Chapter One Hundred and Three

...

Ry answered the knock at the door, his toothbrush hanging out his mouth. "Hey, I'm almost read... You're not who I was expecting," he said, taking the toothbrush out and frowning at the two agents in black suits.

"Good afternoon, is your father home?"

"Uh, yeah, he's home. Dad!" Ry called, purposely not calling his father 'Papa' to alert him that the agents they were expecting had arrived.

"Be right there," Connor called back. "Finish brushing your teeth, they'll be here soon," he said, gently drawing Ryuu away from the door and the agents.

Ryuu nodded, shoving his toothbrush back in his mouth and going back to the bathroom, leaving the door ajar so he could listen to their conversation.

"Who are you with?" Connor asked the agents as they flashed their badges too quickly for him to read the acronym.

"We're with an organisation looking into your friend's disappearance."

"I didn't think the police dressed like the Blues Brothers," Connor mused.

"Not the police, Mr. Kemp; we're a different organisation."

"Uh huh. Who are you investigating again? Sorry if I'm not inclined to let strangers into my apartment without a reason," Connor said, not sounding sorry at all.

One of the agents smiled briefly and without humour. "Of course, Mr. Kemp. We're hoping you can provide some insight into the disappearance of Andrew and Yuki Billman and their children."

"They've disappeared?" Connor asked, his surprise evident on his face and in his tone.

Super Jesus, his Papa was good at this, Ry thought from the bathroom.

"You weren't aware of this?" the other agent asked, taking a notebook out of his jacket pocket and writing something down.

"Uh, no. We just spoke with Andy and Yuki two days ago on Skype. You're sure they're missing?" Connor asked.

"Positive, Mr. Kemp. May we come in?" the first agent asked.

Connor opened the door and stepped back. Once they were seated on the lounge, Ry made a show of rinsing and gargling and spitting.

"All done. What's going on?" Ry asked, hoping his voice wasn't as high as he thought.

"Andy and Yuki are missing. The kids, too?" Connor asked.

"Yes," the second agent confirmed with a nod. "You weren't aware of this either, Ryuu?"

Ryuu frowned at the agent's use of his name: neither he nor his Papa had introduced themselves or confirmed their names. Still, he shook his head. "No. What happened?"

"Neither of the children arrived for school, and their parents didn't turn up at work or call in sick. People are worried about them and reported their absence to the authorities. The authorities passed the reports on to us," the first agent said.

"Why? Are you a missing persons organisation or something?" Ry asked curiously.

The first agent smiled again, humourless and brief. "Or something. Now, you said you spoke to them on Skype two days ago. What time was this?"

The question was directed to Connor this time.

"Around lunch time. We were talking with Andy, Yuki, and the kids. Yuki was hanging out laundry, and Andy was having some trouble with the speakers and computer, so we didn't get to talk to the kids for long before the screen stopped working."

"What did you talk to the children about?" the second agent asked, pen poised above their notebook.

If Connor had had any reservations about who they were really after, the question was enough to confirm his suspicions: questions about the children were usually added as an afterthought, not as the main priority.

"They told us about school and how they'd surprised Andy when he returned from his deployment, I don't recall every detail. The conversation was short, but kids can say a helluva lot of words in a short amount of time," Connor said with a laugh.

"Mm-hmm," the second agent said, distracted.

"The screen stopped working; yours or theirs?" the first agent asked, looking between them.

"Theirs," Connor replied.

"It's done that before. I thought it was a blackout or something," Ry added, shrugging.

"A blackout?"

"Yeah, Mississippi has them a lot, especially during hurricane season," he said.

"It's not hurricane season," the first agent pointed out.

"Global warming's screwing with all the seasons, even hurricane season."

"Global warming," the second agent echoed, not a question but a statement tinged with disbelief.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Connor asked.

"We are investigating that as a possibility," the first agent said.

"Are there any other details you remember from the children's conversation? It might provide some sort of insight into where they've gone."

"Ichigo asked me what my favourite dinosaur is."

Neither agent looked impressed by Ry's response.

"Do you think we should be worried for them? It must be important if your organisation is investigating, right?" Connor asked.

"We're not worried, Mr. Kemp, just concerned. If you hear from the Billman's - adults or children - please contact us," the first agent said, offering a business card to Connor.

He took it, glancing at the card and not entirely surprised to see nothing more than a ten-digit number written on it.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Kemp," the second agent said, putting his notebook away and following the first agent outside.

"You're welcome!" Ryuu called sarcastically after them, closing the door firmly. "What bastards. Do you think Andy and Yuki and the kids are okay?" he asked Connor, who was still holding the business card.

"I hope so, son," Connor replied, then headed to the kitchenette and destroyed the card under a steady flow of water from the tap.

Ry went to his room, returning with a bug detector Terrence had built for him. It was a basic machine that beeped loudly if a bug was nearby, beeping wildly the closer the bug. Pressing the button, Ry pointed it at the kitchen sink, not really surprised to hear the device beeping. The beeping became fainter as more water was poured down the sink. Connor turned the kettle on and once the water was boiling and bubbling, he poured the whole thing down the sink as well.

"The hot water should destroy whatever's left of it," he murmured.

Ry nodded in fascination beside him, the bug detector no longer beeping.

...

"All right, it's killing me: what the hell do purple hyacinths mean?" Jewel asked as soon as they were in her car.

Layla grinned and waved goodbye to Magenta and Mrs. Yolanda, waiting until they were already driving away before answering. "They're flowers to ask for forgiveness."

"Yeah, but do you think Will knew that or just went for them because they're purple?" Wendy asked.

"Oh, he knows the meaning of flowers. I went through a whole phase when we were younger and made him study them all. I was going to give him a red rose for Valentine's Day that year, so I really wanted him to know what it meant, but then I chickened out and gave him a yellow rose for friendship instead. We were ten, don't laugh," Layla added, rolling her eyes at her friends when they laughed anyway.

"All right, so supposing he still remembers what the meanings are: why is he asking for forgiveness?" Jewel asked.

"Want to take bets on what he did?" Wendy asked, grinning.

"Magenta hasn't said anything about them fighting, and cheating is the most common action between couples to result in an apology involving a bouquet of flowers. I don't think there's much point to bet on it," Layla pointed out.

"Ugh, fine. Spoil all my fun," she replied, poking her tongue out.

"Who'd he cheat on Magenta with?" Jewel asked.

"Do we actually care?" Wendy countered.

"No, but it could prove useful as a distraction if we ever have to fight them," Layla mused.

"What do you mean 'if'? There'll be at least one fight against Airborne and Shifter, right?" Jewel asked.

"All right, calm down. I'll see what I can do," she said, laughing at her friends' hopeful expressions.

...

"Hey, Papa?" Ry asked as Connor drove them towards the Hive.

"Hmm?" Connor asked, glancing to the rear view mirror.

"We're being followed, aren't we?"

Connor looked to the side mirror, the nondescript black car still following them despite no longer being in Maxville's metropolis area. "Yes, we are. They've been following us since we left the apartment."

"Oh. Do they really think we're that stupid?" Ry asked, snickering.

"It wouldn't be the first time someone has left their home to warn family or friends, and unwittingly led them to the people they were looking for," Connor replied pointedly.

"Yeah, but we're smarter than them."

"Never make assumptions about other people's intelligence, Ryuu. You should know better than that."

"Sorry, Papa."

Adam looked from the computer screen to Terrence. "All right, go for it."

"Can't they finish the song? They're right in the middle of Let it go; trust me, dude, no one wants that stuck in their heads for the rest of the day," Terrence said, wincing in sympathy.

"How much longer?"

"A minute?" Terrence guessed.

Adam shook his head. "No can do. They'll be here in thirty seconds."

"Ah, shit. Fine, but I'm blaming you if someone starts singing it later," Terrence said, grinning.

"I'll take the song over imprisonment anyday. Hurry," Adam said, looking at his computer screen that showed Ry and Connor's location heading towards the Hive.

Terrence nodded and in the lower Hive, Frozen stopped playing abruptly. "We interrupt your scheduled programming to alert you that the agents will be here shortly. Please stay in the lower Hive and keep quiet until we tell you otherwise."

"We'll let you know if you have to run," Adam added, his voice projected through the entertainment speakers. "You should be fine if you do make any noise, but it's better to be safe than sorry," he said, the speakers shutting off a moment later and the movie paused on the projection screen in front of them.

"Can we keep watching the movie?" Ichigo asked, looking between his parents.

"I don't think that's how keep quiet works," Ichiko said, rolling her eyes at her brother.

"Shut up, we're far enough down; it could be sound-proof!"

"There's a difference between complete silence and sound-proofing," Andy said.

"Come on, kids, we can read quietly until we can finish the movie," Yuki said, standing and heading to the room across from their bedroom where the extra toys and books were held.

Ichigo and Ichiko followed their mother quickly, eager to get the better books from the small selection. Andy tried to breathe deeply, to stave off the impending panic attack.

What if they found his family?

What if the agents were supers?

What if they had guns?

What if they had other super-designed weapons?

What if they took his family away from him?

What if he couldn't protect them?

What if they -

Soft music flowed through the speakers, the noise capturing Andy's attention. As he listened more intently, Andy realised the music was coming from the Hive, not the speakers in the lower Hive.

Why were they playing music if they had to keep quiet? he thought, almost immediately answering his own question: it would cover any noise they might make, providing extra protection against the agents.

Relief wasn't an instant response, Andy's body too used to high-stress and intense situations to relax so fast, but Yuki returned to the entertainment room a moment later, sitting beside him and waiting. A moment longer - breathe and listen to the music, he told himself firmly, focusing on each inhale and exhale - and Andy was able to hold his wife's hand and accept her arms wrapping around him without feeling like he was suffocating and being attacked.

"We'll be okay, Andy," Yuki whispered in his ear, holding him tight and holding him together.

Andy shut his eyes and wished he could believe his wife's words as certainly as she did.

...

"Hey, Ry. You're here for your shift?" Terrence asked as Connor and Ry entered the Hive.

"Yeah. Nice music," Ry said.

"Thanks, I chose it myself. It's supposed to be calming, so hopefully the customers won't attack each other over hydrangeas again. No promises, though; it's music, not a miracle," he added with a wry grin.

Connor realised that he'd chosen the music to help keep Andy calm. Being locked below ground with his family's safety under compromise and at the mercy of teenagers; Jesus, it was any wonder Andy hadn't bolted out of the lower Hive already, Connor mused, knowing he'd have to check on his friend as soon as he could.

"Thank you. I appreciate not being needed to break up any more fights," he said, Terrence smiling and nodding.

"Hey, we should hire you as a security guard," Craig said, snickering from the front counter. "Uh, yeah, that's twelve-thirty," he said to the customer quickly.

"Customer service is a thing, Craig," Layla admonished him as she returned to the room with an armful of flowers, the customer leaving with their cookies and soap.

"It's an evil thing. Who wants someone being fake at them? Like, this smile, this isn't natural," he said, putting on a cheesy smile.

"Yes, but glaring at someone isn't exactly nice, is it?" Layla asked, setting the flowers down to create an arrangement in a glass vase.

"I wouldn't want to buy stuff from someone who's glaring daggers at me," Ry agreed.

"Okay, but what if they were real daggers?" Craig asked.

"Definitely wouldn't buy stuff from 'em," Terrence snickered.

"Yeah, yeah. What if someone could actually glare daggers?" Craig asked.

"That sounds way too painful. You'd have to get the blade and the hilt out. And the thing that protects your hand. What's that bit called, Papa?" Ry asked, obviously trying to distract him from the agents outside.

"Crossguard," Connor replied.

"Security guard and crossword answer-er-er," Craig said with a flourish.

"I don't think that's a real job or a real word," Layla said, shaking her head.

"It could be. Nothing's impossible. Everything's possible? Nothing's probable? Wait, no, that's not right."

"I think I should take over. C'mon, shift change, dude," Ry said, snickering at Craig's glassy-eyed expression.

"Yeah, I'm tired. How long have I been working, Lay?" Craig asked.

"Four hours, Craig. Go have a break. Have something to drink," she added, picking through the flowers before passing a rose to him.

Craig nodded, kissing her cheek as he went back to the kitchen, the rose hanging loosely in his hand.

Connor frowned at the pointed exchange and followed after Craig to ensure he was really all right. Craig filled a glass of water at the sink, drinking it down deeply; the rose was nowhere in sight.

"Where... did you get the water?" Connor asked.

"Rain water tank in Eden," Craig replied, tilting his head towards the back door meaningfully.

"I haven't seen Eden for a while; have there been many changes?" Connor asked, wishing he could think of a better reason to go outside, especially if someone was listening - he sounded like he was reading from a poorly-written script.

"Yeah, actually. We got some seats out there. The fancy white one is popular for the 'gram, especially with the flowers around it."

Connor didn't dare ask what 'gram' was, but headed out to Eden anyway, sitting on the white bench that looked more decorative than the others. From the position of the bench, he could see directly to the parking lot where his car was parked, the agents parked a row behind him. One agent was sitting in their car, presumably listening to them through whatever listening device they had, while the other agent was walking around Connor's car. They looked as though they'd dropped their keys.

He'd have to sweep the car for bugs before they left, Connor mused, not looking forward to getting down on that gravel to check properly. Even as he thought that, Connor could see something heading out towards the parking lot. A kite? A piece of string? A hose? A vine? No, a rose, he realised, his eyes widening at the sight.

He wanted to stand and shout a warning to tell the kids not to do whatever they were about to do. The agents would leave them alone if they weren't suspicious, and sending a rose at their car would definitely make them suspicious.

The rose sank into the lush, green grass, immediately disappearing from sight. Connor realised that they had let him see that on purpose; from the parking lot, the agents wouldn't have seen a thing, and only he would know it was there. He waited, held his breath, and watched.

The agent at Connor's car stood and turned, heading back to their own car. From Connor's vantage point, he could see something beneath the car, the rose pushing up from the gravel and attach to the bottom of the car.

It wouldn't last, Connor thought. As soon as they returned to their organisation, the car would be searched for bugs and the rose would be found.

The agents' car left the parking lot before he'd finished the thought, but Connor stayed seated for a while longer, wondering if he could do anything to help the kids before they were imprisoned or orphaned by the organisation.

"It's okay, Mr. K. There's no rose down there anymore," Craig said, sitting next to Connor on the bench.

"What? But I saw it."

"Yeah, the rose had a seed in it. It's too windy to get a seed on the car from this distance, the rose just helped transport it there. The seed'll stick to the bottom of the car and be completely unnoticeable."

"Why a seed?" Connor asked. "What can that achieve?"

Craig grinned. "Lay can find any of her plants, Mr. K, even something as small as a seed."

Connor frowned at his answer. "What do you mean?"

"You've put weapons together with your power, yeah?"

His question made Connor wonder just how much of their power Ryuu had shown them. "A gun."

"Yeah, and you know where that gun is, don't you?"

"I..." he trailed off, his frown returning. "I don't know."

"Sure you do. You've just gotta focus on it, Mr. K. It's kinda like when you hide chocolate in the fridge so you won't be tempted, but then you know it's there and it's calling out to you. It's like that, but with your power."

Craig's explanation didn't help, but that didn't stop Connor from thinking about it, even as Craig went back into the Hive to find chocolate.

"Hey. They're gone and we're safe now, so you can come inside now," Andy said. "Hey, c'mon, Kemp. Get your ass inside; it's too hot to be out here in this heat," he said, grinning down at him.

Connor focused on his friend and smiled back at him. "I'm meant to be reassuring you after that ordeal, not the other way around."

Andy snorted. "Like that's stopped us before. C'mon already, we're watching Frozen and the kids want to re-watch the Let it go scene."

"With an offer like that, how can I refuse?" Connor asked with a laugh, taking Andy's offered hand and going inside with his best friend.

...

His son was a villain. Never mind the grey, in the world of black and white, his son was a villain, not a hero. The incident with the rose cemented the fact for him - despite murder and bank robberies - and Connor couldn't get it out of his mind. What would the seed's location tell them? What would they do once they knew?

Connor paced back and forth, wishing he had more room to pace properly. He needed space to think and the small two-bedroom apartment was severely lacking in that. Connor knew it was bad when he felt like the walls were closing in on him.

Grabbing his phone and keys, Connor sent a text to Ry to let him know he was going for a run and then left the apartment. Just because he wasn't happy with Ry's decision, it didn't mean he'd close off from him and not talk to him. If Ry came home while he was out running without knowing where he was, he'd probably think that Connor had just left, and neither of them needed that added stress and miscommunication. Connor put his phone and keys in his pockets and started to jog down towards the park and walking trail.

Ry hadn't been in the state when those people had died, so he couldn't be implicated in the actions of his friends, Connor reasoned to himself. Though Ry knew about the deaths and still decided to stay friends with them, so what did that mean? He may not have implicitly helped them rob a bank, but Connor was sure he was benefiting from it, just the same.

Was this something he could ignore as a parent? Was it something he could stop? Who's to say that if he stopped Ry from seeing his friends now that they wouldn't go behind his back and do worse things?

He could leave and take Ry with him, but oddly enough, Maxville really was safer than a lot of places in the US right then and the thought of going back to Mississippi when they'd just had to rescue Andy and his family from there made Connor's stomach churn.

Villainous behaviour aside, Ry had made friends and he was happy. Of course, Connor had made friends and was happy in the Army, too. But he'd known what he had signed up for - well, thought he knew what he'd signed up for. War was never what anyone expected, whether they were new or an old hand.

Stopping for a moment, thoughts and memories bombarding his mind, Connor breathed through the impending panic attack and focused on what was important: his son.

His son, who was a villain. Fuck.

Concentrating on his run again, Connor tried to reason that his son was healthy and happy. When he was born, that's all Connor had wanted for his child. But he hadn't honestly thought he'd grow up to be a villain. Maybe it was a phase?

Did it actually matter if he was a villain? When did he ever think of Ry as a hero, anyway? His first time in spandex for ballet should have clued him in, Connor thought, unable to stop a smile at the memory of his child practically tearing the thing to shreds and wailing to go to karate instead.

Would Ry have lost his sense of self as a hero? He'd spent so long finding his sense of self, it would have been a shame to lose that so soon. Heroes always had to project a certain image and could never be less than that. They weren't just put on a pedestal, they were required to stay on that pedestal until a villain knocked them down.

Villains didn't have that kind of pressure, did they? Like Craig had said, they didn't steal Andy and Yuki's belongings or hurt the agents watching the house. They could have, but they hadn't. Were there degrees of villainy? Did it even matter? Once a villain, always a villain.

That's the sort of thing Hyacinth would think, some part of Connor's mind realised. It sounded like Victor, and Connor realised that he hadn't thought of him in regards to this at all. Did Victor know? Was it Connor's place to tell him?

One thing at a time, Kemp, he told himself. First, he had to deal with Ry and come to terms with the choice he'd made.

The thought made Connor remember another choice Ry had made: the decision to transition. It was something that had been coming for a long time, but Connor hadn't truly understood just how unhappy Ry had been as a girl until they had visited Andy's home to meet Yuki's mother on her first trip to the States.

Ry had been dressed in his usual outfit of pants and a shirt; she's such a tomboy, most cooed when she was younger, though now that she was getting older, some of the parents were looking at his daughter like it was a phase she should have outgrown already. Ry had been introduced to Yuki's mother, whose limited English was in no way hindering her ability to talk to people and make them understand what she meant or wanted. Mostly because Yuki was playing translator, but neither of them seemed to mind. Yuki's mother had smiled at Ry and congratulated Connor on such a handsome son. Connor had gone to correct her, only to be interrupted by his child's loud 'Hai, watashi wa kare no musukodesu. Arigatōgozaimashita' in response with the widest smile that Connor had seen in far too long. (Yes, I'm his son. Thank you. Japanese)

Ry had run off to play with Ichigo and Ichiko, leaving Connor standing there in surprise, feeling like a bombshell had been dropped right in front of him. Andy had seen his expression and led him back inside, handing him a drink and telling him to take his time. Ry had found Connor sitting inside almost an hour later, looking nervous and worried at Connor's state.

"Papa? Are you mad with me?"

"No. I... I'm just surprised. I didn't know, baby gi- I mean..." Connor sighed, setting his now-warm drink aside and holding his hand out to Ry. "Are you sure?"

His child had nodded firmly.

"You're not doing this for some other reason, are you?"

Ry had frowned, his face scrunched up in confusion. "Like what, Papa?"

"Oh, I don't know... What are all the cool kids doing?"

"Usually picking on me."

"What?"

Ry shrugged, fists clenched in his shirt a moment later. "They don't say anything others don't already say, anyway."

"What others?" Connor asked, feeling like a second bombshell had hit; why hadn't he been told? Why hadn't he known?

"Y'know, Mrs. Weston, she keeps saying how I'm too old to dress like a boy and I should dress like a girl. The kids say stuff like that, but meaner."

"Mrs. Weston's a cow and you shouldn't listen to her. Or the others," Connor added, wondering if it was too late to ask for names. He wouldn't kick a kid's ass for teasing his child, but the parents should discipline their kid, surely?

"I know, Papa. I don't listen to her or the other kids. And I don't fight them, either," Ry added quickly.

"Good gi- boy. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Papa. You only found out, like, an hour ago. It's difficult to change eleven years' worth of habits," his child replied, sounding far wiser than eleven years old.

"How'd you get so smart?"

"The library, duh."

Connor had laughed and pulled his child into a hug. "Smartass. You good?" he asked when he felt his son shaking against his chest.

"Yeah, Papa. I'm good. I thought you'd hate me," he said, his voice small.

Connor shook his head. "Not possible, son. I might not like you sometimes if you're being a pain in the ass, or when you steal the last cookie and blame it on a pet we don't own, but I could never hate you."

"Never?"

"No. But that's not a challenge, son."

Ry had giggled against his chest and Connor had tightened his grip on his child, the child he hadn't known he'd wanted but now couldn't imagine his life without, no matter what gender.

Even now, Connor couldn't imagine a life without his son, but he couldn't help but wonder how he would feel the first time he saw Ry on TV for robbing a bank or wanted for murder or imprisoned in Maxville Super Penitentiary for his next six lifetimes.

Trying to clear his mind - or outrun his thoughts - Connor ran faster and focused on the path, concentrating on his feet against the hard earth.

...

Victor opened the door, surprised to see Connor on the doorstep and even more surprised to see him drenched in sweat. "Holy... Are you all right, Connor?"

Connor started to nod and then shook his head. "I just... I... Hell, I don't know."

"Um, okay. Come in. Do you want to talk about it?"

Connor didn't know the answer to that, either. He couldn't explain without revealing the kids' intentions to Victor and while he adored the man, he didn't know if Victor would simply call Judge Salt. He couldn't risk their safety, even if they were making a decision he didn't agree with personally.

Victor closed the door behind Connor, frowning at how he could practically see the swirling mess of thoughts and emotions that Connor was feeling. "How about you have a shower? I find I always think better in there," he offered, figuring that the cooling sweat wouldn't be comfortable for Connor at least. "I'll find some clothes that fit you," Victor added.

"Thank you, darling."

Victor wondered just how serious his dilemma was that Connor didn't even make an innuendo. Connor allowed himself to be led to Victor's ensuite, stripping out of his clothes and shoes without waiting for Victor to leave. Victor let his gaze linger for a long second before leaving to get clothes and a towel for Connor.

Hot water eased his muscles, steam fogged the shower screen, and for what could have been minutes or hours, Connor simply stood there, trying to clear his mind of the thoughts that cycled round and round without ending or resolution. He'd spent years meditating and could usually clear his mind easier than this, so the fact that he couldn't get the thoughts out of his head was frustrating him just as much as the thoughts themselves.

Had he failed as a parent? Had he given Ry too much freedom? Not enough? Was it his fault? Was it because of their 'what would you?' game when the Commander and Jetstream fought on TV? Could a villain still be a good person? Was that possible? What if someone he thought was a villain was someone else's hero?

What led a person - a teenager, his son - to become a villain? Aside from the usual science experiments gone wrong, it wasn't like there was a huge amount of literature on what made a villain a villain, especially since the Commander and Jetstream had monopolised the Hero market. They had killed more of their opponents than arrested them, but he couldn't focus on that right now.

Besides, Maxville Super Penitentiary wasn't exactly a tourist attraction; people knew it existed, but so long as the villains didn't escape, most people just didn't care that a prison full of supervillains was right there in Maxville. Could he turn a blind eye to what they were doing as well?

The kids weren't going to break villains out of the Pen, so he didn't have to worry about that. Unless... what if they were going to do that? Had they actually thought of everything? It was more than shifting into the prison, there were guards to contend with, and the doors were all locked with steel beams and had anti-drill plates on them. The Warden changed the locking system's code regularly, and it wasn't something others in the Pen knew.

Connor's thoughts stopped abruptly as he realised that he was thinking like a villain.

Maybe it's contagious? he thought to himself, shaking his head, water drops hitting the tiles.

"Connor? It's been fifteen minutes; you haven't drowned, have you?" Victor called, knocking on the ensuite door.

"Not yet," Connor called back, turning off the taps and stepping out of the shower.

A towel sat on top of some clothes and Connor noticed that his sweaty clothes weren't in sight. Drying off and dressing, he opened the ensuite door to see Victor sitting on the bed.

"Are you feeling better?" Victor asked, standing up.

"I don't think so, but I honestly don't know how I'm feeling," Connor admitted, running a hand through his damp hair.

"Is there anything I can do?" Victor asked, not sure how to deal with this, especially when he didn't actually know what this was.

Connor moved close, taking Victor's hand and threading their fingers. "This is good."

Victor made a noise of agreement, wrapping his free arm around Connor's waist in a hug. "Good. I can do this," he said, grinning. "Come on, we'll watch a movie until you're ready to talk."

"Sounds good, darling."

...

End of the hundred and third chapter.