When Sean got out of his acupressure appointment later that afternoon, he was half asleep, but feeling better. We picked up our groceries, then got some ice cream, which he slowly ate.

I kept glancing at him, “Are you feeling better?”

“Mm, yeah,” he muttered. “Did some acupuncture, too.”

“Good,” I nodded. “You want to go straight to bed when we get home?”

“Maybe,” he shrugged. “Who was at the door earlier?”

“Marc, my brother.”

Sean was quiet for a bit.

I glanced at him, “I was, uh…. I was thinking about requesting permission to tell him about you.”

Sean opened his eyes, head lolling to look at me.

“He’s good at keeping secrets,” I explained. “He dislikes our parents as much as I do, maybe more so. He won’t tell anyone. And, just because I tell him about you, doesn’t mean I tell him about how we met. As far as he knows, I’m a biologist.” I glanced at Sean again. “But it would be a step. You’d have an uncle. You wouldn’t have to be entirely alone when I’m gone.”

Sean stared at me. “He’s Catholic.”

I stared back. “He was raped by a priest.”

Sean slowly nodded, “We might get along.”

I smiled. “I’ll email the directors later.”

He nodded and leaned on my arm. I kissed his blonde curls.

I had always had a suspicion that Sean had been assaulted at least once. I hadn’t pushed it, since attempting to talk about what happened before he landed in my care usually either sent him into a flashback, panic attack, or seizure.

When we got home, Sean went up to his room. Knowing that I probably wouldn’t see him until the next morning, I went to my office. I changed the bandages around my arm, noticing that the wound was already healing rather well.

Then, I emailed the directors, specifically Senior Director Klaaus.

Senior Director Klaaus,

I am formally requesting to inform my brother, Marc Davidson, of the existence of my son, Sean Davidson. He visited my home earlier today, and requested to stay due to mental issues. I turned him away, but I fear it is only a matter of time until he finds out one way or another.

Marc is very good at keeping secrets, especially if I relay how much I don’t want our parents to know, as they are very traditional people. Marc and I have always been close, and I find it highly unlikely that he would tell anyone without my knowing.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Doctor Calvin Davidson

I read over it a few times before hitting send. I checked the clock, staying up for only another hour before retiring. I could only imagine what Clementine and Elijah Hall were doing with EW-54 ‒ Ice ‒ right now.

Ice was such an odd character. One moment he was calm, the next he was violent. Bipolar? No, bipolar mood swings didn’t happen like that, not to my limited knowledge. Maybe intermittent explosive disorder? That made more sense. Calm one second, murderous the next. But, if that was the case, what had set him off when he bit me? Being taken in, that was understandable. But biting me?

Maybe it was me touching him? No, he seemed mostly okay with it. His pulse had slowed and he had allowed me to get closer. He had communicated with me. He had cooperated with the overlap testing. He had shown sadness when he saw the picture of EW-1 and concern over EW-39. Yet again, he had bitten me hard enough to leave imprints of all his teeth in my arm, threatened to add my blood to that collection on his chest, and had reportedly tried to kill Elijah Hall multiple times.

What the hell was going on with him?

The next day, during lunch, I was checking my email as Sean absentmindedly ate while studying for a test he had coming up. I could only hope he wouldn’t spill anything on his neat notes.

Doctor Davidson,

After careful consideration, we are allowing you to tell your brother of the existence of Sean. Be wary to not reveal anything of Sean’s past and how he came under your care, nor about the nature of your work.

Best regards,

Senior Director Jeremiah Klaaus

I took a breath. “The directors are allowing me to tell Marc about you,” I softly told Sean as he washed the dishes.

He paused, glancing at me. “So… tonight?”

I shrugged, “If you’re ready. I’ll warn him that you don’t do so well around religion, and he’s pretty good about skirting around it.”

Sean nodded, “Okay. Okay.”

I hugged him and kissed his head. “Hey. We don’t have to tell him if you’re not ready. We don’t ever have to tell him if you don’t want to. Just because the directors gave permission doesn’t mean we have to apply that permission.”

He nodded, “No, I think I’m ready. B-but I would rather wait and listen at the top of the stairs while you explain things to him. Y-you’ll only tell him that you adopted me, that I was mistreated, right?”

I gently smiled, “Of course. Nothing about the whole not-existing thing.” I pushed his hair away from his face. He kept hugging me, head on my shoulder. I pulled out my phone, dialing Marc.

“Hey, what’s up?” He sounded much better today.

I cleared my throat, “You can come over, if you want. Give us a chance to talk about… everything.” I was referring to both Sean, his possible asexuality, and my attraction towards men. “That… aspect of my life I mentioned…. I think I’m ready to share it.” I pet Sean’s light curls.

“Oh…. Okay,” Marc seemed confused. “You sure?”

I smiled, “You can come over, Marc. It’s okay. Besides, there’s not exactly alcohol around here, might be good for you.”

He scoffed, “Good point. Thanks, Cal.”

“Of course,” I quickly hung up after that.

Now all that was left to do was prepare.

As afternoon turned to evening, Sean sat in his pajamas at the top of the stairs, mostly hidden. He clung to his plush leopard, and was wrapped in a blanket.

I opened the door as Marc’s car rolled up.

“Are you sure you’re okay with letting me stay here?” Marc asked, dragging his bag into the house. “I mean, I’m not complaining, but I know you’re a pretty private person. Tell me to leave whenever you want.”

I smiled, “It’s fine. Come sit down, there’s something we need to discuss.”

He dropped his bag, kicked off his shoes, and hung up his coat. He followed me to the living room, where we both sat. I was positive Sean could hear us from here, especially with nothing else going on in the house.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

He looked nervous, “Calvin? Is something wrong?”

I shook my head, “No, just nervous. This… isn’t something I really talk about. It’s a big secret, one that’s been with me for… about four years now.”

His green eyes widened, “Four years? I-it’s nothing painful, is it?”

I smiled and shook my head, “No, no, I love this secret. I love it so much. I just need you to understand that this secret stays between us. Just like me being gay, this stays ours. You can’t tell anyone, most certainly not our parents or sister. Do you understand, Marc? No one.” I fixed him with a firm glare.

He seemed surprised at my harshness. “Of course. Between us and only us.” He held out his pinkie finger.

I smiled and hooked it. Then I called, “You can come out now.”

Marc looked confused for a moment, then he heard the footsteps.

Sean was hiding just behind the wall, peeking into the living room.

I released Marc’s hand, standing up to walk to my son. I coaxed him out of hiding. Marc stood up, eyes wide and frantically glancing between us. Sean partly hid behind me. I could feel fear and anxiety radiating off him.

“Marc,” I said, “this is Sean. My son.”