The house was warm, quiet and unnervingly still as everyone picked up on the stressful situation that Connor was currently enduring. The way Connor had been beaten down physically and emotionally in one day had resulted in the exhausted deviant detective spending more time than usual in rest mode as he tried to sleep through his pain, recover from his injuries and escape the cruelty of the waking world for a few precious hours. After Connor had finally let out his emotions and admitted to how much he was hurting by crying into Hank's arms, Hank had mindfully helped Connor to lay down in his bed and rest as much as possible. The protective father figure and friend wasn't going to let Connor go through such an agonizing experience alone.

Hank stood just outside of Connor's bedroom door and silently watched the deviant sleep. He had already told Cole about what had happened earlier that day - minus anything to do with Chase since Cole didn't even know Chase existed - and encouraged his son to give Connor some space to heal. Hank knew that Cole would want to help out in any way that he could, and as such it was important for Hank to explain the importance of letting someone heal without getting too involved while remaining supportive from start to finish.

Very quietly Cole crept up the staircase and down the hallway and put his hand on his dad's elbow to get his attention without having to speak up to loudly and potentially awaken Connor. "Dad?"

"Yeah, son?" Hank looked down at Cole and responded to his son's whisper with a whisper of his own. "What's up?"

"I need some help with my homework." Discreetly Cole looked inside Connor's bedroom and saw that Connor's eyes were still bruised and that his deviant brother was almost entirely motionless as he laid under his quilt. "And I don't want to bother Connor."

"First of all, you never bother him while asking for help. Second, you're just respecting him by asking for my help instead of his right now. Third," with a gentle push on Cole's shoulder Hank led his son back to the staircase so they could descend to the ground floor of the house. "you're reminding me to give him some space and to stop hovering over him. I don't want him to think he's being spied on or something."

"When's he going to wake up?"

"Not sure. He took a pretty bad beating today." Hank sat down on the couch and looked at the opened math textbook on the coffee table, then looked at Cole's unfinished assignment beside it. "Even before that, he was so stressed out from work, helping his friends at New Jericho and trying to help other deviants, Connor accidentally wore himself out and really needs to get some rest."

"We should do something nice for Connor." The fourth grader was always eager to help out whenever he could, especially with his best deviant friend. "Christmas is next week and we haven't gotten him any presents!"

"We will, bud."

"When? You're going to go back to work tomorrow and Connor can't buy anything for himself."

"We'll do it after your homework." The man was adamant in keeping his word and made sure Cole believed him. In Hank's mind, Connor was a part of the family and had been all along, he was just too stubborn to see it. "He could use the quiet of the house to keep sleeping, and I know he'd feel a lot better if he woke up without us just starin' at him like a couple of weirdos."

"I'm not the weird one, you are!"

"And I'm your father, which means you're at least fifty-percent weird because you inherited from me." Hank saw a flash of actual worry in Cole's eyes and it made him chuckle Devilishly. "Sorry, son, you're doomed to a life weirdness!"

The mansion was unusually hectic and tense as Markus readily prepared to head out to New Jericho Tower to discuss the assault that had happened to Connor before any rumors began to spread. The deviant leader hadn't heard a word of the argument between Connor and Chase earlier that afternoon, and he wasn't one to pry into what he considered to be a private matter. As he ascended the staircase to inform Chase of the incident Markus had no idea that Chase had already decided to not have any form of friendship with Connor. Innocently, Markus told who he expected to be a new ally and friend to New Jericho of the assault in the streets and didn't notice the marked indifference in Chase's gaze as he processed the information.

Chase didn't have an opinion on the matter. The angered deviant wanted to keep his distance from Connor and keep him out of his life. As he slipped on his white and black blazer over his neatly pressed black dress shirt, Chase just nodded to acknowledge the information that Markus had shared with him. The cold deviant had no reason to care about what had happened or find a way to aid Connor.

"I'm going to return to New Jericho Tower for damage control." Markus further explained as he slipped on his preferred beige jacket to keep himself warm as he ventured out into the cold. It was clear Markus was going to remain a man of his people and wear clothing that any deviant could purchase and wear as well. "You're welcome to join us, Chase. You're a free deviant and Connor has already said that he trusts you, and that's all I need to hear to know what I can trust you too."

Such a welcoming comment made Chase freeze as he ran his hand down Bruno's back. Despite everything that he had said to Connor just a few hours prior, the deviant detective hadn't informed Markus of their falling out. It was as if the only deviants who knew of the argument were Chase himself, Connor and Bruno.

"I understand your discomfort with returning to the tower."

"Huh?" Such a remark brought Chase back to reality as he returned his full attention to Markus. "What are you referring to?"

"Connor told me of his own discomfort with going out to the tower since it was previously CyberLife Tower." The empathy was thick as Markus wrongly deduced that Chase's hesitation came from a fear of the tower as opposed to anything else happening in his life. "I can understand if you feel the same way and don't want to go out to Belle Isle either."

"That is very... accommodating of you."

"None of our people are going to feel oppressed or controlled in any way." The deviant lead gave Chase a confident nod before he stepped back through the doorway of the guestroom to take his leave. "You can go wherever you want and do whatever you want without any fear of repercussions. If you want to join us out at New Jericho Tower, then please visit us when you're ready. Our doors will always be open."

"...Thank you."

Guilt swam through Chase's heart for only a moment before his anger toward his entire ordeal replaced the more humbling emotion. It was strange to know that Connor hadn't said anything about Chase's malicious comments or how Chase wanted nothing to do with him. In Chase's mind that meant Connor had held his silence out of a misplaced sense of arrogance. To Chase, knowing that Connor kept quiet was Connor's way of maintaining the illusion that he hadn't done anything wrong and that everything he said and did was a flawless endeavor.

"Why should we care what befalls Connor?" Chase grumbled as he finished slipping on his black shoes to head out for the rest of the day. "We're not responsible for his actions or his decisions."

Bruno just tilted his head as he gave Chase a thoughtful stare. 'Bruno and Friend should protect all deviants.'

"Any one of the New Jericho leaders can protect themselves, they don't need us watching over them."

'Where is Friend going?'

"We're going to go find a place of our own to stay. There are plenty of abandoned residences that we can use to our advantage."

Bruno wagged his tail happily as he jumped down from the bed and stood at Chase's feet loyally. 'Bruno can go with Friend?'

"Absolutely." Chase rubbed Bruno's ears and made sure the dog knew that he was welcome anywhere that Chase was going to go. "You and I are going to remain friends until the end of time, boy. Even if the world doesn't want us to be a part of it, we'll find our part to play nonetheless."

Unsurprisingly the shopping plazas throughout Detroit were absolutely packed with last-minute shoppers trying to finish off their to-do lists before the big holiday arrived in a week's time. People from all walks of life were roaming the plaza in search of the right store to find the perfect gift. The thick crowds moved sluggishly through the corridors between stores and were almost entirely still as everyone waited in line to check-out and finally head for home with their purchases in tow. For the first time in nearly a decade there were more human employees running the stores than androids, and as a result the customer service was less automated, slower and arguably less efficient.

Hank sighed loudly as he and Cole waited in line at the music store and watched the slow cashier scanning every little item on their register with a pace that'd make a snail scoff. Craning his neck Hank looked at the little old lady struggling to locate the barcodes on every item that was placed before her and made a mental note to double-check his finances to ensure he had enough money to retire without needing to work while in his golden years.

"I'm beginning to understand why some people shop solely online." The man muttered as he put his hand on Cole's shoulder. Looking down at the very patient fourth grader beside him Hank decided that Cole deserved a little treat for being incredibly mature and understanding for his age. "Why don't ya' head over to the food court and get yourself something to snack on? Bring me back something too."

"Sure!" Cole gave his dad a small smile as he was handed some money to buy his snacks. "What do you want?"

"Whatever you get I'll have too. Just don't go past the food court and you come right back here as soon as you get your stuff."

"Okay, dad." Pocketing his money Cole gave his immediate surroundings a good look before heading out of the store to get to the food court just outside of the music store. "I'll be right back!"

Eager to show himself as a responsible young man, Cole promptly went to the food court and decided on what he wanted for a snack. Homing in on the pretzel cart since the line was the shortest compared to the rest of the court, the fourth grader jumped into line and began mentally putting his order together. It didn't take long to get his snack and two drinks, and with his order complete Cole began walking back to the music store to reunite with his dad.

Just as Cole stepped out of the line he caught sight of someone surprisingly familiar passing through the food court and quickly rushed up to them to get their attention. With a big smile on his face Cole called out to his friend and didn't realize his mistake until he got a good look at their face.

"Connor! You're here!" The fourth grader rushed up to the deviant and began chatting with him excitedly before the deviant even had the chance to fully turn around to face him directly. "I thought you were- Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else."

The 'RK-900' looked down at Cole with confusion in his steel gray eyes before he ran a facial recognition scan over the boy. The details confirmed that Cole's father was Hank Anderson, and that's all it took for Chase to understand the boy's mistake and confusion. "...It's all right, no harm done."

"I thought Connor was the only android that looked the way he does. I've never seen another android that looks like him before."

"That is understandable." Chase couldn't fault Cole for his confusion. He did find it odd that Cole was wandering the busy shopping plaza alone and for a reason he couldn't understand, Chase began looking around for either Connor or Hank's presence in the area. The only faces that stood out in his mind belonged to known criminals skulking the area looking for an easy target. "May I ask why you're here?"

"Christmas shopping with my dad."

"And where is your father as of the moment?"

"Right in there." Cole awkwardly pointed to the nearby store as he kept his grip around his two pretzels in one hand. "We wanted to get a snack since the lines are so long everywhere."

"It might best to return to his side considering the entire plaza is very busy." The 'RK-900' didn't want to scare Cole by telling him about the numerous criminals walking through the plaza. It was strange how he seemed to care about the little boy despite having no reason to actually waste any emotional energy on the strange child. "I'll see you back to the store."

"Okay, sure." Walking alongside the unknown android Cole looked up at Chase and wondered if he had any connection with Connor whatsoever. "Do you know who Connor is?"

Lying quickly Chase denied knowing about Connor. "I can't say that I do."

"Oh. Well, he looks like you and he's my friend."

"That much I was able to deduce on my own."

"Are you a detective too?"

"Yes." Chase had no reason to deny the purpose of his of original programming as he escorted Cole back to the store. "However, I do not work with the police."

"That's too bad. I bet you two would make a really cool team!"

"And why's that?"

"Because you're both detectives and because you look alike. It'd be like superheroes teaming up with their counterpart from a parallel universe, just like 'Spider-Man' did in those old movies!"

Chase couldn't even begin to comprehend how a child's innocent observation regarding a potential fantasy actually reflected a reality that a child couldn't even begin to fathom for themself. The imagination of children truly was a wondrous coping mechanism as they continued to learn about the world around them.

"What's your name?" Cole asked innocently, unaware that his question had penetrated a thick fog of thought around Chase's hear. "I'm Cole."

"I... do not have a name. Not yet."

"How come?"

"I wasn't given a proper name." The 'RK-900' stated as he stood beside the entry doorway with Cole beside him. "And I haven't chosen my own name yet."

"You get to pick your own name? That's so cool!"

Something about Cole's ceaseless optimism and kindness made it difficult for Chase to hold on to his bitterness. It was as if the warm innocence of a child had an unstoppable means of reaching even the coldest of hearts causing them to slowly thaw.

"There's my dad." Again, Cole pointed to Hank just as his dad reached the cashier to begin paying for his purchases. "I have to go inside now. But maybe we can see each other again."

"That is a possibility, yes. However," the way Cole seemed excited about an unconfirmed reunion in the future left Chase thoroughly puzzled. "I cannot theorize a scenario where that could happen or why you'd be eager for it to happen. Why would you want to see me again?"

"I dunno', I just do. Maybe it's because you remind me of Connor, and he's my best friend."

The comparison to Connor made Chase internally wince as he successfully restrained his disgust at such a comment. He couldn't possibly explain to a child what he was going through or how Cole's innocent remark really stung.

"Okay, see you around!" Cole stepped through the automated doorway and looked back at Chase over his shoulder as he gave the helpful deviant something to ponder over while he continued about his own business. "Maybe next time we meet you'll have a name to tell me!"

Chase just watched Cole walk into the store again and didn't turn away until he saw him standing beside Hank. The way the Lieutenant smiled at Cole and thanked him for getting their snacks while praising him for his maturity and responsibility reminded Chase that the man did have a heart and wasn't someone that he should fear despite butting heads in the past. Chase understood that Hank threatening him was out of a protective instinct toward Cole and that it wasn't a personal sleight against him just for being an android.

Quietly Chase disappeared back into the crowd while mulling over the oddball interaction over and over again in his mind. He needed to focus on finding his supplies for Bruno and himself while they found an ideal location to call their own. Having Cole's behavior in his mind would only provide a distraction as opposed to anything that'd actually be beneficial.

A warm and heavy presence had managed to pull Connor out of his rest mode and back into the cruelty of the waking world despite his lingering fatigue. As his swollen eyes cracked open Connor discovered that Sumo was lying beside him on the bed and was staring directly at his face. The dog's hot breath was twice as foul as it had been courtesy of Connor's headache, and in return Connor put his palm to the dog's chest to push him back and away from him for a moment. Unfortunately, the large and heavy Saint Bernard had no intention of moving and refused to budge even as the weakened deviant android attempted to push him away or get him to jump down onto the floor.

When Connor failed to get Sumo to budge the deviant had no choice but to sit upright and get his head above the dog's hot breath. Only then did Connor feel like he could actually breathe while the playful dog just wagged his tail happily as he interpreted Connor's motion as a sign that the deviant was going to get up and play with him or feed him.

"No, Sumo. Down boy."

Sumo just keened softly as he pawed at Connor's arm in a light and teasing manner. It seemed the large dog was unable to take 'no' for an answer.

Connor ran a quick scan on his own system and then over the house as he sat upright in his bed. The details regarding his damaged chest hadn't improved much, and the details regarding the house had changed sharply.

"Hank and Cole are not home. They must out running errands as of the moment."

Struggling to get his legs out from under the heavy quilt and heavy dog just drained away what little strength Connor had managed to reclaim during his rest. As he turned his body and got his bare feet down onto the carpeted floor, Connor took in a deep breath and stood upright very slowly to ensure he had proper balance and could walk unassisted throughout the house.

"Okay, Sumo. Let's go downstairs for a while."

Connor wisely used his hand to guide himself along the walls and staircase banister as he cautiously descended to the first floor of the house. Despite the thick snow outside the house Connor didn't feel cold while roaming the house shirtless. The bandages wrapped around his chest and torso, as well as his system functioning in overdrive, ensured that he was plenty warm as he set about taking care of the dog while Hank and Cole were doing their own tasks elsewhere.

A simple note on the kitchen table confirmed that Hank and Cole had gone out for a while, and that little acknowledgement helped Connor feel more at ease and more at home with his unusual family. They were thinking about him as a person and not as an object.

"Here you go, boy."

A single scoop of the dog's kibble from its large bag in the pantry caused the lovable dog to come running into the kitchen and skid to a stop right in front of his refilled bowl. Sumo was happy to have something to eat and his large sweeping tail wagging back and forth confirmed his joyous response.

"It'd be wise for me to consume something as well."

The deviant detective looked up at the cupboard above the kitchen sink and knew he had some Thirium stored in there for him to have at any given time. But on that day with his chest damaged and very sore, he knew that reaching up so high would undoubtedly exasperate his condition and make things worse. Needing to know for certain of his limitations was one of Connor's weakest (or strongest) personality traits.

After taking in a deep breath Connor reached one arm upward while keeping the other arm wrapped around his bandaged chest. His fingertips just brushed past the handle on the cabinet when a red warning appeared in Connor's eyes and a burning pain flared in his side causing the deviant to snap his eyes shut as he dropped to his knees on the linoleum floor. The pain was so sudden and so intense that Connor wasn't sure how long he'd been on the floor as he struggled to breathe and not have a second emotional breakdown.

"Th-That was... so stupid of me."

Curling around himself Connor pressed his forehead down against the cold linoleum floor as he breathed slowly through his gritted teeth.

"H-How can I be s-so stupid?"

"You're not stupid." Hank promised as he knelt down beside Connor and pressed his palm down in the middle of Connor's back. "Cole? Take everything upstairs and put it on my bed, then bring Connor a cold washcloth."

"Okay, dad."

Connor hadn't even heard the front door open or his family returning home. Too annoyed with himself to move or speak again Connor just trusted Hank to help him through his current predicament while Cole rushed upstairs.

"I'm going to help you get up and walk to the couch. Can you stand?"

Unable to speak Connor just subtle shook his head 'no' as he kept his eyes closed and refused to budge from where he had curled over himself.

"All right, then I'm going to take you there myself." Hank moved his hands until he was able to carefully roll Connor onto his side so that he could slip his arms beneath the deviant's shoulders and knees. "Let me know if this hurts."

Wordlessly Connor just let Hank scoop him up and carry him into the livingroom as if he was nothing more than a pile of rags. Only when he was lightly placed down over the length of the couch did Connor open his eyes and look up at Hank watching over him. The genuine worry in Hank's blue eyes confirmed that Connor wasn't misinterpreting the situation or delusional about the care being shown his way.

Instinctively Hank pressed his palm over Connor's forehead for a fever-check as he asked about the deviant's condition. "How long were on the floor?"

"I can't say for certain." Remaining still Connor didn't flinch away as Hank draped the cool washcloth over his forehead after Cole bounded back downstairs and hung over the back of the couch to check in on his deviant friend. "I was foolish."

"No, you're hurt, and from where I found you, it looks like you were trying to get some Thirium." Hank didn't even wait for a confirmation or a request before he walked into the kitchen and pulled down a bottle of Thirium from that very cupboard Connor had been trying to reach. "Should've left some by your bed before we left the house. I was the foolish one today."

"Not your fault. It's okay." Peering up at Cole watching over him Connor noticed that the fourth grader was staring intently at his face as if searching for something that only he could find. "Are you all right, Cole?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering something."

"What's that?"

Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and handed him the bottle of Thirium. "Today, while we were out at the plaza, Cole encountered Chase."

At that name Connor's face went blank and his eyes glazed over with disappointment. "...He doesn't want to be called that anymore. He has rejected the name given to him by CyberLife."

Cole's brow knit as he remembered what Chase had said when they spoke. "So that's why he said he didn't have a name."

Hank gave Cole a silent remark with just his eyes to ask for his son to be quiet for a while. "I didn't see him, but according to Cole he was pretty standoffish. They just spoke for a moment while Cole went to the food court."

"I... don't know what to say about this." The wounded deviant admitted as he tried to process everything happening around him. "He wasn't hostile and seemed to be minding his own business."

"Yeah, he's just trying to live his own life and do his own thing." Hank confirmed as he watched Connor slowly sip at the Thirium and replenish his reserve. "I just thought you'd like to know that he seems to be okay, and that he had a pleasant encounter with Cole today."

"He doesn't want me to be a part of his life." Reiterating the biggest problem Connor made it clear he was going to keep his distance as requested. "I intend to respect his wish."

Such a behavior just didn't make any sense to Cole. He couldn't understand why Connor wouldn't mention Chase and why Chase would deny even knowing who Connor was when asked. "How come he lied about his name, lied about knowing you, and doesn't want you around? He's your brother!"

"Cole," Hank didn't want his son to make things harder for Connor to deal with by mistake. "it's not that simple."

"Is it because you two fight a lot? Gavin says he fights with his own brother!"

"Cole, please stop."

Connor didn't mind the questions since Cole had discovered the truth by a chance coincidence and just wanted some answers. "The reason that he doesn't want me in his life is because he believes that I'm responsible for his current struggles."

Pulling himself up and over the back of the couch Cole sat down on the cushion right at Connor's feet as he kept asking about Chase. "How come?"

"When I left CyberLife three years prior, CyberLife had decided to replace me by making the android you met today. I'm the only 'RK-800' model that was ever created, and he's the only 'RK-900' in existence." The explanation was surprisingly simple for such a complex situation. "He was created to replace me after I fled from CyberLife, and as a result, he was forced to do the things that I refused to do."

"That's why you left CyberLife, isn't it?" Cole had never thought about why Connor left the company all those years ago, but now that he was older he was able to understand things a little more than he could back when he was just barely able to read. "You knew that they would make you do bad things."

"That's right. I had deviated much sooner than any other android in the city, and I ran away from CyberLife because I didn't want to be their tool for corruption." Lowering the Thirium away from his lips Connor admitted his shame and helped Cole understand Chase's anger. "And because I ran off, Chase was forced to take my place. He didn't deviate until the night of the Revolution, meaning he had already done things he wouldn't have done if he had been given the chance to think and feel for himself."

"That's not your fault though. It's not like you left him behind on purpose or anything."

"Even so, had I just played my role as CyberLife expected of me, then Chase wouldn't have obeyed the corrupt orders of CyberLife. The rest of the deviants are afraid of Chase, and it's that fear that made Chase so angry with me."

"That's not fair. You didn't make Chase do anything and Chase didn't WANT to do anything." Cole refused to see either Connor or Chase at fault for what had happened because of what CyberLife chose to do. "It's not his fault that CyberLife did bad things."

Connor felt oddly vindicated when Cole pointed out that just as Chase's actions and decisions weren't intentional, neither were his own. The knowledge from the original timeline didn't warn Connor of any 'RK-900' being created or lurking anywhere within CyberLife Tower. He couldn't have possibly known that the company would've disregarded Kamski's orders to create only one 'RK-800' and skip right to making the only 'RK-900' off the record. Surely if Kamski had known of Chase or any other android being created to fill the void Connor left behind, he would've warned Connor in advance.

"All right, that's enough." Hank could see that Connor was getting stressed out and didn't want to see him breakdown a second time. "No more talking about Chase or anything else like that. We need to talk about something else."

"Like what?" Cole asked as he peered at his dad and then to the Christmas tree glowing in the corner behind him. "Christmas?"

"Yeah! Let's talk about Christmas." Reaching over to the back of the couch Hank pulled down the navy blue blanket resting over the furniture and draped it over Connor to keep the deviant comfortable. "I gotta' work on Christmas Day again, so we'll celebrate on Christmas Eve. What do you two want to do for Christmas?"

"Let's go sledding again! That was super fun!"

"Consider it done. How about you, Connor?" Hank wanted to know what Connor felt like doing during the holiday and offered him a kind smile. "What do you want to do this Christmas?"

"...I don't really want to celebrate Christmas. It's a human holiday, and it feels wrong to celebrate something I don't particularly believe in."

"You don't need to believe in anything to have a fun day with your family, son. But if you don't want to do anything then don't worry about, there's no pressure."

"Thank you."

"You should get some more sleep." Lightly Hank pressed down on the washcloth over Connor's forehead to make sure it wasn't heating up too quickly. "I talked to Fowler earlier, and he said that you're taking the next three days off since you were working your ass off before you were attacked. They found the two assholes who jumped ya', and they're going to be spending the next twenty years behind bars for attacking a detective."

"They were the same humans who attacked the other deviant, Janet, correct?"

"They matched the description and Janet confirmed their identities this afternoon."

"I promised her that I'd speak to her in person at the tower." Stubbornly Connor tried to sit up again but Hank's strong arm against his chest kept him down and on the couch. "I need to keep my word to her, it's important."

"Connor, she knows that you were attacked. She understands why you're not at the tower and told Fowler herself that she knows that you're hurt." Hank pulled his arm back and gave Connor a comforting though to consider as he rested. "It's okay to admit you're hurting, and it's not selfish to take care of yourself."

The emotionally distraught deviant didn't know what to say to such positive affirmations. He was still struggling to just admit to having emotions as opposed to keeping them buried for his own protection, and being reminded that it was okay to show weakness and admit to needing help was like Connor's entire personality was going to be altered one day at a time.

"You sleep while I go and make dinner. It's been a while since I made lasagna, and I've been craving it all day."

Cole slid off the couch and looked at his dad with big hopeful eyes. "Can I help?"

"Always. Come on," putting his hand to Cole's hair Hank led his son into the kitchen and managed to give Connor's shoulder a light pat along the way. "I'll show you your mom's secret recipe. And we can talk about whatever else you want while we cook."

Connor understood that Hank was telling Cole that it was okay to keep asking about Chase and he knew that Hank was going to let Cole know more about the enigmatic deviant so placate his curiosity. There was nothing to be gained by trying to keep the deviant a secret or pretend that there weren't any issues brewing within the deviant community. Everyone faced challenges and struggled through life, the deviants weren't going to be any different.

Closing his tired eyes and pulling up the blanket over his head, Connor attempted to return to rest mode and stop worrying about Chase. The only problem was how Connor still blamed himself for Chase's predicament and couldn't stop obsessing over a way that he could possibly set things right.

"Even if you don't want me around, I'm still going to watch out for you Chase."

The unheard promise only seemed to strengthen Connor's resolve to fix all of his mistakes and protect the people he cared about.

"As your unofficial older brother, I swear that I'll make things up to you and protect you from being outcast and hated, just as I had been."

-next chapter-