Her master ran to her, took her in his arms and massaged her skull where she'd hit it. "Why didn't you tell me, Alice? Don't you dare keep secrets from me like that! "The man places his hand against his apprentice's forehead, burning with fever. With one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, he lifts the child, taking care that her head doesn't fall back. He sets her down on the sofa and moves away from her to fetch a small towel, soaks it in cold water and places the cloth gently on the forehead of the girl he considers his daughter.

Renfred watches her for a few minutes, never having seen his pupil in such bad shape; her health is fragile and it's not uncommon for her to fall ill, yet the girl displays an expression of suffering he's only seen once before; when she was undergoing her withdrawal treatment.

Breathing in the fresh air would do her good, but her body needs to be covered so as not to aggravate her fever. He could put her down on the bench in the courtyard, but that wouldn't be comfortable, and she could hurt herself if she rolled and fell or bumped into the table above her. Mikhail watched Alice for a few minutes, and an idea occurred to him, but he hesitated to carry it out. It would probably be the only time in her life she'd agree to such a thing, and they could spend a moment of complicity the likes of which they rarely get.

Luckily encumbered with a few belongings, Renfred takes out his father's rocking chair; he ignores the feeling of unease the object provokes and installs the chair in the courtyard. Tonight, the breeze is light and the stars are shining brightly. In his room, he takes the softest of his blankets and comes down to the little girl's side. Without saying a word, he wraps her in the comforter and takes her in his arms, too feverish to even open her eyes to look at him. He takes her outside and sits down in the armchair. Renfred nestles Alice against him, supporting her head and back with his left arm and her lower body with his right. Once he's settled in, he observes his apprentice's face, as always a fighter who stares at him with her eyes half-closed despite her exhaustion. Concerned for her well-being, Mikhail lets his body fall onto the back of the chair to activate the rocking effect, one foot on its tip to control the chair more precisely. He closes his eyelids briefly and, in his softest, calmest voice, the master counts imaginary sheep, along with reassuring words to soothe her.

Alice sighs heavily, she can hear her master's heartbeat through his clothes. Her eyelids too heavy to stay awake, she falls into sleep, accompanied by the man's voice that never fades, with her in her dreams. Mikhail looks tenderly at the little girl, equally tired and serene, the words he himself utters have become automatic and his mind flies into a state of deep relaxation.

The faint sound of a key is heard from the entrance, almost indistinguishable. More discreet by nature than his eccentric colleague, the man dressed in his white lab coat makes his way to the courtyard, in the subdued light he sees the back of his childhood friend, his head lowered as if daydreaming;

"Renfred, I figured you hadn't gone to bed yet! I came by to give you the documents I told you about the other day-"

Cut short by Mikhail, who beckons him to whisper, his index finger pressed against his lips, his gaze fiery. Only now, Adolf sees the pile of sheets from which the little blonde head is protruding. He smiles and silently moves the coffee table and one of the outdoor chairs next to Mikhail.

" Would you like a drink? I see you've got your hands full... " Adolf smiles affectionately, seeing Alice yawning before snuggling up to his master again. " There are some beers in the fridge, have some for both of us. " Adolf complies and painfully gets up to fetch the drinks, the taste he hates the most, but the most important thing is to have a good time with his friend. They strike up a light conversation.

" Did you find who stole the backpack on the cameras ? " Renfred takes a sip of his beer, careful that the child in his arms doesn't fall. " Yes, he tried to avoid them, but he forgot the one at the gym entrance, it's too late to inform the principal, I hope he gets an exemplary punishment, it's the third time this year. " Adolf sighs, exasperated. When he accepted his job, he thought it would be a piece of cake, simply checking on student activity through the cameras, no classes, no need to interact directly with the more difficult ones.
" What about you ? Have you been in touch with John lately ? You told me you were planning to visit him soon. " Despite the many years of knowing Mikhail, Adolf had never seen the old man his friend spoke of so often; he'd even announced that the latter considered Mikhail his son, and Alice his granddaughter. " I send him a letter every month, and I'm thinking of going to London next vacation. I'll be taking Alice with me, since she told me she wanted to see him again." Mikhail glanced at Alice, this time she seemed to be truly asleep, her breathing slow and her mouth slightly ajar, seeing her finally dozing off after so much exhaustion gave him a sense of accomplishment like he had rarely experienced.

" Alice already met him ? " Adolf takes the last sip of his drink. " Almost a year ago, I made an appointment and told him I'd adopted a child, I had business out of the country so he offered to keep her. She's in poor health, it seems; she was ill when I dropped her off. Alice has had a positive experience of it and was looking forward to see John again, which reassures me that they're getting on well... " Renfred struggles to get the last words out, also feeling sleepy. Yawning, he pulls Alice close to him to make sure she doesn't slip.

" It makes me happy that everything's going so well. " Adolf rises from his chair and pats his colleague on the shoulder to indicate that it's time to conclude this evening. They make their way up the stairs to Alice's room, Mikhail places the young girl on her bed and Adolf covers her with her blanket, Alice stretches slightly and yawns, but doesn't open her eyes, she relents as Adolf lifts her head to arrange her pillows, his master hands her the teddy bear, given to her after her stay with John. Feeling the softness of the fur, Alice instinctively cuddles the bear in her arms and curls up on herself, Adolf looks at the girl for a few seconds, then heads off down the corridor, Renfred following close behind, and as Adolf turns to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything, his gaze is drawn to his friend's face, displaying an expression he's never seen before; the smile and gentle eyes of a father touched by his child.

End Notes

Kudos makes me smile but comments never leaves my mind, short ones, long ones, strings of emojis, keyboards smashes. Even just a "great chapter!" or a "loved it!" keeps me going on the hard days, truly. If you liked it, a comment from you would fill my heart with joy!
Thank you all for reading .

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