"Ok, well, what if I told you I knew where you could go without being found, would you come with me?"
"I don't know…"
"It'll be like old times…"
Curfew had started a couple of hours ago and he was only going to get an earful and who knew what else if he were to go back now.
"So, what do you say?"
"I don't see why not. Lead the way."
Sighing heavily to himself, Evren lifted his gaze to see the raven staring at him curiously. When offered a smile, he forced one himself before looking elsewhere as the he felt the strain of it at the corners of his mouth.
The gesture would always be foreign for him and it wasn't really like he had time to smile anyway.
Throughout his training at various academies, he was always in the top ten percentile, if not the valedictorian. One simply did not have time to smile and now it had been a disgraced to be demoted. There really was no reason to smile after that. If that wasn't enough, he was being reassigned to some assignment of which he had no details. Time was ticking but he would no longer be in Polaris.
On the other hand, that may have been a good thing, what with the frequent headaches. They happened now and then when he was in training but they were never as persistent as they had been during his stay in the city. Even more, he never saw things like he had been. He never had to worry about seeing fragments of who knew what. They were usually sad or painful things, rarely anything worth wanting to see yet alone remember.
"Ren, are you ok?!"
"Hey." Evren opened his eyes to see a brown pair watching him. "Ren, are you ok?"
He remembered seeing a wider, similar pair filled with tears. "Yeah," he muttered as he lowered his hand.
Walking past Calix, the man slowed his pace when he heard what sounded like music. Looking over his shoulder in time see Cal walk past him, Evren stiffened when the other male grabbed his wrist to pull him forward. As the music got louder, Evren slowed his pace once more before dragging his feet.
"What's wrong, Evren?" Calix asked before looking towards the sound of music. Glancing down at the pale hand he had grabbed, he let go as his companion stiffened. "Are you ok?"
"Where are you taking me exactly?"
"To a place no one would think to look for you," he replied. "You're kinda…how should I say… uptight so I doubt they'd come looking for you at a party."
"I'm not uptight," Evren groused before shoving his hands into his pockets, "and if Scarlet is looking for me, it's only a matter of time before she finds me and this little so-called party of yours."
"You're… kinda' being pessimistic, aren't you?"
"Just because I don't sugarcoat things, doesn't make me pessimistic."
Calix merely stared before shrugging a shoulder. "Guess you're right."
"And another thing-" Evren narrowed his eyes somewhat. "Wait, did you say I'm right?"
Cal shrugged again. "Yeah, you said you're not pessimistic so I'm not gonna' argue with you."
"You're not going to argue?"
"Why should I? You said you weren't. It'd be stupid to go in circles over something like your attitude."
"My attitude?"
The brown-eyed male held up his hands. "I didn't mean it like that!" he clarified. "Just…you know what? How about I stay quiet so we can enjoy the walk, alright? You're not going to get caught. I won't let that happen. I promise, ok?"
Eyeing the younger man critically, Evren proceeded forward after Calix swept his arm out in a beckoning manner. Excluding the echoing sound of their footsteps on the pavement and the growing volume of distant music, Evren looked over his shoulder on occasion to see that the raven was indeed following him though his expression was a somewhat sheltered one that would transform into a faint, amiable smile that left the white-haired male a bit curious as to what was going through his head exactly as he faced forward again.
"Hey." He looked over his shoulder to see Calix cocking his head at an angle. "Um, you don't need to stay quiet, you know?" he said as he glanced back to see the other smiling more openly. "Don't think anything by it what I said earlier."
"Alright," Cal laughed as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder. He brought it back to his side quickly when the gesture earned him a questionable stare. "Um, right…so, uh…"
"Where are we going?"
"A party," Cal replied as they came across a dead end.
Hearing the music, Evren looked about before looking down as he heard the grating sound of metal against the ground. Watching as the raven dropped down into the dark hole leading to only who knew where, Evren looked over his shoulder before following in after.
Dropping down after sealing off the entrance, he held up his hand to light the way before spotting what appeared to be a flare all the way down the tunnel. Spotting Calix in the red light, Evren followed after him. By the time they had reached the ladder, the rubble along the walkways vibrated. Watching as the raven climbed up first, Evren took a step back when his ears were greeted with by ear-pounding beats being blasted. Catching flashes of reds, yellows, greens, and every other color in between, the man blinked to see a hand being extended downwards.
"Calix!" Said person looked away from the man to see a classmate dancing by. "Didn't think you'd make it! Heard you were picked up from school early!"
Grimacing, Calix mustered a smile. "Yeah, yeah! I'm ok now. Go have fun!"
"Calix!"
Jeez, what now?! The teen turned to be greeted by Will. "Hey, Will!"
"Come with me!" she ordered snagging the man by the arm and pulling him away.
"Hold on a second!" Pulling at his arm, he scowled as the woman pulled him away from the opening just as he caught sight of white hair. "Will-!"
Poking his head out in time to see Calix being dragged somewhere else, Evren pulled himself out of the hole before sliding the covering back into place. Brushing himself off, he sidestepped a group of people dancing about before looking around to see colored lasers mounted to the nearby walls. Making out the strobe lights located on abandoned vehicles, Evren proceeded forward as the music changed.
Everyone appeared to be having fun.
No one seemed to notice who he was.
As far as he was concerned, everyone must have seen him as another partygoer.
Moving around the dancers with glow sticks, Evren made his way out the center and headed for the closest fire escape. From there, he estimated about fifty, if not more, people in attendance.
Fifty or more people that were obviously breaking curfew.
But who was he to judge?
I'm out past curfew myself…
Spotting something colorful being hurled at him from the corner of his eye, Evren caught it before holding it up to see that it was a blue and green-colored glow stick. Looking in the direction it had come from, he saw Cal waving an identical one. Waving his back for the sake of doing so, he made out the teen's grin in the flashing lights before he disappeared amongst a throng of fist-pumpers.
"Hey!"
Mismatched eyes shifted to see a less than happy redhead lowering a pair of headphones. Whatever else he had been saying Evren didn't quite catch. Sidestepping the can that had been thrown at him, the man narrowed his eyes somewhat as he watched the other take a step forward. All too soon, he was startled by the dark-haired individual that had drop down to his current position, inadvertently taking the hit for him.
"…the hell?" Cal muttered as he picked up a soda can. Brown eyes then panned over to the white-haired individual before he offered the beverage. "You thirsty?"
"Not exactly," Evren replied as he turned his attention back to the man that was glaring at him. "I don't think he wants me here…"
Following his gaze, Cal spotted who he had been talking about. "Oh, that's Renyx."
"Renyx?"
The raven gave a nod. "Yeah, he's the DJ." Evren glanced at the one beside him then down at the man that was storming off. "He's the one that donated all the speakers," Cal added as he glanced at some of the equipment posted up in various locations."
"That's a lot of equipment. It must've cost him a fortune."
"Nah, his dad owns RAD Studios." Feeling the questionable gaze, Cal chuckled. "I was skeptic at first since he's such a dork but he's cool. I promise."
"Uh huh… Did he donate the lights as well?"
The younger male looked up to see the alternating lights. "No, that was Will." Brown eyes lowered before their owner pointed to the woman working at a small computer near the DJ booth. "She actually made them."
"Will's a girl?"
"Well, yeah?" Calix replied as he gestured to the black and blue-haired woman that was fiddling with some wires. "She's very good with tech; she even provided the surrounding area with cameras, just in case someone who shouldn't be here stumbles along the place."
"You mean cops."
Cal grimaced but could do nothing but shrug. "Yeah."
"I'm here."
"Well, you came with me," he replied. "You wanted a place to hide and this is it."
"Everybody having fun yet!?" Both men turned their attention to a far stand to see Renyx looking over the crowd. Ochre eyes then locked on the pair standing on the fire escape before looking at the roaring group again. "Of course you all are! This is a night to have fun! A night to party without worry! Screw the curfew!"
"Screw the curfew!" they cheered.
No cops!"
"No cops!" the crowd chanted as a faint bass line began to creep in.
"So, without further ado, I present to you, a bit of entertainment!"
The lights cut out soon after, bathing the area in darkness.
"Cal-"
"Don't worry. Renyx is just being a bit over the top is all. Don't take it personal. If anything, just enjoy the show."
Looking around to see nothing but darkness, Evren looked up to see a starlit sky. The sight of which was obscured by small, numerous lights of gold and white. They disappeared momentarily before blinking back into existence as a bass faded in then out. When it started up again, the lights transitioned into crisscrossing blue and green lasers. As they drew patterns, spiraling out to allow orange and purple lights to faze in amongst the growing mist of fog machines, a bit of clapping ensued before everything went dark.
A beat, faint at first, started to creep into existence once more. As it increased in volume, various lights beamed in and out, making party-goers cheer as the rest of the music kicked in. As it got louder and louder, loud enough to cause windows to vibrate and rattle, the crowd to grew louder before music flashed in time to the music.
Watching as the people joined in the light show, waving glow sticks, tossing what appeared to be beach balls filled with light, Calix cracked a smile. "They're so over the top," he chuckled. His focus then drifted towards the quieter male to see him holding his head. "Ren, are you ok?"
"Ren, are you ok?!"
"Ren?"
Shrugging off the hand on his shoulder, Evren kneeled down as he continued to cradle his head. Feeling a persistent throb, he curled in on himself before tugging at colorless strands.
"Ren, are you ok?!"
Watching the man shudder, Cal looked at the speaker posted on the wall next to them before pulling Evren to his feet. "Can you hear me?" Throwing the speaker one more glance, Calix opted on breaking it before thinking more logically. He opened the window behind them. "Come with me," he said before leading his companion into the building.
Being led around certain areas with questionable integrity, Evren went to say something though the pounding in his head had him biting his tongue as he was led up a flight of rickety stairs.
"Ren!"
He remembered seeing wide and teary, brown eyes.
"Ren!"
"Ren!"
Cracking his eyes open to be greeted by a starry sky, Evren allowed them to slide close for a time. He still made out the low sound of pounding beats being blasted from what sounded like below. He could even feel the small vibrations against his back. Hearing his name being uttered, one eye opened to see a darker, wider pair staring down at him.
"Calix..."
"Are you ok?!"
"What happened?"
"You collapsed on the stairs," Calix replied. "Are you ok?!"
"For starters, you can stop yelling," Evren muttered as he pushed himself into an upright position, "and second, stop worrying about me so much."
Leaning against the wall by the door as he turned his attention back towards the sky, Evren flinched at the sight of teary eyes before glancing over at the raven that was sitting a small distance away. Straightening as he watched his companion fidget, his gaze obviously betraying him, Evren sighed as he picked himself up. The motion obviously piqued the other's attention though the older man was already taking a seat beside him.
"You passed out."
"Is that all?" Evren questioned as he stared at the dotted sky.
"Is that all?!" Brown eyes shifted in the other's direction. "I thought you di- I didn't know what to think, ok?" Cal muttered. "You looked like you were in pain when we were at the party so..."
"So, you brought me here?" Watching the other nod, Evren touched his head. "I would've been ok."
"You would've been unconscious or worse at the bottom of the stairs!" Catching the subtle wince, Cal averted his gaze. "Sorry..."
"It's fine," Evren said as he lay back to view the stars better. His gaze strayed towards the fidgeting raven once more before shaking his head. "You worry too much." His eyes slid shut soon after. "You haven't really changed all that much, have you?"
"What do you mean by that?" Calix asked before slowly looking down to stare at his companion. "Hey-"
Noting the slow rise and fall of the white-haired male's chest, Calix heaved a sigh before laying back himself.
He was just going to have to wait until morning to drill the man with questions.
-†-
This place... Picking himself up, Evren looked around to see the same familiar darkness. Great...
Muttering to himself as his surroundings began to change, he stopped when he heard what sounded like a child. Shielding his eyes from a light, Evren lowered his hand to see the usual blonde sitting chained to wall.
"Hey, can you hear me?" the boy asked as he pulled at the shackle. "Hey, wake up. Wake up!"
Following the boy's gaze, Evren hurried over to a brunette that was chained to an opposite wall before taking a knee. Reaching out to roll the child over, Evren ground his teeth when nothing was tangible.
Right, can't touch anything...
Then again, he didn't need to touch the kid to see that he wasn't moving. Breaths were inaudible and his frame was skinnier than it should've been.
Bowing his head for a moment of silence, Evren looked over his shoulder to see the fair-haired child doing the same. As mismatched eyes looked his way, the older male saw bitter tears before they were wiped away as the door opened.
Watching as a man in white came in, Evren looked back at the blonde to see him feigning sleep. Focusing on the newcomer once again, Evren watched as he rolled the brunette over before noting the blue tint of his face.
"4526T is dead."
"Get rid of it then. You need to make space anyway," came the reply. "Anyone else in there?"
The man looked towards the child. "Yeah, 9026A is still here. Think he's sleeping."
"Let him then," the voice said through the radio. "He's due for an eighth series later anyway. Just bring in the next one, he's up after 9026A anyway."
"Roger that."
Looking back at the blonde, Evren would admit he did a good job at faking sleep. His attention then went back to the man that was dragging in an even younger boy. Cringing inwardly as he was chained in place where the brunette had been, Evren watched as the man walked out.
Studying the child, he looked at least four, no older than five. His skin was pale, save the red areas where he had been subjected to numerous needles. His hair was black, emphasizing several bruises that already stood out against the sections of his limbs.
"Hey." Evren looked over his shoulder to see the blonde pulling himself into a seated position. "Hey, wake up! Can you hear me? Wake up!" The raven did no such thing. "Wake up!" the child ordered before his shoulders began to droop. "Wake up, please?" The kid sounded a little broken. "Wake up... wake up..." The odd pair of eyes then hardened. "Wake up! Do you hear me?!"
"Y... yes..." came the softer reply.
"Good, good. What's your name?"
"N...name?"
His name...?
The older male looked over to see the smaller boy opening his eyes. "Mmmy...name?"
"I'm 902-Evren."
"902-Evren," the dark-eyed boy repeated.
"No, just Evren," the blonde clarified, gaining the older man's attention.
Blonde hair... Evren touched his white strands before bringing his hand back to his lap. ...and mismatched eyes.
It was enough to give him a headache but he recalled the child shouting the same thing before.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"86...97...B."
"8697B," he repeated before inching forward. "A number isn't a name. What's your name?"
"86-"
"My name is Evren. What's your name?"
"8...6...9..."
"Your name," he pressed. "C'mon, I know you know-" Hearing the door open, the blonde threw a glare at the man that had entered. Knowing that they had come for him, the child turned his attention back to the raven that was starting to drift into unconsciousness. "Hey, wake up!"
"9026A, calm down." Aforementioned narrowed his eyes before pulling at his chains. "90-"
"That's not my name!" he shouted. "My-"
"Yeah, yeah, your name is Evren, right, 9026A?" the man asked as he withdrew a needle from the child's arm. "Let's get going."
From the fleeting look of surprise, Evren could tell the child didn't even notice the syringe until it was too late.
"Hey, can you... hear me? the blonde muttered towards the other boy as he was thrown over the man's shoulder. "Hey... your name….?"
-†-
"Evren, wake up."
Feeling himself being shook, the man cracked his eyes open before being greeted by the bright sun. "Knock it off," he grumbled before sitting up. He then looked around, remembering where they were, before focusing on the uneasy look in his companion's eye. "What's wrong with you? Are you hurting again?"
Cal's gaze shifted before he offered a faint smile. "I'm ok."
Mismatched eyes flattened. "Seriously, you suck at lying. What's wrong with you?"
"You...you...uh-"
"I what?"
"You...um- you kinda'...talk in your sleep."
"What, was it embarrassing or something to the point that you had to wake me up?" Watching the raven shift awkwardly, Evren turned a bit more to face him. "What did I say? Calix..."
"A number."
"A number?" Furrowing his brow, he tried to recall the number before looking over at Calix. "8697B?" He noted the shiver. "It was 8697B."
"Yeah; now that you know, could ya' stop saying it please?"
"How do you know it?"
"I... what makes you think I know it?"
"You obviously know something or it wouldn't be bothering you this much," Evren stated as he stepped towards the raven, grabbing him by the arm before he managed to backpedal off the side of the building. "8697B-"
"Stop saying that!" he ordered as he was pulled away from the edge.
8697B...
Seeing how the teen was still shaken up, Evren stayed where he was. As darkened eyes drifted his way, a slight pang had him flinch. As it continued to intensify, Evren held his head as he backed away.
One step too many and he stepped off the ledge.
"Evren!"
Opening his eyes to see a worried pair, Evren cringed before noticing the slight tremor in the other's hold. "You..." He was then pulled back to the safety of the roof. "You're... 8697B... aren't you?"
"902-Evren."
"My name is Evren," he groused before holding the side of his head. "You…are you really 8697B?" Calix shifted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You're 8-"
"Stop saying that."
"But-"
"No!" Evren's expression flattened. "Don't… j-just stop it with that…that number, o-ok?" Cal asked shakily.
"Calix-"
"No one knows that number…" He turned to face the man after some time. "No one, Evren. Hell, I didn't even tell Malecai about it," he mused aloud.
"Why?"
"Why would I tell him a number? A number is not a name. You told me that."
"But you never told me your name…"
"I know. I couldn't."
"Why?"
"Because-" Feeling something vibrating in his pocket, Calix pulled out a small sphere. "Hello?"
"Cal, where are you?"
"Will?"
"Cal, where are you?" she asked again.
"Roof, Section G District 6, why?"
"Are you ok?"
"Will, you're starting to freak me out a little."
She sighed. "Well, Malecai called about you. Apparently, you two hit it off or something."
"Or something…."
"That tongue of yours is gonna' get you into trouble some day and you know it," she scolded.
"Gee, thanks. Didn't know you called me just lecture me, Will. Thanks so much."
"No, I'm calling to tell you not to go home."
"He could've just called me to say he wanted to kick me out!" he growled before hanging up.
"Trouble at home?" Evren asked as he watched the raven crack his knuckles.
"Something like that," he replied before walking off the edge.
"Cal-!"
Hurrying to the edge, Evren caught the raven walking across an old power line before dropping onto an ornamental protrusion. He then jumped to the nearest fire escape before sliding down the ladder. Once he was on the ground, he brushed his hands off before looking up to see the white-haired man looking up down at him with a mild trace of curiosity.
"Just follow the stairs and you'll find yourself back downstairs," he called before he started to run off. "Take the same way we came to get here and you'll find your way back to Polaris."
Watching as he took off, Evren looked down at the power line the raven had been walking across. Deciding to do the same, he jumped off the side before landing on a fire escape below. Walking onto the wiring, he stilled as the wiring wobbled beneath him. Grabbing the thing when he lost his footing, he used his remaining momentum to propel himself to the next wire that was just a bit lower than the first. When the distance was just a bit more than he expected, he sighed to himself as he hung suspended upside down. Looking about to see what looked like a flagpole, Evren swung himself towards it before grabbing on. From there, he slid down a rain gutter before vaulting himself over a wall. Hearing footsteps, he followed after them until he caught the sight of Calix rounding a corner.
"Hey!" he shouted as he headed in the direction of the raven. Running for some time, the man cut through a building before hurrying out the front in time to pluck the teen by the back of his jacket. "What's the rush?"
"How'd you catch up so fast?"
"I went down the same day you did." Calix raised an eyebrow. "What, you're not the only one that can get down from a roof," Evren chided. "Where are you going in such a rush?"
"To get all my stuff from his house. I rather get it out my room than out the trash."
"Oh…"
"Yeah." They walked for some time. "Hey, shouldn't you be headed back?" Evren looked in his direction as they passed through the city's limits. "You took off the other day when the sun came up."
"Yeah, well, today's different," Evren said as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Ah…well, do you wanna' meet up again? It doesn't have to be at the party though seeing how you…well, you know…"
"I did kinda' ruin that for you, didn't I?"
"Oh, no! No, don't apologize. I've seen things like that plenty of times before," Calix said. It's just nice to see that you're better now."
Catching the smile in the raven's voice, Evren caught the slight smile trying to stretch itself across his face before turning his attention to the taller buildings coming up. Walking in silence for the most part, Evren watched as the citizens went on about their usual chatter. He disregarded some of the curious looks from the daily shift officers and gave greetings to those that spoke to him. He noted the somewhat high count of squadron cars before looking up as he caught the faint hum of whirring turbines. Spotting a carrier being escorted in, he sighed to himself before glancing over to see a rather angry expression on the raven's face. Seeing how rigid he was, Evren placed a hand on the man's shoulder, simply to receive the same look before it softened entirely.
"You ok?"
"Um, yeah," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. He then picked up the pace. "S…sorry about that."
"Um…wanna talk about it?"
"If you don't remember, I rather just hurry and get my stuff before it winds up in the trash."
Opening his mouth, the white-haired male closed it in favor of following the dark-haired one out of the district. The walk from there was relatively quiet, neither of the gentlemen speaking unless spoken to by a passing citizen. Spotting a squad car parked at the corner, Evren kept silent about it as they approached a two-story house.
"So, this is where you stay. It's nice," Evren commented offhandedly.
"Yeah, well, I don't live here anymore apparently," Cal said as he unlocked the door. "Just nice to see he didn't change the damn locks yet."
"He seems too… nice to do something like that," Evren said as the raven pushed open the door.
"Well, yeah, I guess but he can be rather overbearing."
"I'm sure it's because he cares."
"Smothering, nosy, over-"
"I'm sure he's just trying to look out for you," Evren said as he got a look at the living room just past the foyer.
"It's annoying as hell."
"You don't mean that."
"I don't know why he does it now. Before he only did it because you told him to."
"Told him to do what exactly?" Both men faced forward to see a familiar man before the sharp eyes slid over to view the white-haired man. "You were gone all night again, Evren." The gaze then shifted towards the raven that had apparently started to tremble. "Ah, I remember you from the hospital. Who might you be?" the Director asked as he stepped forward, hand extended in greeting. "I didn't know Evren had friends outside of work."
Glancing at the hand offered, Cal extended his own before pulling it back at the last moment. Placing his other hand over it, he took a step back before lowering his gaze. Taking another step back as he heard the Director take one, Cal flinched when a hand was placed on his shoulder.
The contact was unwanted, but he couldn't shrug off the touch.
"Sir, may I ask what brings you this way."
Said man hummed before removing his hand in favor of looking at the one that had spoken. "You of course, dear Evren. You didn't return last night."
"I was with Calix," he replied.
"So that's your name," the older man said, catching the smallest of cringes coming from the teen. "I must ask, what was it that you both were up to?"
"We were with one of his friends."
"Can I have a name?"
"Renyx."
"Renyx?"
"Mr. Desoto's son," Evren replied, earning a questionable stare. "Mr. Desoto of RAD Studios."
"His son you say?" the Director replied.
"We…we were at his place." The pair focused on the raven that still seemed to be shaking. "I…I had asked him to stay to play some videogames and listen to some music."
"Is that so?"
"Yes," Evren replied. "We stayed up fairly late so I think it'd be best to leave now so Calix can get some rest."
Looking at his watch, the Director nodded his head. "Very well. There are many matters to discuss and deal with anyway back at the office," he said as he fixed a cufflink. "Come along." Sparing Calix a glance, Evren bowed slightly at the waist before walking ahead then out the door. "Nice seeing you again, Mr. Calix. Do stay out of trouble."
Standing there even as the door closed, it finally clicked that the man had left. Backing into a wall, he slid down into seated position before pulling his knees up to his chest. Burying his face as another tremor wracked his body, Calix squeezed his eyes shut. Hearing footsteps walking steadily down the hall, the teen balled a shaky hand into a fist before whoever it was came to a stop.
Feeling a hand rest on his shoulder, Cal reeled back, throwing a punch though it merely connected with a hand. Lifting his head to see grey eyes watching him carefully, Cal let out an unsteady breath as his hand was placed at his side. Lowering his gaze again as the man sat beside him, Calix stiffened at the lightest of touch before recognizing the man's fingers threading through his hair momentarily.
"Mal… I-"
"It's ok," he said as he began threading his fingers through the dark spikes again. "Thought Will would've relayed the message in time."
"…got it." Malecai hummed in question. "Will told me not to come."
"Why'd you come th-"
"…kicked out."
"What?"
Calix shifted in place before burying his face more. "Thought I got kicked out so I came to get my things before you threw it out."
"Kicked- throw your things out?" Mal mused. "Cal, I wouldn't kick you out."
"You said-"
"I said I'm not keeping you here against your will and that you're not obligated to come back." Calix glanced at him by this point. "If you don't like living here with me, I can't force you to stay here against your will. That's a choice entirely up to you to decide. When you come home every day, or whenever you do, I hope it's not because you feel obligated."
"So…that call-"
"Was a warning. I wasn't entirely sure on how you'd react if you walked in and saw police so I asked Will to warn you since I doubted you'd answer if it was me calling."
"…sorry…" he muttered as he lowered his head again, "…for the trouble…I caused."
"Well, it's to be expected," Mal said as he patted the teen on the head. "Comes with the job of being a dad."
"Of being a dad…" Hearing a quick apology for the use of word, Cal stretched his legs out in front of him as he offered a sheepish smile. "No need to be sorry. It's ok if you use it."
ns3.16.24.18da2
and then Add to home screen.