The next morning Steven woke to the sound of his alarm blaring in the silent room. He noted that he was far too warm under Alexander's feverish body. He rested his hand against Alexander's forehead and decided it was a bit cooler than last night. He was still feverish though. He tried to reach his phone without moving Alexander from his chest, but the attempt was proven futile when the younger man stirred with a low groan. "Shh." Steven soothed as he stroked his raven-colored hair "It's alright. Just go back to sleep."

"What time is it?" Alexander mumbled groggily, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

"Early still. You aren't well yet so I want you to stay here." Steven reassured gently. The statement was true, though it was not as early as he had been getting up. The extra sleep was a much-needed change, but the only reason he had allowed it was due to the contest hall being finished for the most part. He and Wallace had agreed to show up a bit later so they both could get some rest. He was still worried about Alexander being here alone when he was having a hard time walking, but it couldn't be helped. "You should take some more medicine before I go."

"I will be fine," Alexander replied as he pushed himself onto his elbow to let Steven up before plopping back down.

"Be that as it may, I would feel better if you take something for your fever. Besides, it will take the edge off of your ankle too." Steven left no room for argument as he held out two small tablets in his hand.

"If it will make you worry less." Alexander relented with a sigh.

"Good. Now get some rest. I will be back later." Steven smiled in Alexander's direction as he finished getting dressed. He was running late, but it would be fine for today. He mentally went over everything and checked his bag and pockets. It was a bit hard in the dark, but Alexander's comfort was more important for now. He picked up his phone from the desk and slid it into his pocket. "Sleep well." He whispered before closing the door behind him. He made his way to the coffee shop to meet Wallace and pondered whether or not he could get away early today. Everything was finished for the most part. All that was left was the final touches for the grand opening today. He could go back to the hotel for a few hours and then return for the event. Wallace was waiting for him with two coffee cups in hand outside the café. He looked worried which in turn made Steven worry. "Good morning." He greeted.

"Good morning yourself. I've been trying to call you. You are never late so I thought something had happened." Wallace offered one of the cups to Steven as he fussed.

"I didn't hear my phone. Sorry." Steven pulled said device from his pocket and his eyes widened. No wonder he didn't get a call from Wallace. This was not his phone. Steven eyed the small device with disdain. How had he made such a simple mistake? He must have picked up Alexander's phone this morning in his hurry to meet Wallace.

"Well, as long as you are okay. Let's get going."

"Yeah. Sorry again." Steven dropped the phone into his bag and followed after Wallace. He could tell that something was on Wallace's mind. This was concerning given Wallace never kept things from him. "Is something on your mind, Wallace?" He prodded.

"I suppose I was just worried."

"Please do not try to lie to me." Steven met Wallace's eyes. It was hard to do when his friend was so much taller than he was. He was confused when Wallace simply sighed and kept walking.

"I guess I was just worried something happened last night. You know…with Echo."

So they were going to talk about this now? "I mean…" Steven started before pausing to gather his thoughts. "He stayed in my room last night, but not for the reason you are thinking."

"You let him stay there?" Wallace repeated as if trying to comprehend the words "Are you crazy?"

"Nothing happened." Steven said, perhaps a bit too defensively "His ankle was hurting and I offered to walk him home. He collapsed on the way there so I took him to my hotel room."

"Wait, he collapsed? Is he alright?"

Steven was surprised to hear a hint of genuine worry in Wallace's voice. He wasn't sure how to respond at first as the two entered the contest hall and set to work "He had a fever. I think he overworked himself. It doesn't seem like he is resting properly."

"As usual, he does as he pleases. Useless." Wallace grumbled as he held down his hand to Steven, who offered up the hammer.

"I'm not so sure. I think there is something he is not telling us." Steven did his best to keep his voice neutral "Perhaps he has a reason."

"Doubtful."

"Monsieur, your words hurt."

Steven's heart almost leaped from his chest when the singsong voice announced from behind. When had Alexander gotten here? More importantly, why was he here and not back at the hotel resting? "Alexander." He greeted a bit more formally than he meant to. While his words last night were true, he was not ready to openly display their relationship. "I thought you were resting."

"Hmm." Alexander hummed with a playful glint in his eyes "I was, but I figured Wallace would need all the help he could get today. Today is the grand opening after all."

Steven watched as Alexander moved. His gait was off and he was still clearly in pain. They would need to get that ankle looked at later. He did not appear to be feeling better. He still looked tired, though perhaps not as much as before, and his cheeks were dusted a deep pink. He reached out without thinking and rested his palm against Alexander's forehead. He felt cooler, but still a tad too warm. Steven stiffened a little as Alexander brushed against him.

"And maybe I just wanted to see you, Mr. Champion." He purred.

"What are you-" Steven was cut off by a small laugh from the other man before he moved away. Sometimes Alexander was a mystery. Wait, Alexander had his phone again. When had that happened? He reached into his pocket and pulled out his own phone. He shot a confused look to where Alexander was teasing Wallace. Great, his boyfriend was a pickpocket on top of everything else. Steven made a note to have a conversation with him about this. At least he had his phone back. He unlocked the device and checked his email and messages. So many missed attempts at people reaching him. None of them were urgent enough to warrant his disappearance. "Come on, stop teasing Wallace." Steven chided before helping Wallace down the ladder.

"Boring." Alexander pouted before limping over to stand next to Steven.

Steven was grateful that Alexander listened to him, but he couldn't help thinking that Alexander teased Wallace for amusement more than malice. Now if only Wallace would realize that perhaps they could get along.

"Should we get lunch now? If we leave soon we will have time to actually eat." Wallace offered while putting away the tools.

"That sounds good." Steven agreed with a glance at his watch. It was almost noon. "That place we stop every morning has good food." He paused when the look in Alexander's eyes changed. Why did he seem upset?

"I should be going." Alexander gave a dramatic bow before turning to leave.

Steven was about to say something, but to his surprise, Wallace spoke first "You aren't coming?" The question felt more annoying than inviting, but Steven knew this would take time. This seemed to catch Alexander off guard because he looked at Steven, the question obvious in his eyes. Was he allowed to say yes? Steven nodded "You should come. You need to eat too."

"I mean…sure, I suppose I can come along."

Steven wanted to say something to reassure Alexander that it really was okay for him to come with them, but he was not sure what the right words were. Wallace was trying. It was going to take time for him to accept this, but he was trying. Steven needed to try harder too. He had never been good with displaying affection publicly and that had been the cause of several failed relationships. People often thought he was embarrassed to be seen with them, but that was most certainly not the case. He noticed Alexander was trailing a little behind him and Wallace so he slowed down to match his pace. He was about to tell Wallace to slow down, but the other man was already at his side again. Steven was grateful for Wallace's insight. Alexander had his jaw clenched and his hands were stuffed in his pockets, but Steven could tell that his hands were gripping the fabric of his pants. He reached over and gently pulled one of his hands free before intertwining their fingers. He kept quiet eyes focused on the younger man as they walked, not minding that every so often Alexander would squeeze his hand. He hated that his boyfriend was in pain. He would do anything to take away the pain in that moment.

"Steven, are you listening?"

Steven blinked once before turning his attention to Wallace "Sorry, I was thinking. What were you saying?"

"I asked if you are coming back to the contest hall," Wallace repeated with a pointed side glance at Alexander.

"I was planning on it," Steven answered before looking at Alexander once more. He wanted to tell him to go back home and rest, but he knew it would not do any good. Alexander was too stubborn for his own good. "I don't think you told me what all will be going on though."

"Oh, right. We are holding an exhibition performance." Wallace started.

"Only master-ranked coordinators will be allowed to participate. It will be an interesting show." Alexander added.

"Nothing is on the line though. Everyone is there to have fun." Wallace continued, not seeming to mind the interruption.

"I see." Steven glanced between the two as they talked. If he did not know better, he would say the two were actually getting along. He listened intently until they reached the café. Alexander's pace had slowed considerably as they walked and Steven was glad that they were sitting finally. The three ordered their food and the conversation slowed as they ate. Steven was worried when Alexander picked at his food more than ate. Perhaps he was feeling worse than he let on. "Hey." He started softly to get the other man's attention "You should probably head home and get some rest soon. I can walk you back if you want."

"I'm alright." Alexander gave a small smile "Besides, Tori is looking forward to performing later."

"You cannot be serious." Wallace interrupted in disbelief "You are in no shape to perform."

"Wallace is right. Between your fever and your ankle, it would be too dangerous." Steven agreed.

"I said I am fine," Alexander said firmly.

"Please think about this rationally. Even if you are no longer running a fever your ankle cannot handle the strain of riding Tori. The two of you could get hurt." Steven tried to reason, but rather than listen to him Alexander stood suddenly.

"I should be getting back."

Steven looked at Wallace desperately as Alexander walked away. "Please tell me this will be fine."

"I wish I could. This is foolish, even for him. I will try to talk him out of it when we get back."

"Thank you." Steven hurried to finish his food. He was worried about Alexander more than before.

When the two returned to the contest hall Wallace gave one more reassurance to Steven before disappearing to look for Alexander. Steven knew that Wallace was doing this for him and not out of concern for Alexander, but for now, he would accept that. If one of them could talk sense into the stubborn man then he would consider it a win. He wandered around the hall for an hour in search of Alexander but to no avail. The texts from Wallace confirmed the thing that Steven already knew. Alexander wasn't there. Wallace had even enlisted the help of Eve to look. The contest was starting soon and Steven started to hope that he had gone home to rest. It was concerning that Alexander was not responding to his messages, but perhaps he was asleep. Steven could go check on him after Wallace's performance. Eve was up first and he had to admit she was talented. The next few coordinators he did not recognize, but that was not surprising. What was surprising was the next name announced was Alexander. The way Alexander was moving was off. His body seemed stiff and he was doing his best to hide the limp. This wasn't good. Was he really going to perform like that? It was madness. Steven bit his lip when he caught a slight wince as the younger man prepared to jump. He barely cleared Altaria's back. He leaned against Altaria, whispering something indistinguishable before the pair took to the sky. The entire thing was awkward and lacked the usual grace. Once the pair reached the peak of their flight Alexander moved to stand but seemed to struggle with such a simple task. He pushed up again, this time with a visible wince and a falter of his smile. That's when Steven became certain that something was seriously wrong.

"Now, Tori! Let's show everyone our little surprise!"

It was strained. No, his pain was pushing his limits. Steven could only pray to whoever was watching that everything would be okay as Altaria began to glow and Alexander sprung from her back. It ended as quickly as it began, however. There was a cry of pain and Altaria's glow vanished in an instant. Steven watched in horror as the soaring pair began falling. Altaria seemed stunned and unable to regain control while Alexander was completely unconscious. Steven felt cold panic take hold as they rapidly approached the ground. He pulled out Metagross's pokeball. His eyes narrowed when he remembered that they had installed the arena barriers to protect the stands. He couldn't do anything to help. Please. Please wake up. Tori, please catch him.

"TORI!"

Was that Wallace's voice? The urgent call seemed to shake her from her daze, but it was too late. As soon as she regained her ability to fly, there was a sickening thud as Alexander smacked the edge of the pool. The universe was determined at that moment to show Steven that things could indeed get worse as his limp body slid into the water. Wake up! He's going to drown. Steven felt as if he would be ill. Wallace was already calling out Milotic and sprinting onto the stage alongside another coordinator. Right, Wallace was next. It made sense that he was down there. He willed his body to move. He needed to move. Milotic was not surfacing. What was happening? Why hadn't she pulled him up yet? He forced himself up on shaky legs and staggered away from the stands. He needed to help. By the time he made it to the stage entrance, Wallace was already doing chest compressions while the other coordinator was holding his head. He's not breathing… Steven fought back tears. He took a step forward but froze again as Alexander's body jolted and he choked out a mouthful of water. Wallace and the other coordinator were pushing him to his side as he choked and vomited more water. He heard Wallace calling for a medic and instructing other staff members. Somehow his calm voice grounded Steven. Right. He could help. He steeled himself and hurried out under the bright lights. "Tell me what to do." He said as he dropped to his knees.

"Steven, you shouldn't be out here." Wallace scolded in a hushed tone. "We've got him."

"Forget that. He needs help." Steven argued firmly. Wallace seemed to understand his urgency because he didn't argue anymore.

"Don't let him move around any more than he needs to. We don't know if he's injured. The medics will handle this." Wallace explained before recalling Milotic and stepping away to speak with the judges with the other coordinator. Steven finally realized it was Eve.

Steven could understand why Wallace was trying to keep things calm. There were hundreds of people watching this unfold. Accidents were not a commonplace occurrence during contests, especially at the master rank contests. "Stay with me." He whispered, but the other man was already unconscious again, his breath a rattling wheeze. This was not happening.