The sharp winter sun peered through the window and directly into Ethan's face, blinding him awake. He turned to his side, rubbing his eyes to fight the impending headache. His body was greeted by an uncomfortable sense of heaviness. The kind, only alcohol could bring. Bit by bit, Ethan pieced together the events of the night, trying to recall what had happened.

And then he remembered.

He sat up and looked over his shoulder, looking at the man soundly asleep next to him. Heisenberg had the blanket pulled down to his waist, so he probably wasn't bothered by the cold. Ethan did notice more scars across his back and sat with the sudden impulse to trace them with his fingers. They were clearer in the morning glow as opposed to lazy street lights.

As curious as they made Ethan, he didn't act out on his curiosity. Instead, he gingerly rolled out of bed while trying to brace himself for the inevitably awkward conversation. Upon standing on the soft rug, he accidentally kicked one of his slippers into a pair of discarded pants by the door. Judging from the looks of them, they weren't his.

Well, damn.

Before leaving the bedroom, Ethan took one glance at Heisenberg, seeing him still fast asleep. Some of his hair lay across his face, the tips moving against the deep breaths that came through his slightly parted lips. Fuck, he was really hot, but Ethan just met him yesterday.

Trying not to focus on the fact that they had sex the same day that they met, Ethan headed towards the kitchen and put some coffee over. While it brewed, he turned on the radio at a low volume just to fill the white noise. Finding English-speaking stations was nigh impossible, so he had long since gotten content with whatever sounded right to his ears.

Mia took the music collection so Ethan had to settle anyway.

The music played at a comfortably low volume while he went on a treasure hunt across his apartment for some clothes. By the time, he had returned, the coffee stood ready, and he poured himself a sizable mug with sugar and milk.

He should make a proper breakfast, but his appetite just seemed to forgo him this morning. Moments later, subtle noises sounded from the bedroom, the floorboards creaked, and Heisenberg stood in the open doorway to the kitchen, taking in his surroundings. As someone who drank quite an amount of whiskey last night, he looked fresh. His hair was a mess, but he looked utterly sober.

"So, you want anything? Coffee? Toast?" Ethan asked, swallowing hard as a sense of awkwardness settled over him.

"No thanks," Heisenberg said and the room fell quiet. For whatever reason, he didn't seem keen on sitting by the kitchen table, opting to look around like he was searching for a way out – gracefully.

"About last night…" Ethan began without any idea of what else to say. Usually, one-night stands ended with the guest sneaking out before anyone even noticed it to avoid awkward situations just like this.

And there they were basically stuck in it.

"Was fun. Or do you regret it?"

"It's like…I haven't done any of that in years. It was a shakeup in my life that I wasn't expecting, but…" Ethan answered with honest caution. He was disturbed by the subtle disappointment that crossed Heisenberg's face.

"So you do regret it," the man concluded and Ethan tried again, a little softer.

"Well, it's more that I was thinking…maybe we should get to know each other? I'd like to know the person whose dick was inside me."

Then silence – again.

Heisenberg's expression barely changed but there came a tightness to it that indicated, he wasn't all that keen on the suggestion. Was he really the "pump and dump" type of person? They had a good time, did they not? Or…

"…If you were smart, you'd not be saying that," he said without any of the charismatic confidence from yesterday. The shape of his beard curled into a smile, but it bore no warmth.

The warning caused Ethan to shudder a bit and a strange sense of familiarity settled over him. Almost as if he had said those words himself.

"It's not like I can't handle you," he met the other man's eyes with the ardor, they lacked.

For the first time, Heisenberg was on the receiving end of being flustered – even if he hid it very well. "You're not very smart then. I'm not a people person."

"You did well getting on my good side."

Heisenberg hummed a bit at that stated fact. "In the less than twenty-four hours that I've known you, it's apparent how easy that was."

"I was also shitfaced."

"You sure were."

Yet again, silence. Heavy, musing, filled with static anticipation. Heisenberg hadn't left yet so that was a good sign.

"But I can be fun sober if you want to know. I mean…" Ethan pressed yet again, taking a deep breath before he fell into the act of oversharing. Damn, now was one of those moments where he wished he didn't have so many issues. There was no way to articulate it easily at all, was there?

Ethan instead tried to goad some answers for himself with an uneasy smile, "You're not some kind of, I don't know, mad scientist or criminal? Setting up death games in a barn somewhere?"

That terrible attempt at a joke, situated between facetiousness and earnest intent made him cringe – as it made Heisenberg's beard pull up to a smile.

"Hm? Would you like that, Winters? I have to disappoint you with a no then – despite what I look like."

Good lord, he truly was such a charmer.

"Good. great. Sorry," Ethan ran a hand through his hair. Such a shame it was morning as his cheeks flared into a deep red. "I've been uhm…in a drought for a while."

"That much was apparent," Heisenberg said, grinning like a fiend when Ethan flushed.

"Well, I suppose I don't mind seeing you again. You're an interesting fellow and you're a good lay so thank your lucky stars," the warmth returned to his eyes then. He moved away from the doorway and scoured the apartment for the rest of his clothes. Before long, he had gathered all he needed but Ethan could only hear him, including his adieu.

"See you, Ethan. I left a little something for you in the foyer."

The door opened, closed and silence filled the apartment. Curious, Ethan headed toward the foyer and looked around. On the entry table was a small calling card that wasn't there yesterday. It was a bit stained from faded oil and it had a faint scent of metal and rust.

"Heisenberg Factory," it read. The address was far more noteworthy. One or so hour away from the city, a tiny, rather isolated village that Ethan had heard bits and pieces about; particularly its wine, nature, and gothic architecture but he'd be damned if he could pronounce its name. Before the divorce, Mia had suggested that they took Rose for a mini vacation in the area. Now, it didn't matter. Ethan hadn't thought to actually go there anyway – at least not until now.

The week passed as Ethan busied with work and quietly planning a trip to the factory. It would have to be done on the following Friday as he was to pick up Rose the day after. And it was exactly on that day, during lunch break, that Ethan placed the call. Normally, he'd sped his break chowing down on a sandwich while doomscrolling through apps but the urge to pursue this sudden change in his life belied that bad habit.

He sat in the breakroom of the auto shop, eating those sandwiches from a nearby bakery. Instead of checking emails or social media, Ethan typed in the number on the card and let the phone ring. Anticipation settled uncomfortably within him as the dull monotone played at a droning rhythm. Ethan was expecting to get stood up and he was moments away from hanging up when someone finally answered.

"Heisenberg speaking," that voice spoke at him, clear and fresh like he was up and running, wide awake and filled with energy.

"Uh, hi. It's me. I mean..." Ethan stumbled into what was supposed to be a proper greeting. He wanted to scream at himself. Hastily, he looked over his shoulder, pleased to see none of his coworkers lingering about.

"My word, Winters. Remember me after all?

"Yeah, uh so, I was thinking I could drop by today, if that's okay?"

"Alright. Should give you plenty of eye candy," there was a hint of something playful in Heisenberg's voice that made Ethan blush like a field filled with red poppies.

"At your factory?" Ethan inquired once he composed himself, just to make sure he was reading the hints right.

"What can I say?" Heisenberg asked rhetorically. "I live where I work."

That explained far more than Ethan could mentally process at the moment, but he didn't question it. He just smiled. "Cool. See you later then."

The call ended there, and Ethan sat with a good feeling. He hadn't done much socializing since moving here as opposed to Mia who mingled with the women in several mothers' groups and eventually Alan's friends. As if the gods of fate and chance decided to jinx his happy mood, his phone vibrated in his hand and a text from Mia had entered his inbox.

"I'll have to work abroad for a week. Come get Rose when you get off work, would you?"

Not even a please.

Ethan didn't mind either way. He loved his daughter after and if something was to come out of this Heisenberg experiment, the man had to know that there was a baby involved. A little baby girl, whom Ethan was hurrying to meet again. He couldn't rush work, however, and kept his head down to do what he was told, working on cars and fixing engines.

When he could finally leave the auto shop, he noted the hills of white by the parking lot's edges. It would seem that the snowplow had been here, considering the endless snow. Now if only there were something for the thick layer of snow on top of Ethan's car. He swiped it away and entered the vehicle, igniting the engine to heat it a little alongside the air conditioners that went on full blast. When he no longer had to sit here with his hands under his armpits, he pulled in reverse and drove out of the parking lot.

Mia lived on the outskirts, but it was a fairly short drive from work if Ethan was shrewd enough, passing through shortcuts and side roads until he was parked outside the house, he used to live in with her. It struck an odd note, staring at the home he once tried to build with her but he had come to terms with that broken dream ages ago. It just wasn't his home anymore. He stepped out of the car and through the front garden to the house, sucking in a deep breath before he knocked on the door.

"Oh, you're early," Mia said upon standing in the doorway. Her voice was strangely monotone, but it hardly bothered Ethan considering what else could come out of her mouth.

He nodded, hollow on the inside, dulled by the emptiness of a fading marriage memory. He let her walk away without any elaboration on this change of plans, returning with Rose in her arms soon after.

"Thanks again, Ethan. I got an emergency assignment and Alan isn't home for the time being, so..." she shrugged.

She had been particularly dollied up today with her hair styled and makeup applied. Mia always preferred to look homely or modestly beautiful, so it was strange to see her so elegantly dressed. She had done that a lot more recently since going out with Alan. Ethan didn't want to make assumptions but…

"Sure, no problem," his face pulled into a mending smile like he felt bad for having his suspicions. "See you when I see you."

Rose was handed to him without issue but with a whole host of bags and baby supplies. He bid a hasty farewell to Mia and hurried to his car just to get away from the biting cold.

The Heisenberg Factory was located on the outskirts of the village, right by the foot of a mountain range that surrounded the entire community. There wasn't much in terms of road work as truck tracks had paved several paths between the wooden houses and stone gates.

Ethan felt as if he had been kicked back a few centuries as he drove past villagers dressed in outdated clothing, living like they were frozen in a pocket of time. No wonder it was a popular tourist location, but rumors had it that not all the villagers were fond of outsiders.

Either way, Ethan thought little of it, driving past them all until he was tracing truck marks through thick snow on an endless field, past the open metal gate with its barbed wire. It was almost idyllic with the undisturbed plains and the mountains that stood at level with the sun if not for the massive, dark complex that stood in the middle of it and metal parts, small and large scattered about.

The car came to a stop right outside the smallest of the complex's buildings. Ethan guessed it was where Heisenberg lived as he hopped out of the car and headed for the trunk where a stroller was. It took some maneuvering to pull it out but pull it out and unfolding it, he did.

"And we're here," he took Rose out of her baby seat and fastened her to the stroller with all its wool and blankets to keep her warm. With the way her large, pale eyes flickered around, she was very interested in watching what was happening around her. Especially with the heavy noise from the factory part of the complex.

Ethan rolled the stroller to the entrance of the house and knocked on the door. The structure stood two stories tall, made from wood and reinforced with metal. The door opened and in the entranceway, Heisenberg stood. He was dressed much in the same way as he was yesterday.

"So you came," he mused with a smirk, that faded upon looking at the stroller. "Plus one."

"Yeah, it, uh…something came up and I had to pick up my daughter. I forgot to mention I have a daughter, Rosemary," Ethan shrugged. Nervousness settled in his gut for a moment, even as Heisenberg moved out of the way so the stroller could be pushed inside to escape the cold.

Ethan didn't know what to make of Heisenberg's expression or the way he stared at Rose as if he had never seen a baby before, and his general…surveillance for lack of a better word was mirrored. Little Rosemary was thankfully quiet, more curious about the stranger than her new surroundings. She didn't even mind Heisenberg's lack of smiling so it made it easier for Ethan to unpack her and carry her in his arms.

"Oh. Well, ain't that cute? Widower, if you don't mind me asking?" Heisenberg asked and Ethan's entire system hitched. It always did that whenever asked that question. Was it just a natural reaction for someone separated?

"Divorced. Another long story," he admitted, poking Rose's nose to make her giggle – and make himself feel a little better.

Heisenberg found himself sitting by a large wooden dinner table, stained by coffee rings. Without his shades on, all the subtleties of human emotions shined brought like a dying sun and the most identifiable was pity.

"Ah yes. Marriage. Sounds like hell. Here's to the bachelor life."

So, he was unmarried.

The timing was perfect for Ethan to hide his elation behind a socially acceptable smile although he couldn't pinpoint why exactly. Either way, the topic of marital struggles died from there and Ethan could distract himself from taking his new surroundings. Heisenberg lived like someone who owned a factory.

There was a desk with a bulletin board, covered with blueprints and notes, a desk with journals on it alongside a dozen or so small mechanical oddities, pulled apart and reassembled. One of which was a little statue of scrap metal that resembled a man with his head as an airplane propeller.

It looked like it hadn't seen some spring cleaning in a while except for the fireplace that stood cackling merrily.

"This place is something else, huh?" Ethan tugged Rose close, listening to her blabbering and gurgling through the pacifier. "You weren't kidding when you said you lived where you work."

Light shined in Heisenberg's eyes. He headed towards the desk and returned with a map of the entire complex. "I do so love the intricacies of engineering."

"So would it make you happy to hear I work at an auto shop? Had to learn the ropes on my own," Ethan looked over the map, noting the numerous levels of the factory, connected by large elevators and hallways with generators and turbines situated all around. All the rooms were connected to some massive network of elevators, shortcuts, hallways, and a scrapyard.

Fancy stuff.

"Garages are baby's first workshops," Heisenberg proclaimed proudly, almost amused at the notion that someone wasn't tinkering away in their own factory like him.

"Are you serious? I learn something new every day," Ethan couldn't help but laugh. Rose managed to spit out her pacifier and play with it to amuse herself like she was in her own little world. It distracted Ethan from watching Heisenberg lean over the table, inches away.

"I could show you a lot more, no euphemism intended."

The huskiness in his sent butterflies spawning in Ethan's stomach. He cleared his throat to clear the blush on his face. "There's a baby. Keep it PG, geez."

"Helicopter parent much?" Heisenberg grinned as he sat down. The jesting gleam in his eyes was twice as apparent without the shades on.

"Pfft, no. I mean, I sacrificed a lot just so the divorce wouldn't turn into an outright war. I fucking hated her during all of it but I couldn't let it get in the way for Rose's sake. If it came down to it, I'd throw my life on the line for her. I think most parents would do that," Ethan mused. Self-conscious doubt settled over him on account of venting outright to someone whom he was trying to woo.

Gingerly, he looked over at Heisenberg, noting the way the man's jaw clenched. Noting the off-balance expression on his face.

"Blood is thicker than water, huh?" he said at last, deep in thought, hinting at something deeper that Ethan didn't have a chance to figure out.

"Not necessarily," he answers back, thinking back to his time in America – and nightmares in Louisiana. But the memory was burning skin to raw flesh anyway. "Never mind. I shouldn't be feeding you all my issues."

"I'll be hearing about them anyway if this getting-to-know-you experiment continues, Ethan Winters," the light returned to Heisenberg's eyes in tandem with his beard taking the shape of a smile.

"Funny because we're talking like we've known each other for years."

"You're more coherent now," Heisenberg gently kicked Ethan over the shin under the table. His eyes moved temporarily onto Rose with her cooing, heavy with something resembling melancholy.

"I'm also not drunk," Ethan smiled, just to distract him. Heisenberg opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by excessive tapping on the window. It came from a crow banging its beak against the glass, endlessly cawing and flapping its wings. Something had been tied to its leg.

Before Ethan could even think to question why, what, and how, Heisenberg flew out of his chair, stormed off towards the window, and flung it open.

"Piss off!" he yelled at the bird, gathering handfuls of snow from the bottom of the window's frame to toss at the animal before it flew away. The crow continued to caw as it soared toward the pale sky. Alone by the open window, Heisenberg drew a deep breath, closed it, turned around, and stood momentarily stunned by his own outburst.

"Sorry," he uttered in a shuddering exhale. It marked the second third he had appeared off balance. It was as fascinating as it was worrying.

"I guess we'd all go insane with visitors like that," Ethan quipped with mirth to lift the mood.

"I'd much rather have visitors like you to spend the night here," Heisenberg met the mood with a faint smirk.

"When you demand it like that, I can't refuse."

By early evening, daylight had long since faded into complete darkness, like the world had been sucked into a nocturnal realm. Some level of unsettlement spread over Ethan as he looked outside. He had been spoiled by streetlights. As if someone had been reading his thoughts, bright lights cast a spot over the snow, probably timers from the factory.

It added to the industrial feeling of the complex but at the same time, there was something cozy about it all. A pleasant scent of stew filled the common room and it had been lingering for most of that afternoon, quietly brewing while time was spent between pleasant conversation and placating a baby. Rose integrated nicely, curious about her surroundings and Heisenberg, even if he wasn't curious about her.

But now, as the day was beginning to near its end, she was getting more sensitive, yawning and crying, complaining whenever Ethan wasn't looking at her. Her pacifier and her toys no longer soothed her.

"The little one is getting fussy, huh?" Heisenberg asked, staring at the little girl as she began to scream, despite Ethan's best efforts to make her feel better.

"It's her bedtime soon," he sighed and stood up, making his way around the table. "Could you hold her while I prepare her dinner?"

Heisenberg stared at Rose, then at Ethan like he had been asked to jump into the nearest ocean in the middle of winter. But then he relented, awkwardly stretching his arms out, stiff like a tree to hold the baby.

"You're looking at her like you don't know what a baby is," Ethan grinned, pitying the man because of the grimace that spread over the man's face.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't expecting to be babysitting today," Heisenberg groaned a bit at the shrill screams that came from Rose.

"Woe is the childless bachelor."

"Living his best life."

Shaking his head with a smile, Ethan stood up and headed towards the kitchen. He had brought jars of premade baby food in case he'd be out for a while. Since he was staying over, he was more than prepared. He searched the cupboard and found a small teacup into which he scooped a few tablespoons of porridge and stirred until it was without lumps. Moments later, he stood before the dinner table and pulled a chair in front of Heisenberg.

"Don't worry, she gets better with age," Ethan explained while he took a modestly sized teaspoon of porridge and guided it toward Rose's mouth.

Heisenberg's face still pulled into a grimace, "So they are just hellions when they're newborn?"

"Let's just say it's easier to raise a baby when you're two," Ethan answered, gently like was talking to his daughter.

Rose only ate a few spoonsful of porridge before she refused, back to fussing and yawning. Compelled to help the lone father along despite his discomfort, Heisenberg resorted to gently rocking her until her heavy eyes fell to a close slowly and she was finally asleep. Heisenberg looked the child over, more musing than adoring.

"If Rose wasn't your kid by blood, would you care for her?" he asked, once Ethan eased the baby out of his arms.

"Of course, I would. Blood or not, she'd still be my child," Ethan thought nothing of the question, answering it honestly.

In some alternative universe, he wasn't the one to father Rose. Mia would already be pregnant or even given birth when she'd meet Ethan but he'd still raise Rose as his own. Of course, if the biological father would be around, things could be awkward. If not a little competitive. Maybe it was just this selfish need to be the parent in a child's life compelling Ethan to think such thoughts.

He often struggled with this at the beginning of the divorce proceedings when Mia began going out with Alan. Selfish or not, the very least Ethan could do was to be the best father for Rosemary. She deserved at the very least that for putting up with her parents' inability to coexist.

Gingerly, Ethan put Rose in the carriage of the stroller, covering her with fur blankets and taking her upstairs to the one empty room, Heisenberg happened to own. He had forgotten what he actually wanted to use it for so for now, it was to be a nursey. Just to make sure, Ethan let the door stay open in case Rose cried.

As he entered the hallway, he could hear loud knocking from the front door. From where he was, he couldn't exactly see who had arrived, but he did see Heisenberg head over to answer, flinging the door upon much as he did with the window.

"Now, what the fuck are you doing here?" he growled at the pair of thin legs Ethan could see from the bottom of the doorway.

"Mama asked me to give you this. You weren't around so her bird flew back," a man's voice slurred the words spoken in a meek, rather pitiable tone.

"Seriously?" Heisenberg scoffed. "It's the modern age. If she wanted to talk to me remotely, she could send an email. She has a phone too, doesn't she?"

"Mama wants to see you there though. She wants to make sure that-"

"Yes, I heard you the first time," Heisenberg interrupted his guests rudely. Whoever he was talking to, he was already familiar with them on a less than unpleasant level. More curiously, who was this Mama?

"…Don't be mean," the guests almost seemed to cower. "It's tradition, Karl."

"…Don't call me that. Now fuck off," Heisenberg spat and slammed the door with such force, it could surely make the entire building shake.

Karl. His first name?

Ethan tried not to mull over it as he checked on Rose, just to make sure she wasn't disturbed by the noise. Much to his surprise, she wasn't. He turned around, hardly hearing hard footsteps make their way up the staircase until he was stopped by the sudden appearance of Heisenberg.

"Sorry about that. Stew's ready, I think," he said that so casually, but his entire body was stiff, the calmness in his voice belying the discomfort shining off him like a dying sun.

Without questioning this, Ethan followed him.