.

The door bangs open and Shepherd runs in, zeroing in on Link on the couch and throwing himself at him.

Link holds the shaking boy and looks at Rhett and Lando: "What's going on?"

Rhett shrugs: "He refused to speak to us all the way here."

Lando sits next to them on the couch and points at the tubes: "What's this?"

Link gathers Shepherd into his lap and pats his back while smiling at his son: "I need extra air to breath for a while. It's to make me feel better so I can play longer with you guys."

Lando scratches his cheek: "Oh. Ok."

Link points with his eyes to Rhett and the taller man says to Lando: "Wanna come help me prepare some snacks?"

Lando hops off of the couch and follows Rhett out.

Link rubs Shepherd's back: "What's wrong? Talk to me."

Shepherd shakes his head, tightening his hold on Link.

Link sighs: "You need to use your words. I don't understand sign language."

Shepherd mumbles into Link's many layers of clothes.

Link huffs a laugh: "I don't speak shirt mumble either."

Shepherd leans back just enough to say: "Some of the kids said mean things about you today."

Link continues to rub his back: "What did they say?"

Shepherd starts sobbing: "They said that you paid Eponym so he can make you famous and that there is nothing special about you.. And that you're the saddest human alive.. And .. and.."

Link stopped comprehending what Shepherd was saying with the tears mixed into it.

He leans back to look into the sobbing boy's eyes: "Why are you upset?"

Shepherd absentmindedly plays with the tubes hanging from Link's ears: "I hate it! I don't want them to say lies about you. It's not fair! It's not right!"

Link wipes the boy's tear stained cheeks: "It's not fair or right. But I know the truth and you know the truth and that's all that matters."

Shepherd shakes his head: "I want them to stop."

Link smiles sadly at him: "It's a free country, just like we have the right to speak our minds, they have the right to speak up too. But you know what?"

Shepherd shakes his head. Link leans in to whisper to him: "The truth always wins. So let them talk trash now because later they will look soooo stupid and you can tell them 'I told you so!' and it's going to be EPIC!"

Shepherd looks skeptical at him: "You think so?"

Link smooths his hair back and smiles with all the confidence he can muster: "I know so."

Shepherd leans his head on Link's chest: "Ok. I can wait."

Link looks up to see Rhett standing at the door frame, grinning at him.

Link raises an eyebrow and Rhett mouths to him: "Substitute-mom.."

Link reaches over, grabs the spoon left on the table from his previous meal and throws it at his friend. He huffs happily when he hears Rhett yelp as it hits his calf as he runs away.

.

The next day, a video of Link's happy wiggle-dance that happened while he was eating Oatmeal set a fire storm in all the media outlets. It was the first image released of Link since Eponym's report and it was sent to all the media with a note from the masked stalker:

"Dear world,

I know you are all anxious to see our Angel as much as I do so I'm sharing this video as an update with you all.

We miss you, Charles.

I'm glad you liked my gift.

Your guardian,

Eponym."

A lot of people freaked out over Link's pale complexion and breathing tubes. Others gushed over his dorky cute food dance. Many conspiracy theorists came up with fictions over what the 'gift' was to the point where Gabby had to go do a press release to clarify some stuff.

Link thought this would all fizzle out by now, but it seems like Eponym was just getting started. What baffled him the most was the thought that someone actually thought he was worth stalking. People need to find better hobbies..

.

Rhett stares at Link: "No."

Link glares back: "I'm not asking."

Rhett puts his hands on his waist: "Oh, ok. Then HELL NO!"

Link leans over to look at Gabby who's standing on the side, minding her own business: "Help me out here."

Gabby looks up, totally uninterested: "I can get it for you if you want."

Link and Rhett screamed at the same time: "Yes!" "NO!"

Link turned to huff at Rhett in frustration: "You've been up my butt all week about going back to work and you don't want me to have my phone back? What's your deal?"

Rhett rubs his hair in frustration: "The freak hacked your phone! I don't want him to send you more weird messages and stress you out. The doctor was very specific: No more stress."

Link throws his hands in the air: "If you haven't noticed, my life is a big giant balloon filled with nothing BUT STRESS! I don't think I've relaxed a second since my wife died! I can't keep sitting here waiting for shit to calm down! It's been two months. Things have gotten worse! IT'S NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN!"

Rhett puts his hands up in surrender: "Ok.. ok.. Stop screaming."

Link's nose flairs: "Don't talk to me like I'm a toddler throwing a temper tantrum!"

He turns to Gabby and puts his hand up for her: "Gabby, please give me my phone back."

Gabby looks between the two and says: "I have a suggestion."

They both reply at the same time: "What?"

She says: "I can secure a new line for you. You can have your phone but it will have a new number with none of the social media accounts and I will have a clone to monitor any hacks. Does that solve this meaningless argument?"

Link and Rhett stare at each other for a few seconds then Link gives in: "Fine. Thank you, Gabby."

She nods and goes to get the new phone set up while Rhett faces his friend: "Does that mean you're coming back to work?"

Link looks sadly at him: "I know it's been stressful for you, so yeah. I'll go with you tomorrow."

Rhett frowns over the look of defeat on Link's face: "You don't look too happy about it."

Link: "I know you want to go home. Staying here must be uncomfortable for you and the kids. I thought maybe if things went back to normal you might feel it's time to move out again."

Rhett rubs his neck: "You don't want me to stay?"

Link sighs: "Of course I want you to stay!"

Rhett stares at him: "Then why are you kicking me out?"

Link groans: "I'm not kicking you out! I'm just saying.. You don't have to stay here.. I don't want to be a burden.."

Rhett cuts him off: "I'm selling the house."

Link: "WHAT?"

Rhett: "You heard me. I'm selling the house and you have to take us in. That's what best friends do."

Link stares at his smirking friend: "Are you blackmailing your way into moving here permanently?"

Rhett throws his arm around Link's shoulders: "Yup."

Link pushes Rhett's arm away: "What if I say no?"

Rhett fakes a hurt look: "But, honey.. What about the kids?"

Link groans as he stomps away: "YOU'RE THE WORST!"

Rhett smirks as he watches his friend violently move things around the kitchen as he prepares dinner for the kids. He has been thinking about it for a while and saying it out loud sounds more right than he thought possible.

He loved the house his wife designed for them, but he cannot live in it without her. The kids need Link and so does he. Link was right, his codependency on his friend is starting to scare him too.

.