Sequel to previous chapter "Surprise"

...

"When did you get here?" The son of Aphrodite asked, completely forgoing the servant act.

"Just about a couple of minutes ago, give or take." The lipstick wearing man answered in a elegant voice mixed with the confident tone that perfectly matched his attitude.

"And you just thought of heading here first thing?" The young man curiously asked his father with a suspicious eye.

"Where's the harm in that?"

Ren let out a small laugh, lightly shaking his head to the feign innocence his father sent him in hopes of not seeing the purpose behind this surprise visit.

"The puppy act is no longer efficient as you might think. So you might as well drop it and admit defeat."

After that display of confidence, how could Aphrodite protest?

"You sure have inherited your mother's perception." The beautiful man muttered fondly before facing his son's gaze.

An unwelcome sense of uneasiness started to grow inside of Ren once he saw the negative shift in his father's expression.

Very rarely has he ever seen him show any sign of worry. And it was a sight he never wanted to see for as long as he was breathing.

"You obligated yourself to come here to see if I was okay, but I know there was another factor that played for this visit..."

Light blue eyes turned somber, telling the shaggy haired teen he precisely hit the mark.

"It... wasn't enough for me to feel convinced that you were at good health through our daily calls. I needed to see if that was true so my worries would be sated... for the time being."

The amount of distress he released in his explanation may have been small, but it was enough for Ren to feel beyond concerned for the current well-being of his parents.

Ever since he had leave his hometown to serve his punishment, Ren has always wondered how well his parents were holding up. Even more so whenever they talked through the phone.

The answer was not one he wanted to see in effect.

"Dad everything's fine, as you can see. So you can rightfully write that off your worry list."

The nonchalant answer of Aphrodite's son did very little to ease him, just barely resisting to explosively protest against the answer.

"I pray to Athena that you're correct." Aphrodite whispered as he lowered his head, his worried gaze meeting with the wooden surface.

A hand gently clasping his shoulder made the Knight of Pisces elevate his gaze to confront his son's contrasting one.

"I am glad you came here to see me dad," Ren admitted with watery eyes, built from wanting his parents to comfort him whenever the world pushed him down, "but as much as it pains me to say it, I can't have you and mom taking care of my problems all the time. Especially since I'm getting close to reaching manhood. So promise me dad, promise me that you'll let me take care of my own business without you needing to interfere."

"Even if I desperately want to?" Aphrodite added in, his voice soft. The reality of his son transforming into an adult was a topic that easily made all of his emotions flourish.

The shaggy haired teen swiftly leaning in to wrap his arms around the lipstick wearing man was a sensation the latter needed to feel after a long time. Even more so when he was able to reciprocate the affectionate action without needing to use his imagination.

"You can if it calms you down. But just try and resist, okay?" His son pleaded to his ear in a whisper.

"I'll try..." The father replied after releasing a soft sniff.

Both father and son stayed in their affectionate position for an extended period of time; the outside world not having the will to interrupt the pure connection the troubled souls shared.