Alec put Dean down on the cot upstairs that Max had gotten for Joshua. The little guy was exhausted, and words didn't seem to have come back, but he managed to let out a wordless choked-off noise when Alec was about to shut the door.

"Alright kid, how 'bout this?" He creaked the door closed, leaving a gap of six inches. Orange light from the hall cast itself across the room, bending over the cot and the planes of the boy's face. He stared at Alec for a moment, like he was expecting the man to close the door and lock it as soon as he blinked.

But then he gave a small nod, sinking down on the cot and curling up into a fetal position beneath the blanket. Two green orbs still stared out through the gap in the door at him, peeking out behind curled, bloodstained fingers.

He left the hall light on.

Alec finally let loose his sigh as he went down the stairs, his steps silent other than the creaking wood of the house. Logan was waiting in the kitchen, holding up the last sucked-dry banana peel between two pinched fingers.

"These are my bananas, aren't they?" he asked, his voice not giving away his emotions one way or the other.

"Those were your bananas," Alec corrected, a tired but genuine smirk tugging on the edge of his mouth. Logan sighed—about as closed to pissed as he had ever seen the man. "Come on, man. The kid hadn't had food in who knows how long. I wasn't going to give him Funions."

"Yeah, I get that." Logan dropped the fruit, wiping his fingers on his jacket. "It's surprising… you're actually good with him."

Alec leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah, well, s'bit familiar. No need to sound so surprised."

Logan scoffed. "Yeah, well it's not every day you find out sociopaths actually have a heart. Then again if Max—" the man stopped. Flicked his tongue over his lips. "You know what, never mind."

The transgenic stared, letting silence settle over the room. He was never sure where he stood with Logan. The man seemed to have forgiven him—miraculously—for tailing Max in order to confirm his death. And he had even heard the man defend him on several occasions. Part of him wondered if that had anything to do with Ben, if the journalist believed that Max was being unreasonable. Strangely enough, other than Joshua… Logan had been the first one that gave him a decent shot at being a human. Even if it was just to give him better access to a valuable asset.

"You're going to get sick if you keep sleeping over at TC," Alec pointed out.

Logan shrugged. "It's not often."

And Max certainly doesn't mind, Alec thought. But this was one subject he decided to keep his mouth shut on. The woman was a taboo subject for them—the one thing they avoided to stay civil. It didn't make a lot of sense to Alec. After all, the woman made it plenty clear around everyone that her and Alec were nothing but friends, and even then just barely. She only ever came to him whenever she needed something. And he didn't mind, considering that she tended to return the favor.

But he had to admit… it was kind of cruel to string him along. She held his hand during the flag raising, and gave him a cot whenever he came over to Terminal City. Logan was her one link back to humanity, normalcy—the thing he knew she still craved. As long as he was around, she could pretend. More importantly, though, he knew Logan gave her hope for acceptance in the end of things.

"Max went out last night to check that warehouse. Said they bugged out. That and they're low on funds at TC. She's going to need you back there soon."

Alec hummed. "Right, and who'd watch the kid then?"

Logan shrugged. "Me? Joshua?"

The transgenic scoffed, trying to imagine the big dog-man interacting with Dean, much less babysitting. And Logan? With kids? With this kid? He'd be eaten alive.

"That'd go over well. What're you gonna do when he tries to run? Bribe him with eclairs?"

He frowned. "You think he'd run?"

"Wouldn't you?"

"But he's just a kid—"

"Yeah, Logan, a kid who's been enhanced and sold for who knows what purpose at least twice. The only reason I'm leaving him alone right now is because he's too confused to try anything."

"And you think if you left, he'd fly the coop?" Logan asked, blue eyes narrowing like Alec was a subject in one of his articles. Like he was in an interview.

Alec's own gaze narrowed in return. He thought about it—he wasn't even sure if he wanted it. That kind of responsibility was huge. But did it really matter? It was a yes or no question. And it wasn't a question about what he wanted.

"Yeah, I do. Right now, at least. He needs more time."

"We may not have that kind of luxury."

"Tough."

Logan sighed. He pushed away from the table. "Look, Alec, it's going to take a while to find this kid's family. I've started turning over stones, but I only have a first name and a missing person's report that was probably never even filed. And if it was, it was probably lost in the system. And that's even if this kid's parents are still alive."

And if they're good enough to take care of a traumatized child, Alec thought.

…"H-he's g'na kill me."

He didn't even realize he had zoned out until Logan's spoke, sounding like it was the third time he had to repeat himself.

"Alec?"

"Hm?" Alec snapped back into reality, realizing for the first time that his fists were clenched white. He forced them to relax. "Yeah, yeah I got you. It'll take a while."

Logan eyed him for a moment, and Alec could practically see him filing that away for later. "We're going to have to figure out a more permanent solution. Unless you want to turn the kid over to the state."

"That's not going to happen."

"Okay, then how're you going to handle this? Max needs you. You can't stay here twenty-four-seven. But the kid might run…"

Alec considered this, running the same numbers in his head that had been bugging him for the past few hours. He knew he wanted the kid to stay. And whenever he thought about someone else, like Logan or Max taking care of him, it felt like a worse version of seeing Max shut him out.

He knew he wanted the kid. He did. And weirdly enough, the kid didn't seem to mind having him around. It was a selfish thought, but it was also… addicting.

"I'll take him to TC with me. Get him settled in there."

Logan stared. "And the biological warfare agents?"

Alec scoffed, "The kid can heal faster than we can, Logan, I don't think a few chemicals are gonna give him a boo-boo."

He kept staring.

"And—if he gets sick, we'll send him back here. Figure something else out."

"It won't give him a flu."

"Yeah, well he's not exactly a regular kid."

Logan crossed his arms, watching Alec as he scuffed his boot on the floor. "What d'you mean?"

"You saw it, Logan." He gestured at the bloody towel still lying on the floor. Someone should probably pick that up. "They did things to him. Post-conception enhancement. They thought it was a myth at Manticore, but apparently someone figured out how to do it."

"Steelheads?"

"Nope. Natural."

"Hm." Logan stared across the living room, looking at the stairs that led up to where the kid was. "I'll look into it. No guarantee I'll find anything, though."

Alec shrugged. "Is there ever?"

He scoffed in mild agreement. "I guess. Why don't you go get some sleep? You look like you're about to fall over."

"The kid—"

"Won't mind the company," Logan finished. "You'd distract me down here anyway."

"Aw, Logan, I didn't know you felt that way."

Logan chuckled, but Alec knew he was right. He had barely slept the past week, catching only a couple of hours here and there. It was catching up to him, and he had no shark DNA to brace the fall. Even his sarcasm was half-hearted, and when that happened Alec knew something was wrong.

His yawn only confirmed it. "Yeah, okay. 'Night."

He didn't bother paying attention to Logan's reply, trudging back through the living room and up the stairs. He found Dean in the exact position that he left him, eyes looking over fingers curled in the covers. But they were closed, fluttering occasionally in a way that made Alec know he wasn't actually asleep.

Alec's shadow slid over him, blocking the light from landing on the young boy. His sharp eyes picked out the minute tensing of the kid's shoulders.

"Just me," he mumbled, not knowing if that made any difference. But apparently it did, because Dean's eyes slid open, flashing an opaque glow in the dim light. Alec slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. His vision adjusted in a blink, bringing the room into a gray-hued focus.

He felt the kid's eyes following him, drilling holes into his back as he walked over to the decrepit mattress in the corner. It was questionable, but clean.

Well… he thought, as he lifted the sheet that had covered it for God-knew how long—questionably clean.

He ended up just grabbing an old bedroll from the corner, whipping it out and unrolling it between the kid and the door. To protect him—but then again the kid might see it the other way, that he was guarding him.

Then again, Alec was so tired he found it hard to care about misconceptions.

Dean was still staring at him, hardly blinking even after he lay down. He could hear the kid's gears turning even from here, the gaze both soft with innocence and heavy without. It seemed to grow heavier the longer the silence stretched, noises of traffic and far, far distant shouts wont of a rough area the only sound to make it through the quiet of the house. It was so still that the sound of Alec parting his lips was almost startling.

"Something wrong, kid?" he whispered—it was too still for anything else.

The gaze broke away, the cot creaking as Dean shifted lightly. Stilled.

"You okay?"

Nothing.

He left it, the floorboards creaking when he rolled over onto his back. His body tired but mind too active to sleep. It stayed loud in the quiet, his mind going over the past few days. The only time it cut off was when sleep crept over him, pulling him under.

That was, until movement at his side snapped him awake, a tuft of blonde hair tickling his chin.

Dean snuggled in closer, pushing up against him in ways so wrong for a ten-year-old that it made his skin crawl. Alec grabbed his wrist, pulling it off of his abdomen.

"What're you doing?"

The kid was looking up at him, eyes wide. His mouth opened. For a moment the transgenic didn't think he would be able to get the words out, but then they came. Quiet and softer than silk, but they came.

"I can be good… you tell me how you want it, and I can be good."

Alec stared down at the kid in the dark, just now noticing the thin sheen of sweat, the skin overheated under his fingers. But he didn't smell feverish, he wasn't sick. The scent coming off of him was thick, heavy—like fear, but different. Stronger.

Dean sniffed, ducking his head, but not before Alec caught sight of the bloodshot eyes.

"I don't want it any way, kid," he mumbled, his voice still thick with sleep. "Go back to bed."

He didn't move, wrapping a fist in Alec's shirt. It pulled when the transgenic tried to push him away. He sighed. "Come on, Dean. What's goin' on?"

He clutched harder to Alec's shirt, refusing to let go. The man stopped pushing, letting his hand fall on top of the kid's ear. "What happened?"

"Dream," Dean whispered.

Alec's brow furrowed. "You had a nightmare?"

A small shake of the head, more felt in his side then heard. "Good dream. Too good."

Suddenly, his exhaustion didn't seem to matter anymore. It all made a lot more sense, his brow smoothing out in realization. Every kid wanted to be held. Alec knew it was in their nature. Even when he was a kid, lying awake at night in the bunks after lights out, when he would wake up drenched in sweat, on a bed far too hot, he had felt it. A desire somewhere deep in his chest that had brought tears to his eyes. He didn't know what it meant, or what he wanted, or why it wouldn't go away. But it was still there.

Dean knew what it was. But he had to pay for it.

Fuck that.

"C'mere kid," he murmured. Dean did, coming slow with a locked-up torso and a racing heart. The fear smell thickened, and he felt the kid close his eyes. Waiting for the payment to pass so he could get what he needed.

But Alec just shifted onto his side. Pulled him close. Wrapped his arms around him. The quiet settled down again, only disturbed by the soft ripples of noise in Dean's shaky breathing.

"Relax, Dean. I got you."

He did, slowly but surely. Every breath lessening the tautness of his muscles until he was all but melted into Alec's side.

Dean slipped into the heaviest sleep he could remember. Strong arms wrapped around him without any scent of arousal. Instead, the man almost smelled… sad. A hardness and determination underlapped it—the combination oddly soothing. Each inhale of the transgenic's scent ensconced him further and further in a sea of warmth. Softening his chest. Heavying his limbs. Until he sank under.

Alec held the boy, listening to his heart slow, the little chest expanding against him as his breaths deepened. Smelling the fear scent fade, shifting into leather and dirt and salty tears with something underneath… dog?

He didn't think about it too much, reassuring himself one more time that his stray was alright, before following him under into oblivion.