Sam: Hi! Haha He is! Living, breathing, looking like a tiny Atem. Yugi's father instincts are definitely showing! Most dragonets are up and moving around within a few minutes to an hour of hatching. Yami is immediately rushing around cause he's a good baby haha And absolutely!

His pouting made me giggle every time I reread for edits~

Chapter II: The Clutch

Atem landed hard despite himself. His legs were stiff with tension, wings heavy as if they might drop from his body. He hated this area. The camp's sheer walls made his scales crawl. He flicked his tail across the dirt, tilting his head. Jaden and Yusei watched the figure approaching them. The Leviathan, however, studied him with an expression equally concerned and bewildered. Atem forced himself to stand straight, flexing his wings. His blunder had not gone unnoticed as he'd hoped.

He shook himself out and tucked his wings into his sides.

"How unexpected to have God Dragons in my territory," Akunadin snarled in greeting, staring at Atem more than the others. His eyes narrowed, lips drawn back. "You Blessed the nest prior. Why are you here?"

Yusei looked over, tilting his head. Atem refused to answer the curious stare and the Stardust Dragon eventually turned back to the Lightning Dragon as if he were personally offended by the question.

"I believe you're meant to address the eldest of the God Dragons when you make discussion concerning us as a group," Jaden said, staring at Akunadin headlong. His tail lashed as Atem cast him a surprised glance. The Clan Leader graced neither Jaden or Yusei a look, eyes locked solely on Atem.

"The eclipse," he said finally, wishing the air wasn't so still that his voice carried, "has raised concerns."

"Concerns," Akunadin sneered, "of what manner?"

Atem refused to look at him or the others. He stared at the nursery beyond Akunadin's shoulder, trying to ignore that Seto was nearby and watching him with sharp eyes. He ignored the other God Dragons as well, bracing himself for further argument and trying to summon the energy necessary to deal with it.

"Hatchlings cannot be born beneath an eclipse."

His lungs hurt, but he refused to let the strain effect his voice.

"Funny. I had not taken you to be so easily fooled by superstition."

Was that it? Was he so easily fooled by things?

Atem almost wished he knew when he'd stopped thinking for himself. He looked over and blinked once, long and slow, to show dismissal toward the jab. "I simply attend for the sake of my title."

It took a moment for the words to connect. Jaden spun on him, bristling. Yusei snorted and struggled to suppress his laughter. The Leviathan guffawed, butting his hip with his beak. Atem ignored the glare and sly looks, watching Akunadin's startled face.

"I was told to come. Here I am." He glanced at the nursery. Was that Kisara in the entrance, far enough in the shadows to obscure her expression? He wondered if she was scared. He wanted to say he wouldn't let anything happen to the clutch. But how was he supposed to protect them? If he and Jaden went to blows, what was he to do? Jaden would have the support of Yusei and the Leviathan, while he was estranged to them. "Superstition drives Jaden. I just follow instructions."

"When did you become a follower?" Akunadin scoffed. He stared at Atem as if he did not recognize the species of maggot before him. "I was told you were never one to follow. I was told you were ambitious and stronger than you look. You were always said to be a loner, more likely to do what you felt right over what the mass saw as necessity."

Atem faltered, unsure. Should he agree or argue? For the moment, his wings were pinned. He did this to avoid Jaden's scrutiny in his territory. It was the easiest thing to do; if he allowed Jaden to lead them and dictate his actions, he avoided suspicion. And he could not afford the contrary. If he found Yami…

Everyone knew his stance from his argument at the gathering, if nothing else. He'd declared himself an enemy if Jaden insisted upon extinction of what could have been a completely innocent set of hatchlings. It likely did not help his reputation as a bloodthirsty God Dragon set to maim and slaughter suitors headed his way. His stance had been contradictory and now he stood before a Clan Leader saying he was there to kill any clutches hatched that day because of a superstition passed down from generation to generation.

Jaden was foolish and stupid for his bloodlust.

That was the long and short of his feelings on the matter.

But he could not say that.

Instead he shot Akunadin a sneering smile, sly with frustration. "I do not possess seniority over the others. My choices are my own. They sought I join them, and here I am." He ignored Yusei's puzzled glance. He disregarded the Leviathan's amusement. He refused the urge to snarl at Jaden's glare. "I just come when I am called."

The Leviathan laughed so hard Yusei jumped like a startled cat. His reaction made Jaden swing around with huge eyes. Atem couldn't help the snort that left him, looking at them with a tilted head.

Akunadin was not amused. "A Sky Dragon for a god," he said, voice full of contempt, "has not happened in over ten thousand years. And, yet, you all pretend as if this is a normal or true occurrence."

They all paused. Atem blinked, stunned. Yusei bristled. Jaden turned, staring at Atem. The Leviathan looked at Akunadin, eyes glowing.

"True?" Yusei scoffed. "Who are you to imply otherwise?"

Akunadin eyed him critically. "It is not as if the three of you went searching for him when he was younger. God Dragons are meant to be raised together, yes? And, yet, somehow the three of you neither noticed nor cared to find him for the most important training of his life."

Atem bristled, stunned, a snarl building in his throat.

"These three couldn't find an egg in a nest," a new voice spat. All five of them turned to the newcomer and Atem felt his insides run cold. "And, if he didn't want to be found, they couldn't have. Atem isn't a dragon you trifle with for fun. Had they entered his territory, he likely would have ripped them to pieces."

The other three eyed Atem a heartbeat, as if remembering the rumors.

"High praise from someone who provoked him to attack mere moons ago."

Seto ignored Jaden, lashing his tail and turning to glare at Akunadin. "What do you expect him to do? Eat the clutch? He fought the Leviathan and argued with Jaden. Think for a moment, will you? He doesn't want to harm them." He turned to Atem with a scoff. "Your timing is lacking. They hatched yesterday."

He blinked, glancing at Jaden. The Fire Dragon eyed them both, Atem in his peripheral and Seto his main focus. "Is that so?" he mumbled, refusing to acknowledge Yusei's stare. "I had not realized. My apologies."

"Your timing has always been terrible," Seto continued contemptuously. Atem almost spat at him that none of his brother's problems had been his own. His involvement in any issues he'd caused himself had nothing to do with Atem. He should have been grateful he'd killed Keith and allowed him to live after he'd entered his territory the first time. Seto seemed to understand the glare Atem had leveled him, for he shook himself out and turned to Akunadin. "Do you plan to deny him a right to visit his siblings? Kisara would like to see him."

His daughter's name brought softness to the Lightning Dragon's face. His eye warmed, his expression losing its anger. He blinked, turning to Atem, and huffed, "You may see the nest. The rest of you stay here."

Atem felt a surge of discontent. Why only him? Was it their familial relation? Or was Seto hiding something? Was Akunadin attempting to protect his daughter or Seto? Or had he chosen Atem because he might have felt him inadequate but still saw him as the easier of the four to deal with? He forced himself to smother the impulse to bristle and faced Seto.

"Lead the way," he said, voice stronger than he felt. Seto blinked, glancing at him coldly, and then turned and started away. Atem let him get a few steps ahead and fell in line behind him. He raised his head, tucking his wings into his sides, and kept his gait proud and regal.

He hoped it stung Jaden's ego.

He hoped it also gave them pause in considering anything malicious in the arrangement.

Seto led him to the nursery, pausing at the mouth, and faced him abruptly. His blue eyes burned, like chunks of ice carved into gold. "Keep your jaws shut."

Atem blinked, staring, and bristled faintly. "What is there to speak of?" he hissed.

It was just a clutch of eggs that had hatched. Familial bond did not imply further significance. Atem likely would never visit them again unless necessary. He didn't see a reason to—

He stared at him, studying his tensed muscles as he flexed his claws uneasily. Atem tilted his head, eyed the way the muscles in his mouth were more pronounced with preparation to sink his teeth into his flesh if he so much as moved the wrong way, and then smiled wryly.

They'd just hatched.

Akunadin was so aggressive because he was afraid of what Jaden wanted done.

Seto had run intervention so Atem would lie for him.

There was no brotherly affection in his actions.

He had come solely to get Atem's protection for his offspring.

Atem looked away just enough to see the other God Dragons in his peripheral. They were talking amongst themselves now. Yusei was animatedly waving his paws around, as if telling a grand story to a set of hatchlings. They did not miss him.

He turned back. Seto was snarling softly, prepared to spring.

What good was it to have him go in there? Atem couldn't help but wonder why he was so insistent upon his presence there. It was not as if Jaden might refuse insistence upon access to the nest regardless of what he said.

But then, Atem could not claim he didn't understand Seto's drive to protect his offspring. Had he not gone to run interference with the others by meeting them before they landed in his territory? Had he not played neutral in accompanying them to the nests in order to check on newly hatched clutches? Had he not done all of this just to protect Yami?

Seto had more to protect than just one.

A life was a life. They all deserved a chance.

He nodded slowly, thinking of the little red hatchling relying on him to make this trip as painless as possible before he returned home. He may not have been warm towards him as of the moment, but the desire to protect him was there. The necessity to see him survive was present.

It would have to be enough.

Seto eyed him as if he expected him to turn and tattle then and there. He remained tense a few heartbeats more and Atem watched him, cautious but unwilling to look away even to alleviate his brother's aggression. Then the Felgrand finally blinked, exhaled slowly, and shook himself out. The cold glimmer in his eyes did not change even as he turned to lead him inside again.

Atem did not risk another glance. If the others had noticed their exchange at all, it likely seemed Seto had warned him not to move too fast or too close. That was simply expected of any Sky Dragon with a new clutch. He'd struck Yugi for venturing too close to the egg. He knew that instinct far too well. No one looking at them from afar would expect anything different.

But the moment he stepped into the tunnel, his body tensed. The scales on his spine rose sharply, jutting into the air and quivering. He froze. Seto was already far enough along he could no longer see him. His eyes were not made for darkness like this, and Seto was swallowed beneath the shadows. Atem could only just faintly make out the difference in color variations to tell where the limestone walls met the rock-laden floor.

The stench was back, tenfold what it had been upon his initial visit. He backed away a step, suppressing a snarl. Disgust made his belly twist, anxiety burning his muscles. He fought the impulse to turn tail. The shadows had all seemed to blur together indistinctly. He hissed a breath, forcing himself not to wheeze from lungs too tight in his chest.

"What are you waiting for?" Seto growled somewhere in the dark.

Atem bristled, trying to remain upright. It was overpowering; how did Seto not smell it? He hissed again, trying to keep his throat from closing. Then he forced himself to raise a paw and creep forward a step. He blinked against the darkness, looking for shadows that might allude to where he should have been and who might be closest.

Where was Kisara?

Did she smell it?

She was the mother. She had to know something was wrong.

Atem bristled, slinking forward again.

What room did he have to speak? He'd thought his own dead from the moment he'd laid it. And yet, Yami had hatched. He'd hatched smaller than he should have, so tiny he shouldn't have survived, but he had. He was alive and he seemed well, and Atem was sure of nothing else but the fact Yugi was taking the best care of him he could under the circumstances.

He wondered if he would have smelled rot had Yami's egg turned.

Maybe it was not Seto's nest. Maybe it was just…burned into the nursery.

He knew otherwise.

There was no tricking himself.

He'd never been so foolish.

But some part of him truly wished it so.

He halted a foot from the nursery's entrance, where the walls spread out and branched into different tunnels. His stomach churned, writhing, and Atem pressed himself flat against the stone beneath him. His breathing worsened, so volatile he was amazed he could even see. The last time he'd struggled so hard to get air he'd been likely hours from death, starving and laying in a heap as his vision blurred and danced and spots of black began to bloom across. Had he not spotted Timaeus hunting at that moment, he likely would have just lay there and wasted away.

He'd never suffered so much since. But now—

He twisted, rolling and suppressing an agonized roar.

"Atem?" a panicked voice murmured. He heard paws against the stone as someone raced forward. Someone followed, more cautious and unsure, and his brother hissed, "What are you doing?"

He couldn't think straight. His entire body twisted and rolled, writhing as his nerves danced and burned. He flopped, hit one wall, and tried to curl in on himself. His lungs were too tight and his head was throbbing. Pain surged through his body as if he'd been struck with fire. Every scale writhed and twisted as if trying to shed themselves.

His brother stood before him, eyes huge with confusion but body shaking with anger. Kisara nudged his shoulder and asked if he was okay. Her concern peaked his panic and he flailed. His claws raked the air and struck the wall. His tail slammed into the ground and he spun on the newcomer close to his hindquarters. He snarled and spat and tucked his wings into his sides and thought to spring. But his muscles hurt and his body was shaking and quivering and he couldn't breathe.

"Atem?"

"Atem!"

"What's wrong?"

"Can you talk?"

I can't breathe, he wanted to snarl. I can't breathe and all I smell is death.

Someone grabbed his neck. Instinct coursed through, cutting the panic in half. He twisted and spun. In an instant he struck out. Blood splashed through the air. He opened his mouth in a snarl, though he made no noise. He tried to breathe but found it impossible. Instead he lowered his head, opened both mouths, and drew his tail closer.

"Easy," Yusei growled, shuffling back a few steps. His cheek was bleeding. His eyes were narrowed and fixed on him. "Easy. I'm not going to hurt you."

"What have the three of you done to him?" Seto sneered, clearly infuriated around his bewilderment. "He was never so…afraid of everything before."

Atem didn't look at him. Yusei wiped blood from his face and lay on his belly to make himself smaller. Atem eyed him, studying, and watched as the Stardust Dragon licked his paw and rubbed the angry marks. Everything in his demeanor was easy, relaxed, as if he hadn't just been struck.

"Horse-dung," Jaden spat behind the other male, lashing his tail and staring at Atem. "We haven't done anything to him. He's been flighty and fearful since we met him at the gathering. I don't even know why I entertain this charade so much."

"Charade?" Yusei echoed, looking over. "What are you…?"

"He fears his own shadow," Jaden snarled. He locked eyes with the Sky Dragon, baring his teeth. The sunlight made his body glow as if he were a living flame. "And we've treated him as if he were some miracle because he is a Sky Dragon. How he's gotten so far with so much fear in his heart is beyond me, but we have no place for it among God Dragons."

The Leviathan barked a laugh, voice cold and venomous. "What do you propose to do? Kill him? He has the longest lifespan of the four of us, by far. He's also likely the most dangerous, considering the display he just put on for us."

"No one will harm anyone," Yusei spat, standing and turning on Jaden. "No one shall hurt him or Yugi, or you or Jesse. Are we all in agreement?"

The Leviathan turned to Atem, smirking. "You struck him like a bug and yet he threatens Jaden's mate for you," he cackled. "He truly likes you."

Atem huffed, finally managing to breathe. He wasn't sure what did it—it could have been the mention of Yugi's name. It could have just as easily have been the threat Yusei had revealed made prior. It didn't matter, he realized. He could breathe again. That was all he cared about.

"Atem," Yusei said, tilting his head, "what happened?"

Atem shook his head, glancing over his shoulder. The stench was still right there. "Do you…not smell that?" he hissed, turning back. Was he going crazy? Atem wondered at the puzzled stares they shot each other before facing him again. Maybe he was unstable from lack of proper rest. Maybe it was resentment toward his brother that made the smell so real to him. Maybe it was…

"Smell what?" Yusei finally prompted. He looked at Atem with an expression like confusion but also friendly warmth. He didn't seem the least bit upset he'd been struck, nor even slightly undone by their audience. "I don't smell anything."

"Aside from your…fear-scent, there's nothing to smell," Jaden commented.

Atem wanted to snap at them to try harder. But he was tired, and he realized pushing the issue would only endanger the nest. They'd go to check on what he insisted was there. And in doing so they'd smell the eggs. They would smell the moisture, the tiny pheromone that came with newly hatched clutches. They would destroy them.

"My…apologies," he finally settled on, standing and shaking himself out. The smell was sticky in his lungs, like pollen or tree sap, but he would not succumb to it again. He watched Yusei's face, wondering at the Stardust Dragon's insistence to trust him. "I must…be mistaken."

None of them believed him.

He knew it.

They weren't stupid enough to.

They stared at him as if he had three heads.

And then they swapped looks. Something passed through them silently. Yusei and Jaden stared at each other for so long Atem almost thought they might lunge at each other. Then, reluctantly, the Fire Dragon turned away with a growl. Yusei turned back to Atem, a puzzled but friendly smile on his face that made his entire body cold and painful.

"We'll wait for you out there."

Atem nodded and ignored the pain in his limbs as he turned around. His pace was too quick for comfort when he forced himself to a trot. Anyone looking inward would have realized something was wrong, perhaps believing he was limping from an old wound that had not healed properly. But he did not pause and he refused to acknowledge the stares Kisara and Seto shot him.

"What is wrong with you?" Seto spat as they got out of earshot. The Felgrand got to his side and overtook him, snarling low in his throat. Atem did not answer. "Are you so upset you cannot have a clutch of your own that you must act out against mine?"

His eyes widened, the accusation stunning him. Did he truly think Atem so petty? He scoffed, fury bubbling through him and quickening his pace until he was almost within striking distance, but failed to answer as Kisara spat, "With the way you treat him, it's no wonder he never wants to come here. I'd have turned my back on you and left you to suffer with Keith as well. The fact he is even here now is a miracle considering your arrogant, disgusting behavior."

Seto flinched and shot her a stunned look. He seemed as if he wanted to argue, but it faded as he turned and raised his head, moving faster as if to outrun Kisara's disappointment. Atem lowered his eyes and refused to acknowledge their tension.

One paw in front of the other, he reminded himself when his limbs began to feel heavy again.

"Brace yourself," Kisara tease, looking over her shoulder. "I know they're going to be excited to see you. You're their first visitor. I haven't even let my father meet them yet."

He didn't know what to make of the statement. He smiled, though it felt as if he were merely baring his teeth, and tried to find something to say. He nodded to her, turning away, and then slowed as they entered the nesting cavern. He bristled, eyes shooting around to the five hatchlings tumbling about.

Or…rather, four of them tumbled about.

The fifth, oddly enough, sat toward the corner of the cavern, blinking and staring at him.

Atem stopped in the center. His wings tucked into his sides. His claws flexed. He stood rigid and alert. Every scale on his spine rose. His bottom jaw flooded with saliva. His back limbs tightened and bunched.

He eyed the hatchling, fighting a snarl.

Had he been able to see it properly, he would have studied and taken note. As it was, all he could see was a pair of wide glittering blue eyes, like chunks of ice in the moonlight. But he had little time to focus on it, either, as the other four ran to him, squeaking and chirping and tumbling over themselves. One sprang at him, hit him in the jaw, and squealed as if he had struck it. Kisara laughed and grabbed it by the scruff, carrying it several feet away to groom the dirt from its scales.

In the dark like this, Atem could only make out eye color.

One had stormy gray, another striking green, a pale but vibrant purplish-blue, and the last a brilliant grassy color with gold slivers along the bottom. Their eyes all looked larger than Yami's, and the size difference meant they likely had the bigger build of their mother's Lightning Dragon genetics.

The one with gray eyes, whom Kisara had just finished grooming, came running forward again to try to lick at his chin. Atem raised his head out of range and snickered when the hatchling protested with a loud squeak and launched itself at his chest. He couldn't smell any pheromones from any of them. Their genders were indecipherable.

He would have inquired their names, but they likely did not have any yet. As most parents did, they'd likely want to know gender before giving identities. Kisara hardly seemed concerned, laughing and grabbing Atem's attacker once more.

Abruptly movement came from the far corner of the cavern. Atem's eyes snapped to the source. The hatchling was approaching him, its eyes larger than the rest and glowing oddly. It stopped inches away, then took a seat and stared up at him. Atem felt as if something were clawing at his insides, trying to rip his flesh from his bones and hollow him out. An unnatural surge of anger came through him.

It might as well not have been a hatchling at all for all the aggression that swept through him.

It might as well have been an opposing male threatening his territory.

Atem tried to reign it in, but that seemed only to further infuriate him. He peeled his lips back, showing the ridges of his teeth, and fought the urge to lunge. He lowered his head, swallowing his snarl, and exhaled against the dragonet. It blinked, startled, and flinched as if he had snapped his teeth. It jolted, scrambled back a step, and Atem had the stunning urge then to snarl and spit and—

Atem could no longer see it. He blinked, then slowly raised his eyes from whatever barricade seemed to have risen between them. He raised his head, leveling his gaze with the steely blue glare before him.

"What are you doing?"

Atem didn't answer. He couldn't. No doubt it was obvious what he'd almost done. He raised himself to his full height once more, straightening as if the movement might somehow help him. Kisara was still in his peripheral, staring with widened eyes.

He wondered now if she regretted inviting him.

"They look healthy." They stink of rot. "I don't see a reason to remain any longer. I wish to return before Yugi wakes and notices my absence. He'll panic."

Something cold and clawed dug for his attention. It latched onto his body and slashed as if it meant to rip him open. He felt as if someone had sprayed him with water. Every muscle in his body ached, bones rigid with tension once more. He blinked and looked toward the dragonet behind Seto's leg. It had not retreated now that Seto was there. It stared up at him again. Atem swallowed a snarl, drool threatening to drip past his teeth as anxiety coursed through him.

"I suggest you rid yourself of those shells," he said quietly, voice so low he was amazed he did not hiss. "The membrane smells fresh and I can sense the moisture in them even without nearing one. Should one of the others come close, they will, too."

"And why would one of the others need to see them?" Seto spat. He had positioned himself more pointedly between them. He was tensed to lash out if Atem so much as looked back at his offspring. "Did your wonderful little display of panic make you less than reliable?"

"Jaden has never trusted me," he answered. He bore his teeth when Seto snorted. "He has been upset since the moment I stood against him at the gathering. He saw it as a personal affront. He is angry and he will not change his mind anytime soon."

"Your worth is stunning."

"Yusei and the Leviathan will not let him turn on the nest just because of his suspicion of me." Atem shook himself out, ignoring the jab and forcing himself to relax. Let the hatchling watch him. It didn't matter. He could leave at anytime. It did not matter that he stay there any longer. He had come, he had seen them; he did not need to linger. "They find me entertaining, if nothing else. They will keep their mouths shut of suspicion toward me for that reason alone."

"Brave assumption, considering your value to Jaden is less than nothing."

Kisara snarled but Atem smirked. "Where are they? I will do it myself. We will just have to figure out how to make it seem like the moisture is residual." Atem looked to Seto again when his brother seemed ready to protest. "Must I remind you we are here to destroy nests hatched during the eclipse? Jaden wishes to destroy any chance of ill omen. Your clutch will be considered such."

"He's a superstitious moron."

"Be that as it may, the fact remains. He will kill them. The entire reason we've come so far today is due to his edict on eggs hatched. I cannot protect them just because we are siblings."

Atem waited for him to snap, to spit about his uselessness.

But it never came.

His brother looked over his shoulder, a hint of fear scenting the air. Then it passed. He looked to Kisara and Atem heard her getting to her paws and moving to the back of the den.

It was not uncommon for dragons to keep hollowed eggs for the sake of crushing them later and laying them around the nest for the purpose of blessings for another mother or themselves. Atem had heard of Clan females especially doing this, as some species were prone to false eggs. He was relatively sure Lightning Dragons were extremely fertile and lay multiple clutches, but usually suffered one or two false egg lays while younger. Likely they'd planned to use it for another potential mother rather than a self-fulfilled blessing.

Why ask for his otherwise?

Atem shook himself out as she crushed them under her paws and Seto grabbed the other hatchlings. He looked over his shoulder but could not see any movement at the entrance. Either the other three were waiting or they'd gone elsewhere to speak so he could not hear them. He wondered how often the threat had come up to use Yugi against him. He wondered how often Yusei had threatened Jesse to contain Jaden.

He blinked and looked away.

They had to get the smell of fire and moisture from the den before he left.

He knew Jaden would not be satisfied unless one of the others came to see the nest as well.

He glanced over when she used her fire breath. Seto had their offspring a safe distance so as not to disturb her or potentially get hurt. Atem wondered for a moment if Seto had ever known the destruction that came from using an ice breath. He wondered if he'd ever been in a fight so terrible he'd been forced to use it. Had he ever seen a dragon's jaw fall from its face as its skin and muscle rotted to nothing?

He blinked.

Why was he thinking of that?

He couldn't name a reason. Ice breath was nothing like fire. There was no reason he should have considered the destruction wrought by it when Kisara had no such ability and Seto himself had likely never known access to it.

Had he, Atem was rather sure he would have used him as target practice.

He blinked again, head whipping around to stare at his brother. Seto was not paying him any mind, still focused on his five offspring. Atem struggled to think straight. Why was such a thing on his mind? Now was hardly the time for such dwelling. He was trying to help his brother and mate avoid their clutch being slaughtered; he did not need to remember reasons for resentment. Bitterness came through him the harder he tried to push it aside. It made no sense. He shouldn't have been thinking about any of that.

Why had his thoughts crossed this path?

He didn't understand…

"Atem?"

His head snapped around. Kisara was watching him, eyes full of concern. Had he missed something? What had he overlooked? She seemed worried for him rather than something he might have missed, however. But had she asked him something? Had she asked something of him?

"Yes?"

"Just…making sure you were okay."

He blinked, feeling sick. "Oh. Yes, yes…I'm fine."