Toji walked behind his father, slowly and quietly, knowing it was better to keep his mouth shut than to say something that may ultimately make things worse for himself. It wasn’t that he wasn’t encouraged to speak, all of them were. Hawk and Hero had taught them their entire lives that their opinions and voices mattered just as much as anyone else's. However, they couldn’t just blurt out something without giving careful thought to it first. Sometimes saying the first thing that came into mind wasn’t something that needed to be said at all.

He was itching to say something, to plead his case not to be left behind when everyone else went on the summer vacation to Helman Hall. He knew he’d made a mistake in training too long with Finn and Ynda, which set off the rest of the dominos that led to him ultimately disobeying his father once again. Worse, he had gotten Ynda in trouble, too. He resolved that if it came to it, and as badly as it may hurt him, he would stay behind so she could go. She didn’t need to pay for his crimes, even if she was a willing accomplice to them.

I could always escape… 

Frustratingly, Hero continued to walk in silence, leading them out of the village and toward the rolling hills beyond. Toji stiffened, glancing around, his guard immediately up. He looked back, noticing how far out from the village they had gone. 

Son of a bitch…

He faced forward, instinctively drawing energy from his core into his fists, coating his arms and legs for both defense and covert attacks. Whenever either Hero or Hawk had led any of them out into the open, it was to fight, to test their skills or to work out whatever internal frustrations and anxieties they had. While it ultimately helped, they always seemed to walk away limping; no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t beat their fathers. However, if Hero wanted to fight, Toji was ready.

“That won’t be necessary.” Hero walked a few more steps forward before stopping. He glanced back at Toji, his bright red eyes focused on his son’s face. Toji sensed no change in his father’s energy, no shift in his core. He wasn’t there to fight Toji, not this time; he really did just want to talk. Toji relaxed, drawing the energy back into his core. 

He stood rooted to the spot, his mind closing every door to the rest of his family, just as Hero was doing. This was between them and them alone. Not even Pater was getting involved. After an interminable silence, Toji opened his mouth to speak, but Hero beat him to it.

“Twenty-seven.”

Toji blinked. That was incredibly random. “Uh…what?”

“That’s how old I was when I died.”

Toji swallowed, stifling a sigh. He knew this story, all of them did. The story of how Hawk and Hero became gods was one all the Helman kids could recite from memory. 

“Okay…” he said slowly. “I already know that, Dad—”

“I was also twenty-seven when you were born.”

Created, but whatever.

Hero narrowed his eyes at him. “It’s the same damn thing as far as we’re concerned.”

Toji winced, averting his gaze. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Hawk has been adding in that snarky line about why we’re always late just to annoy me, not to give you and your sister an excuse. Somehow, Havik is the only one who manages to be on time, or ridiculously early, to everything, while you and Ynda seem to drag your feet.”

“Dad—”

“I had an excuse, too, Toji, and it still nearly sent Hawk into a spiral he almost didn’t come out of.”

Toji froze, his mouth slamming shut. That was something he didn’t know, a detail left out of the story, probably because Hero asked Hawk not to tell them. 

Hero looked away, off into the distance where Toji knew his parents' original pocket used to be. The place where they grew together and fell in love. “I’m not mad because you were late, Toji,” he said in a softer tone.

Toji’s eyebrow ticked but he said nothing.

“I’m mad because you refuse to take any of this seriously. I get it, there’s a lot to do and a lot to know. It took me and your Pater a long time to figure it all out, even with your Uncle Alerik’s guidance.”

“But, Pater said you were a natural King,” Toji said. “Even Toji…” he swallowed, clenching his fists at his sides when he saw Hero’s shoulders stiffen. He forced himself to finish, however. “Even Toji thought so.”

“I know,” Hero said quietly. “And yes, I did take to it pretty quickly. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t confused or overwhelmed at times. Having to set up programs, broker deals and treaties with the other Devil Kings, manage the care and responsibility of all the exiles, which yes, we undertook all that ourselves…” He ran a hand through his hair, the other one resting on his hip. “It was still a lot. I was grateful I had Toji and the rest to help me, and Hawk was a constant support, helping to take on some of the more active and difficult parts of it. At the time, I wasn’t a fighter, I couldn’t manage my powers yet, all I could do was negotiate, issue orders, and talk.”

He turned and faced Toji. “But that’s not something you can do, is it?”

Toji swallowed but didn’t make a move. He was a better fighter than the others, he knew that. The battlefield was where he did his best work; he couldn’t negotiate to save his life. There had been many meetings that had nearly broken down if it hadn’t been for Ynda or Ava to pick up the slack. He always walked out feeling like an idiot, but still grateful for his sister and cousin.

At the thought of Ava, he involuntarily winced, a finger twitching. He pushed her out of his mind quickly, not wanting to give his father more ammo.

Hero didn’t seem to notice and took a step toward him. “I had to grow up and take on this role quickly,” he said. “Not just as a King but as a god. Same for your Pater. You’re lucky in that you have all the time in the universe to learn your role. Part of which is being on time to important meetings and events. By some miracle, you aren’t always late, but you are most of the time and that’s not something that can be tolerated for much longer.”

“So then stop teaching me how to be a King.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and he bit his tongue, taking an awkward step back.

Hero stared at him, his expression inscrutable. 

“Dad, you said so yourself, I’m no good at it so why even bother?”

“That’s why you need someone to help balance you out.”

The implication shot through Toji like a bullet and he gritted his teeth. “Dad—”

“Being a King is more than just fighting and traveling and doing whatever you want. You have to work with others, play the game, go to boring ceremonies and listen to other people sing your praises when all you want to do is be home watching TV or playing games.”

A grin tugged at the corner of Toji’s lips but he bit it back. Apparently Hero was just as excited about award ceremonies as he was. He already knew Hawk hated them, it surprised him Hero did, too.

“I don’t hate them, Toji, I would just rather do something else with my family, that’s all.”

Toji growled. He really hated their damn link sometimes.

“We’re there to represent our kingdom, to show strength and unity, to reinforce pacts and treaties, while also reminding them of who we are and what we’re capable of. I know you didn’t care to hear Uriel rattling off all your achievements over the past few years, but I can guarantee you it made a huge impact on the rest of them.”

So that’s who that boring-ass dude was. Toji hoped that one stayed just with him. He didn’t remember who all of the archangels were, least of all those who made zero impression on him. He only knew who Gabriel was because he was one of their instructors.

“I was proud to hear it all.”