Daniel talks some more with Leo, only to be set up for a later problem. Daniel now realises, there was no getting out of it… he needs to talk to the alien.

Itsloerlver Thank you for the review, it makes me happy seeing new reviews.

Daniel sighed as he unlocked the door, seeing a moment of the boy's terrified eyes, reminded him of the main problem he was facing. Dealing with the mother, of a child who opposes her views of what she considers is normal "So, good news… it was a hottie…" The man joked, locking the door before taking a seat.

"Bad news… is I'm gonna have to wait to open that present."

"Eww…" The young boy joked, the sarcasm dripping from his tone. It brought a smile to the man's face, that Leo was able to take a nonserious joke with a light-hearted smile.

The man continued, "So, Miss Godzilla out there got upset with me… which isn't too good. But I reminded her, that you still have at least half of your time remaining." When the boy looked glum, the man continued, "Hopefully my conversation with the model out there brought you enough time to think about your next plan to move forward…"

"I want to keep having you… as my psychologist."

"I'm sensing a but…"

"But I don't want to make my mother happy for the next two years. Isn't there nothing else you can do?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm already broken a few rules by discussing those options with you. I'd get a slap on the wrist for unprofessionalism, for that mere knowledge alone. I could also risk other things, like my job… but even if I do, manage to protect you, I might not necessarily be able to do so… It'll be her word against mine, no matter how much information is gathered… your best option, is to build a case against your mother, showing how deranged she is… her putting you at risk of health, especially physical harm, could mean child services will be involved… but they'll need something."

"But…" The young boy bit his lip, "I can't be Jacqueline any longer… I don't want to keep living, not if I have to spend years pretending to be her for the sake of my mother's happiness."

The man sighed, "Alright… I understand."

Grabbing his phone, he sent a message to Clarisa. I need you to call child protective services, tell them there's a young boy who doesn't feel safe here. There's a high-risk chance of suicide if I send them home with their parent.

He waited, eventually hearing the tone, along with a simple ok message.

"Alright, I'm risking my job for you… by doing this. So, I can't guarantee you'll get me. So, while you have me, let's talk a little. Are there any friends you have, ones you'll miss if you were split from them?"

The boy shook his head, "I have nobody… I can't have anybody." Leo found himself pausing for a moment, right before muttering the words under his breath "I'm not allowed to have anybody…"

Daniel's expression fell slightly. Doing his job required an emotional disconnect at times, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for the young boy in his life "I wish I could say things will get better… but sometimes, things get far worse, before they get better… No matter how dark your tunnel is… there will always be light at the end of it… even if you can't see it. I can't say what you've gone through… I've been through, so I know it'll turn out good."

When the boy's eyes were on him, the man smiled, "But what I can tell you is things will get better in the end. You'll make friends… you may even find a family that loves you for who you are. It may take weeks… months… maybe even years to find these people, but they can be found. One of the things I've heard during my life, even though I'm saying this as a twenty-five-year-old, and not some old, long grey-bearded man… people tend to give you a piece of a puzzle. You'll have no idea what this piece is for… what it's supposed to represent… but with each new person you meet, they'll give you a new piece. Eventually, some of them will even fit. The final product, is something nobody else… but you will love and appreciate. That jigsaw puzzle, will be you…"

"Who said this?"

"Ashton told me… yup, the same woman you talked to."

When the man heard his phone go off, he checked his phone. They're here… but we have a problem.

"One second…"

What's the problem?

Miss Margret thinks they've come to take her daughter away.

I'm sure it's not the first time it's probably happened to her, I'll come out and deal with it.

"I'm going to need you to stay here. Clarisa will be coming in to help you. You'll be fine… I promise. I will be dealing with your mother for the time being."

"~"

Daniel locked the door behind him, heading towards the screeching sound of a mother about to lose her shit at the drop of a pin. The man crossed the hallway, not even having a second to respond before her eyes were drawn to him.

"You!"

Daniel crossed his arms, "Yes…?"

"You're the one trying to take my daughter away."

"Son…"

"I knew it… you're one of those people. I had a sinking gut feeling, the moment you took that guy into the back. You're trying to convert my daughter into becoming a paedophile like yourself."

Daniel held up a finger, "First, that guy is honestly just a friend. I may be gay, but I don't bang everything with a pulse. I have very high standards…" Standard I have failed to meet for the last person I dated, but I'm honestly trying. The man joked in his head, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. He reacted quickly, attempting to disarm the situation, "Second, of all… I said son, not daughter. I'm not about to put them on beta-blockers… or start them on HRT, just because he identifies as male… It's not in my area of expertise, he'll need to see a professional in that area…"

Putting an arm behind his back, he dangled the keys at Clarisa.

Clarisa grabbed the keys while nobody was looking at her, heading towards Daniel's office.

Having done the first part of his job, he walked along the waiting area, luckily having only a few people being witness to a situation he'll hopefully be able to calm down without it devolving into danger.

"To put it bluntly, Miss Margret, I had no control over your son from the beginning. I allowed him to speak, then I listened. Your child will be taken away by child protective services, he feels unsafe at home. What happens next, I can't control it. You can fight the courts over if you're a fit mother to look after your child… but I'm only doing what I feel is right within the moment. They may turn around, and return your child the very next day. BUT I HOPE, for Leo's sake… they'll listen to what he has to say, and weigh the options."

"But Jacqueline is my SON…" The man smiled, only to frown immediately after "MY DAUGHTER! This isn't what she wants. She wants to be at my side… I know it."

"He feels unsafe, and begged me not to let him go home with you." By now the child protective service members had already moved, the woman none the wiser, "We are the adults here, but I'm not the one throwing a temper tantrum or telling others, I know what's best for my child because I'm an adult. You should've listened to him because he has snippets of being a smart kid. You're just telling him he's dumb or doesn't know any better… Will Leo make dumb mistakes in life? Certainly. I know I've done so in the last few years…" most definitely, in the last few days "but we tend to learn and grow from our mistakes if given the chance to make them first."

When the child protective services came from out of the hallway, the woman lunged for her daughter like a cat pouncing "Don't you dare take my daughter away."

Daniel moved at the same time, grabbing the woman before she could grab Leo.

The act was unprofessional, especially in his line of work. But he felt like he needed to do it… to protect Leo, even if he gets into serious trouble.

The act made Margret fly into a rage, swinging her fist at the man.

Daniel moved out of the way, only to see a white blur. Killua moved so fast as if trained on mere instinct. The moment she threw a punch, the alien had grabbed the fist, twisting it around the woman's back with such finesse, Daniel was left feeling unsure how to react.

Should he be impressed, or chastise Killua for the move.

The woman screeched out of anger, "Let me go you monster."

"I prefer the term them." The alien then looked at Daniel, "Did I use it in the right context?"

The man had no idea how to react now. He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question, but at the same time, he was impressed by Killua's skill to tackle and hold the woman in place with zero effort. Did he do the same with Yannick?

He honestly wants to both, praise and chastise Killua "Please let her go…"

"She'll only take another swing at you or myself."

"You'll get into trouble with the police if you don't let go now."

"Couldn't you ask your dad for a favour? We do it all the time where I come from…"

Daniel rolled his eyes, "I'm not calling my dad to get a friend a free get out of jail card. That, borderlines on corruption… and my dad is very, by the books."

"Alright…" Killua let go of the woman, stepping back before she could think to swing a punch in his direction.

The woman got up, pointing a finger at the man, "I'll have your job."

"I don't think you'll last…" Killua retorted calmly.

Daniel facepalm, hiding his mouth so the alien doesn't catch him trying to hold in a laugh. He undoubtedly needs to teach Killua the difference between sarcasm, idioms and actual statements. But for the moment, he'll need to act like a deterrent "I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm only doing what's best for your child. Feel free to put in a complaint to APPRA…"

The woman glared at Killua, before shifting her gaze back to Daniel, "You'll regret harming me… the both of you will." Taking her leave, the woman walked away.

When she left, Daniel breathed out a sigh of relief, "You…" The man pointed at Killua, "You and I are going to have a long talk."

Killua looked at him in confusion, given the tone he was using, he sounded angry. But at the same time, didn't he promise a long talk anyways, "That doesn't sound too good…"

Daniel gave a nod, "Oh, you're not wrong." The man then turned to Clarisa who was still in shock from how fast Killua moved. It was almost superhuman speeds. He must be a professional fighter, not someone her work colleague would usually be caught with.

"Clarisa…"

The woman snapped out of her thoughts, "Yes?"

"I'm going to finalise some of the documents, then I'm heading off to take Killua home. Given the ordeal today, I'd say it's safe to move all my clients tomorrow to another day, so I can recuperate mentally."

"I'll get on it…" The woman smiled, waiting for Daniel to leave. The moment he did, her eyes shifted to Killua, who sat down, looking like a confused puppy. Before today, she has never seen Killua, so they must have moved here recently… like within the last few days. At first, she referred to them as an attractive male, but after that whole ordeal, it's safe to say she know knows Killua falls outside of the binary gender spectrum.

But exactly, how did they know Daniel personally…?

Was Daniel in danger… or were they someone from the man's childhood who recently showed up unannounced? Once things have settled, maybe she could probe Killua for more details.

Shifting her gaze back to the computer, she pulled up Daniel's schedule for tomorrow, going through the long process of having to inform them that Daniel will be unable to see them tomorrow and to try to reschedule them for another day, possibly before the end of the week or next week.

With a sigh, she picked up the phone, dialling the first person's number.

"~"

The drive was quiet, Killua hating the sound of the humming motor of the machine. He just wanted the human to talk, so that at least there's something else other than that constant sound.

Eventually, Daniel spoke after a long silence, "So, we need to talk…" He had been silent for so long because he was trying to figure out, where he should start. How much he should probe for and what he can explain away via being strange human mannerisms.

"I thought you were going to kill me with silence… it's not fun listening to this noise."

"Noise?"

"The machine you're operating… it's so noisy to me."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "It's not that bad…"

"Well, I have better hearing than humans, I guess…"

"Noted…" The man paused, "Well, if it's that good… if you hear a fart… don't point it out. What's silent to us… may sound like an explosion of clapping cheeks to you."

"What's a fart?"

"A human thing… I'll explain later. First of all, can I say… when the woman said she'll have my job, she didn't mean it literary… it was an idiom. It means she's going to get me fired from my job."

"People can just do that…?"

"Some people can… not everyone, which has to do with what I said about corruption. It might be different where you come from, but given what you said earlier… it may be the same, just under a different name. However, for us… if you know people in high places or the right kind of people… you can change certain things. Me having a cop for a father doesn't mean I can go out, get wasted and drive home drunk. He may be able to pull a few strings to lessen my consequences, but he won't do that. He'll chastise me… Do you have something like that at home?"

"I have something but I don't want to talk about it…"

"Understandable… but this needs to be a two-way conversation eventually. You can't learn everything about me, and expect me not to learn anything about you in return."

"I know… but that life is gone. I can't go back to it, even if I wanted to."

"Is it traumatic to think about…?"

"I guess…"

"Is it the reason for your obvious scars?"

"Yes…"

The man sighed, "Alright, I won't probe you then."

"Just like that?" Killua raised an eyebrow.

"Some things are harder to talk about for some people. Pushing them to talk, isn't a tactic I employ when talking to my clients. I rather they go at their own pace, by asking smaller questions along the way. Which reminds me… you can't detect sarcasm."

"What on earth is sarcasm?"

"Hmm… remember how I said: I know what's best for my child because I'm an adult? Well, that would fall under sarcasm. A parent saying, they know what's best for their child, isn't necessarily wrong… under the right circumstances. But not all parents have the perfect answer for that something. Let's look at my father for example… he has judged all of my partners I've had, that he's aware of. He has said all of them are bad for me, not realising… I've had a few good partners over the years. In most cases, it doesn't work out, because we don't interlock well with each other. We're not compatible… our lives are leading us down separate paths where we can no longer be together… Poor communication skills… Bad habits, that could be considered relationship breakers… The sex is bad… excreta, excreta…"

"I see…" Killua frowned at the information, "Is there a way to tell if they're being sarcastic?"

"Mainly through delivery… like for example…" The man hummed over an example in his head, "How about this… Yannick is the best boyfriend I've ever dated…" He said it with a smile, but the tone he used, implied he was lying through his teeth.

"That's sarcasm?"

"Correct, but in this case, you would've had multiple key factors playing into that answer… seeing as you met Yannick, he probably muttered under his breath that he did something sweet for me… or like a classic villain, I'll have my revenge… I get Daniel back. He's lying because I found out things about him, that are definite relationship breakers. Namely, the fact, that he copied my house key without my knowledge. He's been stalking me for a while, approaching me only when he knew my tastes… He was so bloody sweet, that it makes me sick to my stomach now."

"He did mutter something along that line… he left a bear and chocolates on your bed. He said… you'll see it as a sweet gesture."

"It'll only make me hate him more… I may stereotypically see it as a sweet gesture. But if I hadn't dumped him before that moment, it'll be a red flag seeing a bear on my bed and chocolates from him. He shouldn't have a way to enter my house… I'm going to call a towing company to get rid of his car if he hasn't already gone home to get the spare car keys… I swear, he better not have another damn copy of the key to my house."

Daniel turned a corner, frustrated with his situation, "I wouldn't put it past that fucken asshole…"

"I'll protect you…"

"As sweet as the gesture is, you barely know me…"

"Well… you're protecting me, by not throwing over to the authorities."

"That is true… I guess I am…" The man fell silent, quietly accepting his circumstances. Eventually, he spoke once more "I'll help you for as long as I can… but there might be a time where we need to part ways."

Killua hummed at the comment, their eyes shifting to look at Daniel, whose eyes were focused solely on the road ahead. Shifting their sitting position, they spoke, "You're probably the first friend I've ever had."

"Highly doubt it…"

"Considering how you're acting towards me; I can say it's true. We don't have such a concept where I live. We use each other for either political gains or a foothold in other sectors. The term 'friend', is so rare… very few have one."

"Leo, my last client for the day has zero friends… but his mother was manipulative to the point, he didn't have a chance to develop a friendship. He probably has someone he could identify as a friend, but no one he could be close to… I think you have that."

"Someone I was close to… but couldn't necessarily consider a friend. I hadn't considered that…"

"I wanted to ask something else, while I remember… what was that thing you stuck in your wound?"

"The closest way to explain it is a type of parasite. It's called a Placltines. What it does, is it attaches to your skin, mending your wounds… feeding off scarred tissue. The moment the wound closes, it suffocates to death. It needs a constant supply of light sources and a form of oxygen. An air-source… to be more precise. It adapts to changes in circumstances at a ridiculous pace. It only survived the crash, because of the container they're held in. the bigger ones work the fastest, while the smaller ones are designed to replicate in the wound, helping not only your body heal faster but bolster your immune system if you've been affected by a strange virus. I had to use the big one because the wound was far too big for the smaller one to handle…"

"How many do you have? If you don't mind me asking…"

"One big one, and a handful of the smaller ones… maybe five…"

"What an interesting, yet strange creature…"

"They're bred to be that way."

"So, they're alive…"

"In a manner of speaking, yes… they're alive. But they act on impulse."

"And… I assume you are the same, given that you were able to tackle the woman before she could swing a second punch at me. I was impressed…"

"Why thank you…"

"It was also bad what you did. You shouldn't grab people like that, even if you were trained to do so."

"Didn't you do the same thing, when the woman tried to grab the kid?"

"Yes, which I know makes me a hypocrite… but, nope I can't defend my actions. I will get in trouble for doing that, which is why… Police will probably get involved. Unfortunately, that means… I'll have to tell them who you are."

"What?!"

"But not what you are… I won't tell them. To me, you'll be a friend I happen to know who just moved here. Unfortunately, your luggage had gotten lost in another state, so you're waiting for it to come to you… that will buy you some time. I'll need to call my one friend… who hopefully, still makes fake passports and licences."

"So, you'll report me… but you're going to protect me at the same time… I don't understand why?"

"Dunno…" Daniel hummed to himself, now lost in his thoughts, "I don't understand it myself…"

Killua gave a nod, "I think it's the same for me… ever since I tried to… you know… shoot you."

"Shoot as in kill… or knock me out. Because I'm still worried about that."

"As in… kill."

"Fantastic… someone who wanted to kill me just yesterday, now considers me as a friend."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"Yes… because I'm still worried."

"Well, you shouldn't be…"

"Easier said than done…"

"I can't do it… It hurts…" Killua muttered under their breath.

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean it hurts?"

"Nothing… it's a… what would humans call it? When you say something, you mean, but questioning the thought because it makes no sense?"

"Humour me?"

"As in, tell you a joke?"

"No… the idiom is more along the lines of asking someone to play along or hear them out. To listen, without responding to the comment. To you, it makes no sense why it hurts. But is there an answer to your conundrum… certainly? I just don't know it…"

"Neither do I…" Killua sighed in defeat. Their eyes glanced outside, watching the buildings go by.

You could probably find out where the story takes place by looking up APPRA…