Finally back to Friday uploads! Still a little worn down from being sick, but that's probably more the migraine I've been fighting this week. Got to telework all week, though. The extra time at home has really helped.

This coming week is gonna be pretty crazy. MrsTheGoose and I will be celebrating a full decade of marriage! How that woman has put up with me this long is a mystery, but boy am I thankful for her. Taking a few days off work to celebrate with her.

Then, the streamer Discord server I help with is having their 2nd anniversary next Saturday. As the head of their Events team, I'm putting together a big celebration that I'll be hosting live with a handful of others. We're gonna do a Try Not To Laugh challenge with members' clips, with giveaways and reminiscing mixed in. Still got a lot of work to do for it, but I'm excited for everything to work out.

And finally, my volunteer organization is trying to convince me to take the second-highest position in the Squadron (they tried for the highest, but I don't have the flexibility for that). We all know I'll say yes, as I practically do the work already. With a few active members leaving soon and the increase in workload on my end, I'm gonna be one busy Goose.

Well, enough of all that. You're here for the story, not for a look into the madness of my life. Enjoy!

Strength didn't come in a day. Neither did recovery. Thankfully, that proved just as true for Pika and his friends as it did for Adam. Aside from the occasional glare and muttered insult, the group steadfastly ignored Adam.

Now if only his friends would do the same.

"You sure you're alright?" Erik asked for the dozenth time that morning. Adam had felt him watching all morning, as if Erik fully expected Adam to drop dead if he looked away for an instant. If Adam so much as leaned to the side, Erik would tense, ready to dive and catch him. Messing with him had been funny at first, but Adam quickly lost interest in the game as it wore on. He had no idea how annoying it could get.

And then they'd run into Nila.

"Open up," Nila ordered, waving a spoonful of cereal in his face.

Adam reached up and took the spoon from her. "I can feed myself." Nila blushed up a storm, but whether from being called out or the momentary contact of their hands, Adam couldn't be sure.

A brief flash from last night played in his head. Even if it was only the briefest brush of lips on his cheek, it still counted as his first kiss. And he wouldn't say no to another. The whole thing was remarkably childish.

But he was still a child.

Either way, Nila hovered about him all morning, treating him like some terminally ill patient ever since she'd ambushed them outside their room. Getting to the cafeteria proved less of a walk and more of an escort, his two self-appointed bodyguards flanking him every step of the way. Nila looked ready to attack anyone that dared even look at Adam wrong. If it wasn't for her being practically attached to him at the hip, she'd probably have started a fight by now.

Thank the gods for small mercies.

Instead, Nila and Erik lurked awkwardly beside him, eager to help but unsure what to do. Adam did his best to act normal, but it was hard to ignore the two pairs of eyes constantly watching him eat. He rushed through breakfast as best he could, desperate to get it over with.

"So…what are you two up to today?" Adam attempted, hoping to distract them with some small talk.

"I dunno," Erik shrugged.

"What do you wanna do?" And just like that, Nila had turned it around on him, making it clear their obsession with watching him wouldn't end anytime soon.

"I've got some homework to do this afternoon." It wouldn't take long, but at least it was something. He'd planned to knock it out last night, but he hadn't exactly felt up to it after such an eventful evening.

"I'll help!" Despite Nila being a year behind them and not having any idea what subject he was working on, she jumped at the opportunity to assist. As funny as it would be to see her try to help him with his History essay, enough was enough.

"You guys don't have to keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"This!" Adam held his hands out to both of them. "I'm not dying. I know you wanna help and all, but you're gonna smother me at this rate." Erik rubbed his neck as Nila's ears sagged. Adam sighed, fully aware of their disappointment. He placed a hand on Nila's shoulder, which seemed to perk her up a bit. "I really appreciate it, but I'm fine. Give me a couple days and I'll be back to normal, okay?"

"We just…" Nila gulped. "We worry about you, Adam. Both of us."

"You can't keep getting into fights like that," Erik added.

"Don't worry. Won't be doing much fighting like this."

"That's not funny!" Nila smacked his arm, only to pale as Adam winced. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," Adam assured her.

"No, it's not." Nila gently touched his arm, as if willing it to be healed. She seemed to relax once it was clear he wasn't going to jerk away in pain. "It's not fine. You can't expect us to be fine with you getting hurt like this."

"It was worth it." He'd made it abundantly clear to Pika just what would happen if he messed with them again. More than that, he'd taken the focus off of his friends and put it where it belonged - on him.

But most importantly, he'd made Pika and his gang afraid.

Sure, they'd gotten the better of him in the end. While they licked their wounds, he'd been practically scraped off the floor when all was said and done. No one would look at their outcome and declare Adam the winner of the fight. Beating them would've been nice, but he had a bigger goal in mind. One he'd already seen evidence of.

They weren't safe, and they knew it.

Adam had seen the hesitation at the end of the fight. Pika hid it well, but his friends didn't. The line had been drawn in the sand, and none of them looked eager to cross it again. Not when they knew what would happen afterwards.

It hadn't been a fair fight. Adam didn't strut in, denounce their evil, and challenge them to an honor duel. That sounded great in fairytales, but real life was far grittier. His attack had been an ambush. He'd rushed in, causing as much damage as he could before they even reacted. And in their own room, no less. Pika had gone from joking around to being flattened in an instant, all without a single warning.

That he could and would do the same again was obvious.

Even now, he could see Roan watching him across the room. When Adam stood to get another drink, the boy nervously nudged Clancy, hurriedly whispering something. Adam took great joy in staring down Roan at that moment, making the boy flinch and break eye contact. Even now, in his injured state, they were cautious of him.

Good.

"Well, whatever we do today, make sure you take it easy," Erik advised as he cleared his place, taking Adam's glass as well. Adam just managed to snag his bowl before Nila could. "And make sure to visit Miss Alyssa this morning so she can check on your injuries."

Adam rolled his eyes. It wasn't like that much had changed since last night, but fighting it wouldn't help. Besides, he had to head upstairs anyway for his morning cleaning. If poking his head in to say hello like he did every morning would pacify his friends, then so be it. "Yeah, yeah. I'll go to my check up." Adam almost jokingly asked if they were okay with him going alone, but the thought of them actually trying to come along kept his mouth shut.

The trio split for their morning chores soon after. Adam started up the stairs two at a time before his ankle complained. It felt a lot better than last night, but that felt like setting the bar a little low. The hall proved as quiet as always, with only the faint sound of activity downstairs filtering through to mix with the soft song from Alyssa's room.

"Good morning, Adam." Adam nodded to Alyssa's greeting, eager to get his chores done so he could go relax for a bit. There. I saw Alyssa. Mission accomplished. Now all he had to do was rush through his chores and he'd be free.

Or so he thought.

"Hold it right there, mister." Adam froze as his hand reached the keys on Alyssa's desk. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"My chores?" Adam tried. He checked the clock, just to be safe, but he was right on time. "Is there something wrong?"

Alyssa shook her head, muttering something to herself. "You should still be recovering."

Oh, for the love of-

"I'm fine." Honestly, he was starting to get sick of everyone's concern for him. "It's just vacuuming." And washing the windows. Not exactly the most strenuous activities.

"I don't think so," Alyssa said as she stepped between him and the door, cutting off any chance of escape. "You're in no shape to be working this morning."

"Seriously? You too?" Was everyone conspiring against him today? It wasn't like he was single-handedly rearranging the cafeteria or anything.

"Ah, so your friends told you to take it easy, did they?" Adam cursed himself for letting that slip. "Glad to see someone's using some sense."

"I'm fine."

"You're stubborn," Alyssa shot back. "The cleaning can wait a day. Not like there were that many people up here during the weekend."

She had a point there. Even during the week, the upstairs didn't get too dirty. A smudged window here. Some dirty footprints there. And most of that was limited to the classrooms. The other half of the upstairs rarely needed cleaning. Half the time, Adam couldn't even see any difference before and after cleaning.

But Adam wasn't one to shirk his responsibilities. Regardless of how dirty upstairs was, he intended to clean it like every day. That others wanted to stop him only made him want to more. They thought he was too weak. Too beat up. Too hurt. Well, he'd prove them wrong.

Now if only Alyssa would get out of the way.

"Nope!" Alyssa snatched the keys off her desk before Adam realized her plan, effectively shutting him down.

"But the floor needs vacuumed."

"Then I'll do it," Alyssa declared.

Adam narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't have to."

"But the floor needs vacuumed." Alyssa laughed as she threw his words back at him. "So which is it, Adam? Do they need vacuumed, or are you just using it as an excuse to be stubborn?"

Adam stubbornly refused to answer.

"That's what I thought." Alyssa gently guided him away from the door, steering him toward her bed. "I'll take care of it. In the meantime, you lie down for a bit."

"What? Why?" Adam could rest just as easily in his own room. Easier, probably.

"Because I said so," Alyssa answered, pushing him down onto the mattress. Adam folded his arms indignantly as he sat. "And because you need to rest. We both know if I let you go, you'll just find some other way to keep busy instead of letting your body recover."

She had him there. He had already planned to go start on his homework. After that, maybe a short walk would feel nice. Or playing outside to show Erik and Nila he wasn't helpless. Staying in bed hadn't even crossed his mind.

"But I'm not…tired."

Alyssa's smirk proved she'd caught the stifled yawn. "Tough. Stay there until I get back, then we'll take a look at that cut again."

"And after that?"

"And after that, you can go back to stubbornly refusing your doctor's advice." Adam silently complained that Alyssa wasn't actually a doctor, but she was the closest thing they had to one. Pointing that out, though, would likely mean a prolonged check-up, so he kept his comment to himself.

With final instructions to stay put and relax, Alyssa vanished from the room, closing the door behind her. Adam crossed his arms as he lay there, refusing to give in so easily. If Alyssa came back to him nodding off, it would only prove her point. Instead, Adam did his best to resist the siren call of slumber as he sank into the mattress.

The droning of the vacuum down the hall didn't help, so Adam did his best to focus on anything else. He studied the ceiling. Plotted out his essay. Made plans for the week. As long as his mind was engaged, he'd stay awake.

His thoughts eventually turned to those closest to him - both good and bad. Even after all his time at the orphanage, Adam rarely interacted with most of the other children. He, Erik, and Nila mostly kept to themselves. Even in their room, Adam could count the number of times he'd spoken to anyone on one hand. It wasn't that the other children avoided him. Everyone just had their own routines. They'd play together now and then, but that was about it.

Not that Erik and Nila weren't enough. They were great! A little pushy and overbearing sometimes, but only because they actually cared. Adam doubted anyone else in the orphanage would've bothered to help him yesterday. Easier to just not get involved. To be fair, he probably wouldn't do much for them, either. Despite living in the same building, they were in their own separate worlds.

Now if only Pika was in a different world. Preferably one far, far away.

At least Alyssa was on his side. As much as he pushed back on her insistence he rest, it was nice to have someone looking out for him. She'd gotten his picture back, helped him when he was hurt, and tutored him when he was struggling in his classes. Even now, she was doing his chore because he was hurt. She didn't have to do all of that for a random orphan. She didn't have to listen to him vent or talk about the future together.

But she did.

That brought his friend count to a whopping three. That didn't sound like a lot, but three was better than none. And right now, he'd take all the friends he could get.

"See, was that so bad?" Alyssa asked as she returned.

Adam jerked up, suddenly aware his eyes had drifted shut. "I wasn't asleep."

"Of course not," Alyssa answered, her voice making it clear just how much she believed him. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine." As old as the answer had become, he wasn't lying. Sure it wasn't comfortable, but it was bearable.

Apparently no one believed him today. "C'mon. Off with the shirt."

Adam begrudgingly took his shirt off. He felt he should be more embarrassed with how often he got topless in Alyssa's room. Or that she should be. Either way, he started to wonder if he should even bother putting a shirt on in the morning at this rate. Adam silently endured the poking and prodding. The bruising looked a lot worse than it felt, but no amount of protesting would help. He jumped at the cold cream Alyssa applied to a few of the larger abrasions before she tilted his head to the side to check his stitches.

"You haven't been messing with them, have you?" Alyssa asked, leaning closer to inspect her handiwork.

"They itch a little," Adam admitted, scratching beside the cut. "But I've tried to ignore them."

"Good. As long as you let them heal, you'll be fine." As Alyssa stepped back, Adam finally reclaimed his shirt. "If it starts hurting or swelling, come see me, but otherwise, I think you're good." Adam grunted as his side ached from pulling his shirt over his head. "Or as good as you're gonna get."

"Thanks." As much of a pain as it was, having Alyssa look after him felt nice in a way. He might complain and insist she not bother, but knowing someone cared enough to take care of him meant a lot. Between Alyssa, Erik, and Nila, Adam felt pretty blessed.

"You're welcome, Adam. Make sure you take it easy today. And if you need to take tomorrow off of work, I can write you a note. I'm sure your boss will understand."

And leave Erik to do it all alone? No. He'd be going to work tomorrow. Besides, they hadn't really discussed sick days or anything. He didn't want to cause problems by skipping work, especially since things were starting to pick up recently. Between a few new houses being prepped and the need to replace some aged sections of the wall, Papi had warned them that they'd be bringing in a lot more logs in the next few weeks. While the lion's share of the work would fall on the adult workers, Erik and Adam would have their hands full trimming the constant supply. Adam even planned to suggest he and Erik stay late a few days to help with the rush.

Skipping even a day was out of the question.

"I'll keep that in mind." Adam doubted his non-committal answer inspired much confidence. While he appreciated the offer, it would take more than some minor injuries to stop him.

/- - - - - - - - - -/

While he didn't skip out on work the next day, it was obvious Adam wasn't one hundred percent yet.

"You sure you're okay?" Erik asked as they hacked away at the fifth log of the day. With plenty more to go, Adam should've been hitting his stride, not struggling to keep up. He would push himself, only to burn out and need a moment to catch his breath. The first time, Erik had forced him to sit down for a minute. At this point, it was Adam insisting he take a break.

"I can still work." He knew he needed to pace himself, but every time he took a break, Adam couldn't help notice how far behind they were getting. He'd rush to make up the lost time, only to burn out again and need another break. His body promised he could make it each time, only to be proven wrong over and over.

Erik looked like he wanted to complain as Adam stood up again, but he knew Adam wouldn't listen. "Let's wrap this one up, then take a quick break." Before Adam could protest, Erik made sure to add, "One of the guys said they need to reposition the truck, so there won't be anything to do but wait."

Put like that, Adam could hardly complain. For safety reasons, Papi insisted they stay close to the building when the trucks were moving. Usually, that was just at the start of their shift, but from time to time, they would have to stop and reposition, especially if they expected another load to arrive like today.

With a goal in sight, Adam tore into the remaining limbs with renewed vigor. "I can do this," he muttered, willing himself to press on. He wouldn't give up. He wasn't useless.

The final branches were soon added to the pile. While Erik let Papi know that they were ready, Adam ducked over to the building, sitting against the wall after grabbing a cup of water. The gentle breeze felt marvelous as he wiped a fresh layer of sweat from his brow. Within minutes, the trailer of logs was hooked up and being repositioned. Adam watched absentmindedly as the crew directed it into position, just in time for a second truck to pull in the gate and park nearby. The workers buzzed this way and that, taking care of business with practiced ease.

"You boys doin' okay?"

Adam's trance was banished by the arrival of Erik and Papi. He managed a thumbs up while taking another sip of his water. "Pretty good. Sure is busy today."

"Busy's good," Papi commented. "Busy keeps the paychecks comin' in. Thanks, Erik." Papi accepted a cup of water from Adam's partner and downed it in one go. "Rough weekend?"

"Not too bad," Adam responded flatly. The suddenness of the question made him concerned Papi knew more than he was letting on.

"Not too bad, he says!" Papi chuckled, tilting his head to the side. "I'd hate to see a bad'n if that lump on your head wasn't one."

Adam tensed, head whipping around to Erik in betrayal. "You told him?"

"Boy ain't told me nuthin," Papi promised. "Ain't seen you move slow like today before. Plus, I spotted that knot on yer 'ead when the two of yous checked in today."

Adam pushed himself up from the ground, suddenly conscious of how obvious his condition was. He refused to let Papi think he couldn't keep up just because of a bump on his head. "I'm fine. Just a little beat up is all."

"Beat up, 'e says!" For whatever reason, that struck Papi as hilarious. "An' just 'oo did ya beat up?"

"What?"

Papi set his empty cup down. "I ain't no stranger to a scrap, son. Looks ta me like you went a few rounds with an Ursa. At least tell me you gave as good as ya got."

"I guess," Adam shrugged. Bragging about fighting another boy didn't sound like something you should do with your boss.

Erik didn't seem to agree. "More. He took on four boys at once. They needed the nurse as much as he did afterwards."

"Four? Is that right?" Adam didn't deny it. "Well I'll be. You got guts, kid. Not sure about brains, but guts a'plenty." After a short thought, Papi asked, "So who's the girl you were fighting over?"

That was quite the leap in logic, even if it was accurate. "What makes you think it was a girl?"

Papi sighed in exasperation. "A guy only fights stupid odds like that if he really cares about something. Or if he's crazy. An' when it comes to women, it's both."

"Her name's Nila," Erik answered for him.

Traitor.

"This Nila girl. She cute?"

"Very." Adam would get his revenge if it was the last thing he did. Maybe letting Nila know how cute Erik found her would be a good start. "And she likes him, too."

"Erik!"

"That so?" Adam wished something would go horribly wrong to distract Papi from his alleged love life. A log rolling loose. The truck flipping. At this point, even a Grimm attack sounded preferable. "So what? You fought these guys to win her interest?"

"One of them hurt her."

Adam's answer robbed some of the giddiness from Papi's voice. The lumberjack's brow furrowed as a snarl threatened to break through his lips. "He did, did he?" Papi spat to the side. "Creep deserved to get the crap kicked outta him, then. Shoulda sent him to the morgue 'stead of the nurse."

"Trust me. He tried." Erik couldn't seem to resist singing his praises today, whether he wanted them or not. "Fight only stopped when I showed up."

That wasn't entirely true. More like the fight had turned into a beating by that point.

"Good work, then. Always important to 'ave yer friend's back. And as for this scumbag you fought," Papi turned back to Adam, "make sure to give him a few extra licks from me next time."

"There shouldn't be a next time," Erik tried, finally trying to push back against Papi now that he agreed with Adam.

"Oh, there'll be a next time," Papi stated, nodding to Adam's tightening fists. "This girl of yours know what you did?"

"She found us afterwards," Erik confirmed.

"And I assume it was worth it?"

Of course it was. And not just because it was Nila. Adam was sick and tired of living in fear. Always watching his back for the next threat. It was like the Beowolf all over again. And just like then, he'd finally reached the point of deciding to do something about it.

Erik seemed to have another idea of what Papi meant. "She kissed him."

"On the cheek!" Adam rushed to add, failing to hide the overwhelming blush.

Papi couldn't hold back his laugh. "That's more like it! You keep that girl close, ya hear me?" One of the workers called out for Papi, waving him over to the truck. "Tell ya what, lads. Why don't you call it early today?"

"But there's still work to do," Adam complained. They were already behind as it was.

"And there'll be plenty of work tomorrow, too." Papi started to back away. "Trust me. It ain't goin' nowhere. But the last thing I need is you overdoin' it right now. The two of you head on back. That's an order."

"Yes sir," Erik dutifully responded.

"Four on one," Papi laughed as he walked away. "I knew I liked this kid."

"We shouldn't have left," Adam complained on their way back to the orphanage. "They need the help."

"I'm sure Papi can manage without us," Erik countered. Not that it mattered at this point. Adam wasn't about to storm back and demand to work. "Besides, Papi's right. You pushed yourself too hard."

"Someone's gotta get those trees trimmed."

"And that someone doesn't have to be you." Erik shook his head as he shot down Adam's argument. "We got a few done. Better to hit it fresh tomorrow rather than burn out early and be useless later."

Adam knew he was right. Even now, his arms complained from all the work today. He might've been able to do a few more trees before burning out entirely, which would mean an even longer recovery. Still, he hated giving up so easily.

He also hated all the embarrassment Erik had put him through.

"What was with all that talk about Nila?"

The way Erik told the story, Adam had heroically defended a damsel in distress from a pack of ruffians. The truth wasn't that far off, but he'd been a lot more rage-filled than heroic in the end. And it wasn't like he'd done it for love or anything. Nila was his friend. That's it. He'd have done the same if they'd hurt Erik.

Probably.

"What? Was I wrong? Pika hurt Nila, so you hurt him. Sounds pretty straightforward to me."

"You know it's not like that." The way Erik told it, he and Nila would be making wedding plans within the week.

Erik shrugged, eyes fixed on the ground in front of him. "But it could be."

"What?" The simple declaration froze Adam to the spot.

"Oh, come on. Like you haven't noticed?" Erik kicked a rock down the path. "Nila likes you. A lot. And that was before you beat up Pika for her. Or did you miss the part where she kissed you?"

"On the cheek!" Adam once again protested. It wasn't like she'd pinned him down and sucked face with him. "She practically ran away in embarrassment after!"

"Yeah. Because it meant something to her."

It…what? Nila had been acting kind of odd around him ever since. And was it really so hard to imagine she might have feelings for him. They hung out practically every day. She was always joking around with him. Telling him about her day. Trying to get him to play with her. He'd just assumed they were good friends, but what if there was something more there?

""Do you…" Erik's shoulders tightened as he forced out the dreaded question. "Do you like her?"

Adam knew his friend was interested in her as well. Erik had practically admitted it multiple times. He'd also known Nila longer than Adam had. They'd been inseparable before he came. Now, Erik was left longing for the girl who might have interests in his best friend.

"I dunno," Adam hedged, suddenly aware of the emotional minefield they'd wandered into. He liked Nila as a friend. She was funny. Smart. Courageous. Cute. The more Adam thought about it, the more he began to realize the interest might not be as one-sided as he'd assumed. "What about you? Haven't you had a crush on her since forever?"

"Duh. But she likes you." Erik made it sound like the most obvious thing ever. "And Papi's right. You don't fight an entire room of guys for someone you aren't at least a little interested in."

Was Erik right? Had his reasons been more than just anger at Pika attacking a friend? Had it been specifically because it was Nila that Adam flew into such a rage? And if that were the case, could he really pretend like he wasn't interested in more than just being friends?

As painful as it was to think about, Mazarin had said as much during her final visit. She seemed to think, even back then, that Nila was interested. To her, the two of them getting together at some point was obvious. Maybe Mazarin had just been messing with him at the time, but maybe her words had been prophetic. After all, she'd started to show interest in Father Bernard after he'd attacked an Alpha for her. Maybe he had more in common with his father than he realized.

The thought brought a bitter smile to his lips.

Regardless, it didn't help him with what he should do now. If he really did like Nila like that, and if she liked him as much as Erik seemed to think, then what should he do? Should he even do anything? Would asking about it just make things awkward? They were both pretty young, too. Should they really be looking to start a relationship like that?

Since Erik seemed to have all the answers today, Adam posited the question to him. "So what should I do?"

"Can't help ya there," Erik answered, shooting down Adam's easy out. "What? You know I like her too. I'll be happy for you two if things work out, but don't expect me to do the work for you."

Fair enough. "Should I ask her, though?"

"Up to you," Erik shrugged. "Seems to me like you're doing just fine so far. Just be yourself, and if something happens, it happens."

"And if not, then you'll swoop in and take her?"

"In a heartbeat," Erik laughed, even if Adam doubted he was joking.

The rest of the walk back felt a little lighter, even if Adam's thoughts felt heavy. He needed time to think, but for now, he'd just wait and see. If Nila was interested in more, then he couldn't say he'd refuse. Heck, Nila might just flat out ask him. She wasn't one to shy away from anything for long. In the meantime, they'd continue on as normal. Good friends that might one day become more.

And regardless of what happened between them, he'd keep her safe.

Always.

Had practically zero plan for this chapter. I know what I want to happen next week, but I couldn't just jump straight into it from the fight. So I sorta just sat down and ran with whatever came to mind. Papi messing with Adam was just a nice bonus.

Things are about to really heat up soon. I feel like I've said that a lot, but I finally feel like I have my antagonist in the proper place now. Had a lot of groundwork to lay before we can hit one of the main moments of the story. I'll keep the end notes short for now, since if I say too much, I'll end up giving stuff away. But there's enough warning signs now that I feel like we can finally push forward with stuff.

Next chapter: Is Adam ready for a relationship?