[Mateo: u said which series. i answered which series ??]

[Liam: that’s seven series]

[Mateo: technically 7 is a number of series]

[Liam: you should be a lawyer]

[Mateo: nah ur the lawyer. and u said ud help ??]

Liam shook his head, fighting a grin.

He should have seen this coming. He’d given a sixteen-year-old an open door, and Mateo had walked straight through it with a shopping cart.

[Mateo: u dont have to get all of them btw]

[Mateo: like jjk is the main one]

[Mateo: the rest is just. suggestions]

[Liam: suggestions indeed]

[Mateo: strong suggestions]

Liam laughed out loud, earning a curious look from a woman walking her dog past him.

He pocketed his phone and looked up at the glowing lantern on the window.

Mateo had a security team outside his house and a sister who hadn’t slept properly in days. If a stack of books could make this week a little easier for him, Liam could afford it.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, ready to splurge.