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Chapter 8: Nursing the Nurse

Geoff's eyes widened as Liam slumped forward, but it was Micah who managed to catch his shoulders to keep his head from hitting the tiled floor. The thermos bounced off the tiles, sending the steaming-cold water over the floor and onto Micah. Geoff could see the small pup's fur fluff up as if he was splashed with cold water, even as steam rolled off the freshly boiled liquid. Faelen darted in and moved the two away from the puddle.

Geoff jumped to his hindpaws, moving over to assist as he called orders. "Nathanial, check to see if there's enough water for another potion. If there is, make one. Faelen, take Smith to Nathanial's bed. Even if he's revived enough from the potion, I don't think he'll be in any condition to move. Micah, here, let me check for...burns, I guess. Nicholas, are you well enough to fetch my dad? He should be by the pool."

Nathanial and Faelen had begun to move; Micah was away from the puddle and stripping off his pants, shivering. Nicholas tried to stand, but his legs couldn't support him.

"Stay, pup. I'll help you to bed in a moment. Micah, here." He brought him into the bathroom and grabbed a towel to briskly dry off the wet fur. There were some wet spots on his underwear, so Geoff pulled those off and gently towelled the pup's groin. Micah giggled at the sensation. Geoff gently parted the fur over the splashed areas, and the fur felt cool to his paw pads; the Akita's naturally thick fur had kept the potion from reaching the skin. "Can you go put clean pants on and get my da? He's by the pool. If they are still fighting up there, just come right back. I'll tend to Nick." Micah dashed off as Geoff exited the bathroom and he saw him enter his room. He strode over and gently picked up Nicholas. "Here, pup." He licked the orange fur between his ears. "You doing a bit better? Thinking clearly again?"

Nicholas cringed when the white Wolf touched him, but didn't resist. At the kind words and gentle touch, he snuggled in. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I hurt a lot of people, didn't I? The pain... Well, the pain from the potion is gone. I can't believe what I did."

"It was the Demon and your book, that grimoire, too. It's been manipulating you three for a long time, if Smith is to be believed. I..." He sighed heavily. "I guess I'd have to trust him, on this, anyway." He walked into Nicholas's room, when he stopped, sniffing. 'Whoa. That -- That's a lot of cum. It reeks in here.' He looked at the dog in his arms, unsure if he was impressed, embarrassed, or disgusted. "Um. You should probably clean this room thoroughly, as soon as you can. It, um, smells."

Nicholas blushed and tried to curl in on himself. "Yesterday, the Succubus, she...um, was messing with my head, or something. I couldn't stop, you know, doing that."

Geoff noticed the bed was bare. "Where'd you sleep last night?"

"Nathanial's room. We were too scared to sleep alone. I don't think I can be alone tonight, either." He sniffled. "But Micah hates me now."

Geoff licked around the distraught dog's ear a few times, comforting him. "Where should I put you? I guess I can put you here until we have time to make your bed."

"No! Please, don't leave me alone." His voice shrunk until it was barely audible. "I-I'm afraid. She's still out there." He lifted a shaking arm and slowly managed to put it around Geoff's neck, and buried his muzzle into the fur of Geoff's neck.

Geoff stifled a sigh. He took one last whiff of the room, the smell having grown on him a bit, before turning around and bringing Nicholas to the entertainment area. He gently lowered Nick into a recliner and turned it around so he was looking out into the rest of the room.

'That should keep him out of the way and let him see everyone else, too.'

Nathanial had just boiled another kettle of water and poured it into a thermos. He floated a packet of medicine to his paw as he carefully brought the water to his room. Geoff followed, ignoring the slight whimper from behind him.

Faelen was on the bed with Liam cradled in the nook of his left arm, the Rottweiler lying across his lap.

Nathanial had the medicine in one paw as he stood by the bed, nervously shifting his weight from hindpaw to hindpaw. "Faelen, I'm a little nervous about giving him any more. This seems to be very strong stuff. In his office he seemed almost upset he needed a second cup, and -- nervous? I guess? -- about the prospect of taking a couple more today. He believed he'd likely be unconscious for a month after this."

Faelen looked as uncomfortable as Geoff felt, but he motioned for the unmade potion. "He prepared for the possibility of needing more medicine, though, didn't he? If it revives him at all, he can tell us how to treat him. Give." Nathanial finished making the medicine and handed the unsealed container to Faelen, who promptly sneezed. "Gods, what horrible stuff."

Geoff actually thought it smelled nice.

Faelen manifested and used his power to move the steam into Liam's face. "He always seems to breathe it in first. This seems to..." He wavered, his speech faltering. "...to...be..." Nathanial grabbed the paw holding the thermos and Geoff jumped over to grab Faelen and Liam to make sure they didn't fall. It seemed to be Faelen's turn to slip into unconsciousness, his Spirit fading out.

Geoff and Nathanial looked at each other, confused. Geoff lowered Faelen backward so he was on the bed and picked up Liam. He moved Liam to one side of the bed, and then laid Faelen out beside him. Geoff tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "Is it my turn next? I don't really fancy collapsing, but everyone else seems to have had a go." Nathanial just shook his head and put the thermos on his nightstand.

Micah skipped into the room. "I saw some Fey! They look so cool! Is Faelen taking a nap?" Conor was walking a bit slower and came in at this point. Micah pointed. "See, Liam collapsed after he cleansed me and hasn't woken up, I think. But it looks like Faelen is out, too, or sleeping."

Conor stepped clear of the door to let Dirk run into the room and moved to Liam "Dirk, if you'd take a look at your son. Sprite, could you see if any of the Fey are still there, and if they have a Healer?"

Micah took off, and Geoff marvelled at the pup's quick recovery.

His da felt Liam's forehead and turned to face him. "Geoff, what happened?"

Geoff quickly relayed what happened, brushing over the fight, but giving what he thought were relevant details about the effects the cleansing had on the Markses and on Smith. Then he described in full how Faelen passed out.

Conor frowned. "I didn't know there were any potions or medicines that could affect us like that. Perhaps Faelen's allergic to something in it; he seemed to be the only one that has ever reacted to the potion before." He rubbed his nose. "But I agree with him; it does smell rather awful. Just to be safe, though, Nathanial if you could try to get Smith-sensei to inhale some more steam, or drink some of the liquid?"

Liam moaned softly, and Conor waved at Nathanial to help the Rottweiler.

Conor lifted Liam up, and Nathanial slipped underneath the young dog to take the position Faelen had been in. He couldn't move the steam the same way, so he just held the thermos under Liam's nose with his right paw.

After a few small breaths Liam stirred again and opened his eyes. "Urgh. Drink." Nathanial tapped him on the chin with the thermos and Liam tilted his head slightly and lapped up some of the liquid. He tried to lift an arm to take the thermos, but only managed to lift it up an inch.

He lapped some more, and Nathanial took his left paw and put it over Liam's to guide it up to the thermos. He carefully kept Liam balanced in the crook of his left arm and helped him take a small mouthful. Over the next two minutes he helped Liam finish the whole potion.

Conor and Dirk finished looking over Faelen, with no luck. Micah bounced back in with a tall figure behind him, and Geoff moved out of the way to let them in the room, as it was getting a bit crowded. Nathanial gave a small start and looked back and forth between Micah and the Fey, seeming somewhat confused. Meanwhile, Micah just gazed up at the Fey in awe.

He was a little taller than Geoff, generally Elven in appearance, very thin, and wore full plate that looked like it was crafted out of leaves made from silver. He wore a long sword strapped to his left hip and a shield on his back. His mane...err...hair was covered by a helm fashioned to look like a wolf head. Geoff found his most remarkable features were the eyes; when the Fey stepped into the room out of the dark they seemed to shift from solid orbs of silver to orbs of gold. There were no pupils or any other colours, just gold.

The Fey looked at the three canines on the bed. "One of the wounded seemeth to be revived." Geoff noted he used Old English words scattered through his speech. His accent was quite thick, the tone reminding him of the song he'd heard Micah sing to the acorns. "We have hastened to provide succour but with regrets, as we lack a healer. Even for thee, Conor of the Cork Spirits, we would not bring forth our Lady. Should the situation be dire, we wouldst bring the wounded Spirit to Faery."

Liam's voice was faint. "Unnecessary. I am in your debt for your aid tonight; I shall not forget. After a few minutes' rest I can check on my colleague, for I am a Healer. Go in peace and with the blessings of Liam Smith."

The Fey locked eyes with Liam for a moment. "Anc... Liam Smith, no debt has been incurred. Demons threaten all, but the Fey would be honoured to call upon your aid should the Demons reappear in this area." He bowed and left, Micah bouncing around him like an excited puppy.

Geoff felt annoyed again. 'Another person instantly kissing his ass. And a frickin' Fey at that. Not some little Pixie, but a noble Fey!' He tried pinning Liam to the wall with his gaze. "What was he about to say there, before he stopped and said your name instead, Smith?"

Liam waved him off. "It is of no consequence. Nathanial-san, help me up, I would look at O'Conall. What happened? My chi is out of balance." Despite the frailty in his voice, he sounded like he usually did, precise and unconcerned. "It is as if someone... Ah. Faelen sought to use his Spirit powers on my medicine, did he not?"

Dirk did not sound unconcerned. "What? How did you know? What happened to him?"

"The steam of the medicine is full of yang. It acts as a painkiller and provides a little boost to strength, usually enough to let me drink the full potion. If young O'Conall used his powers on the steam they would bond and he would infuse me with his yang energy. Spirits are not like other beings; most are primarily one form of energy, yin or yang. All other beings need to be balanced or very close to balance. When I drew in the steam, I took most of his energy. Were I stronger, I could have merely transferred the energy back. However, I am too weak to do so. I could also have concocted a potion to force his Spirit to manifest and allow his powers to recharge in some fog. I will have to do this the slow way. If I could have our clothing removed, I can help him recover the same way you would help someone who is hypothermic. Close contact will allow his chi in me to flow back into him."

Dirk started to remove Faelen's gym shorts; Faelen never did get changed after Nathanial surprised him in the gym.

Liam's eyes widened slightly. From what, Geoff couldn't tell. "Ah. Stop. Would it be best for us to remain here, at your house, or mine? I may be slipping in and out of consciousness for a day or so, but the effects will not be nearly as bad as they would have been, had Faelen not done what he did. My father has much experience in tending to me while I am...indisposed."

Nathanial spoke up. "I have no issues having extra people here. I'm sure my brothers will like the comfort of having others around. We just don't have enough beds down here, and I doubt our mother would be cooperative."

Liam weakly punched the Akita's thigh beneath him. "And I am guessing you still have not phoned your father, have you?" Nathanial shifted uncomfortably. "You must. This is not something you can hide. I have a spare room at my home, but that would likely be insufficient for three extra people. Not counting Faelen, as he would be required to stay in my bed."

Geoff piped up, unable to keep all of the excitement out of his voice. "Then I guess that's our place. Smith would stay in Faelen's room, the younger pups could stay in Gwen's room, and Nathanial could stay in mine."

Liam coughed a little. "Would Marks-kun be willing to stay with his older brother, after what Nicholas Marks did to him?" Geoff deflated a little, and Liam continued, "I think both could use some comfort, and company, but I do not know if they would be comforted in each other's presence. They would need to be asked. However, that is still the best solution. Transportation is now the issue."

Dirk manifested and gently lifted Faelen as he looked at Geoff. "He is unable to guard you, but night has fallen; your father and I can accompany you under cover of darkness." He was obviously worried about Faelen, and wanted to get him home. "Conor can carry Smith, and you can carry Nicholas. Nathanial can follow with Micah later. Let's go."

Conor hesitated. "I don't want to leave those pups alone. Geoff, if you stay manifested can you bring them quickly home? Without being detected?"

Geoff nodded slowly, suddenly uncertain. Dirk looked aghast, but said nothing after a warning glare from Conor.

"Nathanial, it looks like you and Micah are the only ones who will be in school tomorrow. I'll wake the two of you early so you can go home and get ready." He gently took Liam from Nathanial. "Let's go, Dirk. Someone be sure to bring Sensei's stuff when you come," he called over his shoulder as he carried the Rottweiler out. He almost tripped over Micah, who had just scampered up to the door. "Oh, hey Sprite, you're staying the night with us; you too, Nicholas. Micah, get the doors for us, would you?" Geoff heard Micah yip with excitement and bound back up the stairs.

With the adults out of the room, Geoff quickly pounced on Nathanial to give him a deep kiss as he held him down on the bed. "It looks like you may get to spend the night in my bed, pup," he said, grinning once he came up for air.

Nathanial just panted and grinned, his erection digging into Geoff.

"The sooner there, the sooner to bed. Let's go, and don't forget Liam's bag."

They quickly gathered up their gear and noticed the large holes in the living area's floor tiles from all of the acid. Nathanial checked to make sure he had his phone.

Geoff manifested as he went to pick to pick up Nicholas, who was already very nervous from the events of the night, and the sight of Geoff melting into the dark caused him to yelp and try to scuttle away. Geoff shushed him and gently scooped him up, holding him close. Nick clung to him, shaking weakly but uncontrollably. Geoff could feel his chest move slightly as if trying to whimper, but he heard nothing. 'Poor pup, that cleansing stuff Liam forced into him really did a number on him.'

Nathanial turned off all the lights and checked to insure the grimoire was locked in its cupboard. He unlocked the cupboard and put the key inside, closed the door and held out a paw. The key appeared in it. Nathanial smiled and locked the cupboard again. The key disappeared from his paw. He chuckled; Geoff thought he seemed very pleased with himself.

"Ready?"

Nathanial walked over and leaned over Nicholas to give Geoff a kiss, then leaned down to lick his brother's ear. "Okay, Nick?" His voice betrayed his concern, making Nicholas's tail wag slightly as he nodded. "Give me a moment to grab our toothbrushes and stuff."

He collected them, and in the interim Micah bounced down the stairs, tail going a mile a minute.

"Let's go." Nathanial's tail was keeping pace with Micah's as he gazed at the Dark Spirit, even if he couldn't actually see him.

---

Liam was feeling woozy again, and he was having trouble figuring out why. They had just left Micah at the patio door, and Liam rested comfortably in Conor's arms. He noted that the Water Elemental was still manifesting, his yang energy increasing as they neared the water. 'Yang. That is it!' He felt himself grow a bit weaker, and struggled to quickly relay his concern. "Stop...change, carry. Killing..." 'Wow. I did not realize I was that weak.' Conor stopped, confused. Liam pointed at Dirk. "Yin." 'They have to change who they are carrying; I am overwhelmed by yang energy, and Faelen has too little! Our bodies are shutting down!' He put a paw on Conor's chest, energy dropping quickly. "Yang." His paw flopped onto his chest. "Need...yin." He could no longer lift his arm, so he let it flop off his body, his eyes closing. "Need...y..." The world went dark.

---

Nathanial could feel his brother's heart rate increase as Geoff wrapped the darkness around him as they left the house to hide him from sight; he was probably scared. "Don't worry, Nick. We're still here. I fought Demons to save you; I won't let anything happen to you now." His brother seemed to calm down a bit. "Geoff. You can lift stuff with the darkness, can't you? We should probably take your bikes with us. It'd be easiest if I took Faelen's and you took yours with a sidecar made from shadows, like the way the Green Lantern makes stuff with his ring. If not, you may be able to balance Nick on your bike and keep him steady with the shadows. Micah can take his bike."

Geoff appeared to be a little uncomfortable at the idea. "I've never tried. I'll keep him on the bike rather than risk dropping him if the sidecar vanishes, or something. After the Hunter attack this afternoon, should I keep you cloaked? You seem to be able to get around without seeing now."

Nathanial thought about that; it seemed like a wise precaution. "Yeah. I think you're right. We can give Mike directions as needed. How long do you practice with your Spirit powers each night?"

Geoff scuffed the ground with his hindpaw and looked away.

"Come on, this stuff's important." Geoff said nothing but wrapped Nathanial in shadows. Nathanial could feel the shadows wrap around him, deep and rich. They felt like they were Geoff moulding himself around him, and Nathanial couldn't stop a soft murr from escaping. He knew Geoff smiled at the sound, making him blush. "I can feel your energy in the dark. It's...nice."

Nicholas snickered.

They rode slowly down the road, going carefully to ensure they avoided bright areas and didn't move too quickly. Nathanial was still tired from the events of the last two days, and while Micah zipped around with his boundless energy, Nathanial was quietly trying to get him to slow down.

They were approaching the feeder route leading out of the subdivision when Nathanial felt a presence approaching. "Stop for a second, and be quiet." He focused on the presence and got a glimpse of the car. His mom's car. She was still a few blocks away, but Micah wasn't allowed to be out riding his bike after dark. "Mike! Mom's coming! Over here, quick!" Nathanial hissed.

"Where are you?!"

Nathanial grabbed the handle bars with his mind. "Let me steer, just pedal and keep your balance. Geoff, cover him."

Micah meeped as he went blind and the bike began steering on its own. He was pedaling too cautiously and was in the oncoming lane, so Nathanial just yanked the bike to him. Micah yelped in surprise.

"Let's hurry. I...think we need to get into cover." He could feel other threats moving in, but he couldn't pin them down.

He kept his senses peeled and had them pull over as far as possible when his mother drove past. He felt nervous as he watched her go by, but he couldn't figure out why. Something was just off. She was talking animatedly into her cell as she went, but he couldn't tell what she was saying.

"Geoff, could you catch what she was saying?" Geoff shook his head. "Let's go, then." They entered Geoff's neighbourhood soon after.

Geoff stopped his bike at the curb of the next intersection. "Nathanial, can you look behind the fence over there?" Geoff pointed at a fence at the next intersection, on the other side of the street. "With your far-seeing thingy?"

Nathanial focused, his mind's eye darting over to peer down into the yard. There was a masked Rat wearing a leather coat crouched down behind the fence. He was holding a pistol with a silencer attached, and wore a pair of mechanical goggles. They looked like infrared goggles that he'd seen in a TV show. He also wore the Hunter medallion.

"Hunter. Infrared goggles. If you hide our heat signatures now, he'll know we saw him. He may have others around. Let me check."

He 'zoomed' out to look over a few blocks. He saw four more spaced out, two behind fences, one in a tree, and one on a roof. They didn't look like they were planning an ambush, but were waiting to follow them. That wouldn't stop them from attacking if they had the opportunity, he bet.

"Three more. They appear to be trying to track us down, or something. If we go south half a block we'll be out of sight, and you can cover our heat signatures then. We can go to the next block and head over to your house that way. We'll only have to pass by the guy on the roof."

Geoff nodded; to Nathanial's senses he felt a little nervous. He'd probably been brought up with stories of the Hunters as the boogeyman.

Nathanial snickered. "Eat your vegetables or the Hunters will get you!" Geoff jumped, jolting Nicholas. "Sorry, didn't mean to say that out loud. Did your parents ever say that?"

"Yeah. I hated eating veggies, and I think Faelen hated them more, but he felt it was his duty to set a good example. I made him eat mine lots of times." Nathanial could hear the worry and guilt in his voice.

Nicholas stole his words, but his tone was guilt-laden, too. "He'll be all right. Liam may be a bit weak, but he's awake and will make sure Faelen gets better." He laughed hollowly. "Even if he kills himself. Like he almost did for me and Mike."

Nathanial wouldn't have said the last bit, but he felt it. Liam spent a lot of his energy helping him just that afternoon, probably more than he did on Nick and Mike, and he never had a chance to rest. They were approaching the rooftop Hunter.

"Three houses down, left side. Behind the chimney." Nathanial kept an 'eye' on him as they approached, then he noticed something as they started to pass the two storey house. The medallion was different. It was a red kite shield with a white cross on it; he bet this guy was a Knight. Then he felt the magic. "He's a Priest! He's scrying us!" The Priest was moving to activate a headset speaker. Nathanial reacted without thought as he pushed the Priest from behind and yanked the Priest's paw backward. The Lion roared in terror as he pitched forward and fell head-first off the roof. Nathanial saw him falling in slow motion, knowing with gut-wrenching certainty that he'd just murdered someone. He could see the fear in the Priest's eyes; those amber orbs seemed to stare right into Nathanial's soul, begging to know why the pup killed him. The Lion spun as he fell, landing with a sickening crunch on his shoulder blades and the back of his neck. Nathanial felt the bones break and his life end. He leaned away from his bike as he emptied his stomach.

Micah sounded panicked. "Nats! C'mon! We need to get out of here!" It roused Nathanial enough to make it the rest of the way to Geoff's.

---

Faelen was warm. Wet and warm. It was quite comfortable, and he could feel the water move around him. He could smell Wolf fur; it was very familiar and soothing. A masculine voice sang a lullaby that brought him back to his childhood. His head rested on a firm shoulder. Strong arms were wrapped around him and gently rocked him. He was nestled against hard pecs and firm abs, and he could feel a muscular lap beneath his rump. "Am I dead? I can't imagine a better heaven."

Conor burst out laughing, jolting Faelen into full wakefulness. "Is my voice that angelic, pup? You'd be the first and only person to think so!"

"Mr. McDougal! I-I'm sorry! What am I doing here?" He tried to get up, but Conor was too strong. With undeniable yet gentle pressure Conor kept him seated, and softly pushed Faelen's head back down to his shoulder.

Faelen noticed Conor's fur was tinted blue; he was manifesting. He'd have better luck pushing a dump truck off himself.

"Stay. And stop wriggling. I may be the only straight fur in the building but having a bare rump grinding on my sheath is bound to cause a reaction I'd rather avoid." Conor's sheath was starting to react, and Faelen blushed as he sat still. "Let me fill you in." Conor told him why he'd passed out. And then, "As we were leaving Smith-sensei was fading, but he managed to tell us we needed to switch who was carrying whom. When Spirits manifest it appears we, I think, are either yin or yang, two energy types or two sides of one energy, called chi, I'm not sure which. But anyway, you gave Liam almost all of your yang energy, overloading him with yang and making you yang-depleted. Which, I guess, is very similar to yin overload. I'm yang and Dirk is yin, so we were making a bad problem worse. So I am here 'feeding' you my yang, and Dirk is cuddled up with the Rottie, though I don't know if all of those bones would make for a comfortable cuddle. If you can manifest, you should. I'll fill the room with mist."

Faelen saw Conor concentrate for a moment and he felt mist rising off the water. In seconds the room was full of dense fog, and the tub was noticeably lower. Faelen tried to manifest, but he was too weak. The fog was still nice and helped recharge him a bit.

Conor's tone was serious. "But while I have you here, I have some questions."

Something clicked in Faelen's mind. "Wait. What did you say earlier? The only straight... Oh. Gods." He felt his ears flatten and tail curl up. "How?" He sighed, heart sinking to his hindpaws. "I'm sorry, sir. I-I don't know... I guess there isn't much to say. How did you find out?"

Conor arched an eyebrow. "You smell pheromones. How?"

"Pheromones are like mist, they're water...soluble." Faelen sighed. "You smell them, too?"

Conor nodded. "And when you and Dirk were talking in the shower with all that water around? That didn't dampen the sound to me, it amplified it. All of those sounds, not just the talking." Faelen wished he could slip down the drain. "Relax, you were a more than willing participant, so I don't overly mind. And the laws about your being underage are regular Fur laws; we're Spirits, so they don't really apply. Yes, it's a loophole, but I'll take it over having to have Dirk arrested. However, that still leaves me with a problem. Ah, forget it. I heard nothing. Ignore everything I said. That's an order, but I'm still going to have to talk to Dirk about getting out and living a bit more for himself." Conor smiled as he said that.

Faelen still couldn't meet Conor's eyes. "My mother?"

Conor frowned. "As I said, I heard nothing. If I had heard that Dirk had a child with a non-Spirit, a regular Fur at that, I'd be forced by Spirit law to bring him before the alpha. He might be executed or banished, along with you. If I was aware of anything, I would say he's been punishing himself enough for the last sixteen years. But now there's Geoff and Nathanial. I want details before I try to decide what to do."

"Yesterday. Nathanial was sitting in the front row during homeroom when we walked in. You would have thought someone presented an eight course banquet to a starving Fur the way he drank in the sight of Geoff. Then at lunch he was sitting by himself in a quiet corner, and Geoff decided to sit there to avoid the crowds. When Geoff said 'hey' Nathanial's pheromones jumped through the roof. He stared up at Geoff with his ears back, afraid that Geoff was going to beat him up or something. I think he used to be bullied a lot; he's also very shy. So he was nervous, in awe of Geoff's looks and size, and submissive. When he saw how nice Geoff was he was smitten. Geoff could tell -- hells, anyone could tell -- Nathanial had fallen for him, and the way he was drinking up Geoff's attention and getting so turned on by the sound of Geoff's voice, Geoff couldn't resist. Cute, smitten, and in need of a defender: Geoff's weak points. They were completely in love before lunch was half-over. That's also why we went out last night. Geoff wanted to run past Nathanial's house, and when he heard the sound of horns coming from over there he knew Nathanial was in danger. I don't think anything would have been able to stop him from going."

"So it wasn't foolish pride, or curiosity, but trying to protect his...for want of a better word, love? That paints things in a different light. He's still grounded, but I may relax things. Maybe. Have they...had sex?" Faelen shook his head. "I'll assume they've kissed a little, though." Faelen blushed and looked away, smiling. "Okay, more than a little. Gods, what am I going to do?"

There was a tap on the door and Liam and Dirk walked in. Dirk was still in his full armour; Liam was naked. Dirk sat on the raised platform the hot tub was built into, and Liam sat on Dirk's lap, wrapping Dirk's arms around him. He squirmed a bit and moved off, as bone armour was probably a very uncomfortable seat, but he remained in contact with Dirk.

Conor's ears perked; he looked pleased. "Ah, you're up, Sensei. We should suppress our powers, then. We've tempted the fates enough as it is." He suppressed his powers and moved Faelen off him as he climbed out of the hot tub. "You two can soak a bit. I'm going to dry and talk to Dirk about things I didn't hear this afternoon in the shower. The many things I need to talk about that I didn't hear."

Dirk looked a bit scared and hung his head. Faelen patted his father's leg as Liam moved in to the tub and sat in his lap, the same way Faelen had been sitting in Conor's.

---

Geoff led Nathanial down to the shower in the basement and had Micah strip his brother down to give him a shower. "I'll be back in a few minutes. I need to tell Da about this, and check on Faelen and Smith." Nathanial didn't seem to notice him leave, and Geoff thought if he looked into Nathanial's eyes he'd see the Lion falling off the roof over and over again.

He quickly slipped up the stairs, trying to be quiet in case Faelen and Smith were sleeping. He saw the light was on in the bathroom, with the door closed. He could smell the steam, so he figured Dirk and Faelen were in there. He felt he should talk to his father first, so he moved to Conor's bedroom when he heard talking.

He was about to knock when he heard Conor say, "Dirk, I've known you were gay for a long time. I've been waiting for you to tell me; I thought we were friends. I practically grew up with you, the way Geoff and Faelen have. Why did I have to find out this way? And what about Mary Anne? I'm pretending I don't know about her so I don't have to exile you and Faelen. If that wasn't enough, you've put me in an even more difficult situation by letting Faelen fuck you! No, 'let' is the wrong word; you encouraged it, you practically seduced him! Dirk, come on. You know I'd let you take time off whenever you needed it. I'd like you to go on dates and find someone you love. By all the gods, Dirk, I don't care if he's gay, he's your fucking son!"

Geoff was stunned. He turned around, and softly went to the washroom. He saw Liam curled up in Faelen's lap, and he walked in, only to hear Liam say, "So, O'Conall, it seems you are less than half Spirit. Yet your powers appear to be remarkably strong."

Geoff felt like he'd been kicked in the gut again. First he finds out his best friend has been hiding that he's gay, too, despite his own emotional coming out, and now he isn't even a real Spirit, but some mutt bastard. His voice was choked with emotion, but he managed to say, "I'm not sure I know who you are anymore, Faelen. As you will." He turned around and walked out.