XERO GRAVITY Book 1 part 4 of 4

Wow Stark!” Nolt said as both teams stepped away from the podium, walking towards the rest of the festival. “Right at the buzzer. I thought you said that you didn’t have a mentor?” Nolt says, a smile on his face as he looks at the silver medal around his neck.  

“Hehe,” Stark says, scratching something behind his neck while Shirako butting in front. 

“It was all part of the plan.” He signed.  

“That was one heck of a plan, you guys. See you at the end of the games!” Nolt says as he walks off with Verox. Muttering something about an arcade.  

“You did good out there.” Ace says as he came close to Stark, putting a hand on his shoulder before Stark slapped it off.  

“You were late.” Stark says coldly as he walked away.  

“I was there, wasn’t I?” Ace said, walking closer to him.  

“Sure.” Stark said as he looked at the dirt on the ground. He felt his arms wrap around him. Stark tried to worm his way out of the hold unsuccessfully.

“Time to celebrate! Anything you all want to do?” Ace said, pointing one hand to the sky while Stark jumped out of his hold.

“Can we go to some rides now?” Shirako suggested, while digging his feet in the dirt. Ace nodded his head in approval. Stark winces.  

“We still have games to play.” Stark says trying to grab Shirako’s hand, Shirako taking it away.  

“We won.” Shirako signed. “Five hundred points is more than several teams combined. We will win it.” Shirako continued, a look of frustration on his face. Stark started scratching his head. He got down on his knees, giving both of them puppy dog eyes. 

“Please, just a few more games?” He pleaded, Shirako and Ace walking away. “Hey!” Stark said as he ran up to them. “Fine, we have been playing games all day long.” Stark murmured as Ace took them around, showing them the different places that he had visited as a kid. Going on the different roller coaster rides. Stark screaming for his life as if the ride was his death sentence while Shirako raised his hands in the air, his tongue in the wind having the time of his life.  

***

“Now time for the winners!” Harley said, as the xeros gathering together. several xeros dead tired, Nolt and Verox with bloodshot eyes and Stark and Shirako eating several treats loaded on their trays.

 

“Why are you all tired?” Shirako signed. Suli’s eyes twitching and his paws held out like he wanted to strangle Shirako. Before Suli could open his mouth, Verox screamed. “How many times do I have to tell you! You are not the game master!” As if on a verge of a meltdown. 

“Calm down.” Harley says pushing him aside as if he is poisonous growth. “The game master said he is busy, so I stepped up.” Verox rolled his eyes as he went to a pile of hay and sat down. 

“Props to you.” He says as if about to take a nap. “I guess I had fun.” Verox says, slowly closing his eyes.  

“Well, here we go!” Harley says, grabbing a piece of paper that a robot had left on the table.  

“In last place,” Harley says, biting their lip. “but first place in fun, Harley and Verox!”  

“Better luck next year, I guess!” Verox says with a smile on his face. “I might get a better partner.” 

Verox grins smugly as Harley’s eye twitched. Harley smiled wryly as he winked at Zoss. 

“Ow!” Verox says as a coin hit him in the head as he sits up. He sees Zoss staring at the ceiling and Harley smirking at him. 

“Hey! I was just—”  

“Next up in third place, we have the fiercest competitors who gave their heart to everything that they did, yet second place every time they tried, Nolt and Suli!” Both of them smiled onto of their box, their tails wagging. 

“Sounds more like an insult than a compliment— OW!” Verox said as another coin lands in his lap. “If you throw one more coin—”

“But how did you beat us?” Harley asked, tilting their head to one side. 

Nolt looked at he different coins in his hand. 

“Long story short…” Suli starts, “we spent a lot of time in the arcade.” 

“That makes sense,” Stark says, translating for Shirako.  

“But why the arcade?” Stark asks, “I thought that you both are more of the athletic type?”  

“Me?” Nolt responds, “I’m just in for whatever gives the greatest adventure.” 

“But arcades are just screens that you can move.”  

“They move with exciting adventures on them!” Nolt says enthusiastically. I never knew that so many adventures could be in a single room!” 

Suli groaned.  

“Didn’t you get the high score?” Nolt asked Suli, who shuffled his feet.  

“Well, while Nolt was window shopping all the games, I stuck to the main point machine where I could connect things together.” 

“Oh, yeah!” Nolt buts in. “That game where you got more candy than on Halloween?” 

“No!” Suli shouted, “I got a few pieces though.” He whispered under his breath as he kicked a bag beneath his seat, rustling wrappers in the bag.

“That’s it for third place, now the team that everyone thought was going to win.” Harley said excitedly as Nolt and Suli sat on a foam block.

 

“Zoss and Twilight in second place!” The Xeros shouting in mix enthusiasm.

Twilight standing up with a spring in her step.

“I mean, it is true, we should have won.” Twilight said shrugging. 

“Well, if a team didn’t get five hundred points from a single activity, then we would have won.” Zoss said, still sitting in his seat. 

“How many points did you end up getting?” Suli asked. 

“Oh, not much.” Zoss says, looking at the ground.

“Oh, don’t be modest.” Twilight says, “Just a nice four hundred and thirty.” She says. 

“It was easy, really.” Zoss chimed in. “I found the different games, Twilight found the best way to beat them and we divided and conquered.”

“See, now both of them are the teammates that you want for this.” Verox says.

“Well, now time for the team that we all came to see, Stark and Shirako the winners!” Harley said while Twilight sat down. Showing Stark and Shirako the giant plushie of the prestige coin. Shirako ran up to the plushie, hugging it and a smile of absolute joy on his face.  

“So soft.” Shirako signs while Stark gets handed a trophy from Harley. Stark stands there smiling, all the other Xeros looking at him excitedly. Stark sweating underneath his fur. What did they want to hear?”  

“I just want to say,” Stark starts, his tongue tied in his mouth. “Potatoes and carrots taste great.” He says while everyone scratches their head. 

 

Harley walked up to them,  

“No say something like you are grateful that you got the trophy!” Harley whispers into his ear before moving away from him.” 

“Take two!” Harley says, making fists and looking at the both of them in excitement. Stark looks up seeing a camera recording him. Stark sweats even more.  

“Just say the words?” Harley whispers loudly to him. 

“I think he gets that.” Verox says, catching the coin before it hits him in the head.  

“I...I want to say thank you for the trophy?” Stark says as he smiles. A flash from the camera happens and then Harley stands up and claps. Everyone looking at them confused. Harley claps slower and slower until they hop to the stage.  

“Well, that is all we have. See you all later!” Harley said. Stark and Shirako talking with the other Xeros, exchanging fist bumps and contact numbers.

“You know, you all aren’t that bad after all. We should all hang out sometime.” Verox says. Everyone else nodding their heads in agreement.

 

 

Ace waited for them outside of the station. Smiling to himself, it wasn’t perfect, but hopefully a day that the boys will remember.

“Did you both enjoy yourselves?” He says, holding the door open for them on the train. Stark points over to Shirako, snuggling his new pillow. A look of pure joy on his face. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” He says as they all board the train.  

 

***

Stark sat out on the platform outside of his house. The nice cool wind blowing at his fur. Ace had already pasted out on his bed and Shirako was curled up on his plushie, sound asleep. Stark looks out the window and around the city below with a telescope. He saw people laughing together in the streets, exchanging words and families together in windows around him. A particular zebra family gasping at a surprise in a movie. Stark sits back on a cushion and listened to the distinct noises of happiness. 

“Did you see how cool that group was? Xeros really are something!” a kid says above. 

Stark listened. 

“They worked hard for that win. They beat most of the adults, which means they have skills. Skills which you can develop in school.” The mom says, resting him in the bed. “Boop.” Her son giggles.  

“Can I tell you a bed-time story?” The mother says. Stark laying down on the balcony, pretending that he was her son.  

“Of course, mom!” the son says as his mom opened up the pages of her story. The story read out, Stark hanging by every word. 

“And the witch said what?” the boy said, surprised. Stark shared his excitement. Stark closed his eyes. The story enveloping him as he took it in. 

“Thee end.” His mother said in a grandiose voice. The mother turned off the lights, her son sighing softly as he softly drifted to sleep. Stark in tears. He walked by his bed, imagining Ace, him and Shirako laughing as the story moved forward.

He walks over to Ace’s room, seeing him laying softly on the bed. Stark reached his hand to pull on his night robe. As he did so, the words of the researcher came to his mind.

“Don’t bother me! Don’t you know that the night is the most important hours of the night for a scientist! Tell me about that in the morning. Whatever it is, can wait.” Stark holds back his hand, clenching it into a fist instead. He heads to the pantry where he puts his face in his arms. Crying in a place where no one could see him, where no one could hear him. A place where no one could laugh or scream at him.

***

 “Shirako get up!” Shirako heard as he slowly opened his eyes. “Shirako wake up.” He heard again. Shirako opening his eyes wide to see Stark’s eyes bloodshot and his fur wet. Shirako hopped out of the bed, a terrible feeling in his gut. He looked over at his plushie and then at the backpack loaded with snacks and food, earplugs and temporary blankets. 

“Its time isn’t it?” Shirako signed to Stark. Stark nodded his head.

“We need to get out of here before Ace wakes up!” Stark whispers in desperation. Shirako gets out of the bed. His brother moving the backpack from the ground to his shoulders. Shirako felt his gut wrench with anxiety, petrifying him right where he was standing. 

Stark looked at the door, everything ready for them to start their new life. He waited to see Shirako by him, yet, when Stark turned around, he saw Shirako looking longingly at his new plushie in his hands and around the room.

“Here.” Stark said, throwing him a bag. “We don’t have much time, put it inside.” Shirako looked at the plushie for a few more seconds before dropping it, grabbing the bag that Stark had given him.

Stark smiled, so his brother finally understood the situation then. Both of the brothers tiptoed out of the room. Once the door was closed, both dashed down the stairs and out the door into the street below. Stark’s heart skipped, chuckling as he stretched. 

“We are finally free!” He shouts into the crisp cold air of twilight. He raises his hand to high five Shirako. Shirako looks at Stark’s hand, his eyes lulling down to the ground before throwing off his backpack and walking back to the building.

“Shirako? Hey Shirako! What are you doing?!” Stark yells, grabbing his brother by the arm. Shirako winced as his eyes met with Stark’s. A look of disappointment in his face. Stark’s smile fades, his heart dropping into his stomach.

“Shirako?” Stark pleads. Shirako shakes free of Stark’s grasp, shaking as he signed.

“Why do you hate Ace so much?” Shirako signed, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Stark opened his mouth before closing it. Opening it with a look of malice on his face. 

“After everything that the researcher has done to us, after all the work he made us do, you’re defending him?” Stark said, his heart racing, his hands curling into fists and growl coming below his voice. 

Shirako still looked at the floor before looking at Stark with a look of determination in his eyes, a look that Stark seldom sees.

“When has Ace done anything wrong to us?!” Shirako signed, the power in the signs sending shivers down Stark’s back. “He has done nothing but good to us. The researcher kept us isolated in the Xero lab, he rarely said anything nice and he always punished you for the smallest things.” Shirako signed, Stark taking a step back. “Ace has helped us, he has been patient with both of us and…” Shirako stopped before smiling warmly looking down at the ground. “And he gave me my best day of my life.” Shirako signed.

Stark couldn’t help but feel the warm feeling in his heart. When he realized what he was feeling, he shook his head. “It’s always the long game.” Stark says anger in his voice. “Who knows what he will try to use us for in the future. I don’t want to take that chance for me and my little brother.” Stark said, Shirako wincing as if the words were daggers driven into his heart. 

Shirako gripped his fists before moving his hands to sign.

“You treat me like a little brother, like I can’t defend myself, like I’m useless. Sure, I can’t talk like you and Ace, but I still can do things.” He signs. “I’m not coming with you.” Shirako signs, leaving Stark out in the street. 

“You can’t trust him!” Stark screams out. “No matter how kind-hearted, he is a part of xero lab, he will use you.” Stark says, an imaginary needle piercing his heart as Shirako walked back into the building. 

“I just wanted to help you.” He whispers to himself as he picks up the backpack and walks away into the street crowded with people, the clouds gathering till it seemed some inky grey paste covered the sky, and drops of water falling on Stark as walked into the crowds of people in the street.

***

How could he be so dumb? Shirako thought to himself as he scavenged through his room for something, anything. He knew his brother was hard-headed, but he didn't think that he would be blind as well. He rummaged through his desk, dumped out different clothes from his drawers, opening up his basket of photos looking through them, proof of the good things that have happened. 

As Shirako went through, he heard a knock on his door. Shirako knocked back, Ace opened the door, seeing Shirako and his mess. Both smiled awkwardly as they each saw each other.

"Shirako, what's going on?" Ace said, making some room on the bed to set next to Shirako. “It’s not like you to trash your room like this.” Shirako's heart stopping for a second. Was his brother right? He had to find out for sure. But would revealing too much to Ace get him in trouble? The questions buzzing through his head as Ace sat on his bed. Shirako rubbing his hands together. Both sat there for an awkward ten minutes. 

Ace sat quietly, waiting for a response from Shirako. As he put his arm around him, Ace could feel him shaking. Ace got up from the bed. If Shirako didn’t want to tell him, then prying wouldn’t get him anywhere. He turned to walk out of the room. Before he could step out, Ace heard a knocking on the floor. Ace turned around, Shirako looking like he was sitting in a pool of ice. Slowly, he looked up, holding his hands up, signing even as he was shaking.

“Ace, why did you take us in?” Shirako asked, looking up at Ace with pleading eyes. Ace, taken aback, sat down again on the bed next to Shirako. Before Shirako could say anything more, he rested his his hand on Shirako’s shoulder. As if the warmth from his hug calming him down just a small amount. 

“Because they chose me to be your mentor.” Ace said, Shirako looking down at the ground. “But that isn’t why I kept you.” Ace said, Shirako looking up at him, his face puzzled.

“What do you mean by that?” He signed.

“I mean, I could’ve handed you off to someone else, someone that would love you and Stark more, but I took you in.” Ace said. Every fiber of his body going into the sincerity of what he was saying. 

Shirako got up and looked at Ace in the eyes, a sternness that Ace hadn’t seen before. Shirako had stopped shaking. He moved like he was a different person entirely. 

“How do I know you aren’t lying? How do I know that bringing us to the festival wasn’t a ploy to buy our love?” Shirako signed, his face dead serious. Ace looked at him and smiled. He wasn’t the little weakling that the researcher saw. Ace could see determination in his eyes. 

“Not going to allow me to finish what I wanted to say?” Ace said as he scooted closer to him. “I kept you and Stark because I saw myself in you. I have been where you both were. Young, scarred, afraid of the entire world. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could help you two find your place in the world.”

Ace took Shirako in his arms and hugged him. Ace held him there, but instead of Shirako pushing him away, Ace felt him hugging back, as if trying to burrow himself into his chest. Shirako looked up into Ace’s eyes. A smile on both of their faces. Ace sitting down with Shirako on his lap.

“I want to love you, but I don’t know if I can trust you.” Shirako signs. Ace strokes his head. Holding him for a few seconds.

“I heard what you and Stark had to go through.” Ace says, Shirako looking down at the ground.

“It makes me angry thinking that you two went through horrible situations because someone thought you weren’t enough.” Ace says, Shirako shivering again. “I swear that I’ll never make you go through something like that ever again.” Ace said. Shirako shaking as he his poured down tears. Ace holding him close to his chest, stroking his back as Shirako moaned into Ace’s fur.

“We can talk it through later,” Ace says as he stares at their clock. The only thing intact in their room. He shakes as he hears whimpers and feels the tears coming down his chest. These boys didn’t just go through an awful experience, they went through Hell. To think that they couldn’t trust a single adult that came from the Xero lab. Ace wouldn’t stand it any longer. 

Ace sat there, watching as the clock ticked by, thirty minutes, an hour, he watched as the minutes passed by, marking the latest he had ever been to work, nor did he care. 

Shirako pulled himself out of Ace’s embrace, still sniffling. He immediately gripped at his bed before jumping to his feet.

“What’s going on now?” Ace asked, standing up. “Come to think about it, where’s Stark?” Shirako scratched the back of his head. “Shirako?” Shirako avoided eye contact, rubbing his hands together. Ace came to Shirako, kneeling down until he looked at him in the eyes. “Shirako, where is Stark?” Ace said, a hint of firmness in his voice. 

“He left.” Shirako signed. Ace’s heart skipped a beat.

“What?” Ace said in disbelief. Shirako looked to the ground again.

“He ran away.” Shirako signed, looking down at the ground.

Ace rubbed his face, trying to process what he just heard. 

“Do you know where he is right now?” Ace asked.

“He is going to the house registry.” Shirako signed. “I tried to stop him!” Shirako signed again before biting his lip. “He still thinks you are another one of the researcher’s cronies.” Shirako signs, looking up with determination. “Now I know that you aren’t.” Ace nodded in agreement.

“Let’s tell him.” Ace says, both of them running out the door. 

 

“Hey! No running in the common areas!” the manager shouted as they ran.

“Family emergency!” Ace shouted as they ran to the door. As he ran, he heard the pounding of rain on the windows.

Shoot, Ace thinks to himself as Shirako stops at the door, seeing the rain come down. Ace watches as Shirako trembles and nearly falls to the ground in fear of the rain. Ace picks him up, moving him to a couch in the lobby. Shirako trembles like a machine about to fall apart. Ace pats his head.

“You don’t need to go out there.” Ace says putting his hand on Shirako’s shoulder. Shirako looked up at Ace, his entire face trembling from the fear. He batted Ace’s hand off of him and stuck both of his hands into his pouch. Pulling out two ear plugs. After he stuffed them in his ears, he stood up. Both of his knees trembling.

“I-I will b-be o-okay. S-stark n-needs m-me.” Shirako signs, his hands shaking terribly. Ace looking at Shirako in his state, wanting terribly to tell him to stay here. As he opened his mouth, the words couldn’t come out. Instead, Ace grabbed Shirako’s hand. 

“Then I’ll come with you.” He said as they walked outside. Shirako covering his head as if preparing for a bomb to strike as Ace grabbed an umbrella. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the rain.” Ace said as they journeyed into the street.

***

“Are you kidding me? I thought anyone could get a house that wanted one?” Stark said to the lady at the front desk. “I know friends that are my age that have their own places.”

“That is true.” The lady said, looking down at Stark whose face barely peeped above the table. She couldn’t help but smile at the scene. “But with no paperwork, we can’t budge.” She said, shrugging. 

“Can I fill out the paperwork here?” Stark asked.

“That depends. Do you have a parent or guardian here that can help you with it?”

“No,” Stark says, looking pleadingly at the lady. 

“Then I can’t help you.” The bison said, stacking a pile of papers. Returning to her screen. “Little boy, this isn’t something that your parents just okay and you get a place, we need verification and a way to register you. Go home for now, if you are that certain about wanting your own place, come back with your parents.” She said gingerly.

“But I don’t have a parent!” Stark said. “That is why I want a place tp call my own!”

“Oh, no parent?” the lady said, turning back around. “Wait here then, we can get you into an orphanage around here.” She said turning back around. Stark folded his arms in frustration. The lady wasn’t helpful, nor would he be going to an orphanage. That would defeat the purpose of him going out here then. 

“I should be able to book a train ride for you—Hey! Wait! Where do you think your going?” The lady said as Stark ran outside, into the freezing rain. He ran out into the middle of the crowd, watching as they all walked by with their umbrellas. Each one looking at him in concern. Stark turned around, the lady following, this time with two police officers. Panting, the lady pointed at Stark.

The officers walking slowly up to Stark, crouching until they looked at him in the eyes. “Little boy, don’t worry, the orphanage will take good care of you.” One said, Stark frantically looking around the area, seeing only onlookers in the situation. “There is food, a warm bed, a mother. Everything will be fine.” The other said putting his hand on his shoulder. Instinctively, Stark batted it off.

“Even with all the great things you offer, if my brother isn’t there, then I’m not going!” Stark screamed before jumping away.

He felt a grazing at his legs as one officer tried to catch him. Stark felt his heart pound. Both of the officers twice as tall as him looking at him with a look of disappointment. Before Stark saw what was about to happen, he turned tail and ran. His feet splashing in puddles with every step, his lungs filling with air and rain till they burned. Stark ducked and dodged through the cloud, hearing the thunderous splashes of water following him.

Stark ran, not knowing where to go, and he didn’t care. He just put one foot in front of the other. Just like he had done his entire life. He turned the corner and into a cramped area filled with trash on the side of the walls. The officers stumbled through, Stark turning several corners before he finally stopped in an area full of bars. He felt his legs give out as he sat in a puddle, a cramped corridor where he saw his hideout, a husk of what it once was. Stark shivered, his fur soaked through, and his body exhausted from the chase.

What had he done to deserve this? Stark thought as he hugged his knees into himself. He has done nothing wrong; he lived and looked like a child and yet he wasn’t. Was it because he was a Xero? Maybe he was just an artificial species that didn’t deserve life. Is that all he was destined to be? Did regular Alurizans just get a much better life because they were born and not made? Stark gripped his knees together, as if they were the last comfort he had. 

His brother, gone. Would he ever forgive him? He just tried to help, take him out of a terrible place. Was a terrible place better than being with him? Stark felt a warm liquid run down his face, a liquid that ran into his mouth and added a bitter, salty taste to it. 

No, it can’t be. He will come to his senses and come back. He must, he will. Stark thought. 

Hours passed, or at least it felt like hours have passed. Stark stared up at the sky, the grey lull still covering everything. He just wanted to be with his brother again. Yet his brother was with the one that worked with the researcher. He will never go back to that again. He just hopes he can see his brother again. 

***

Sarah wiped herself down with a towel. As a bison, she didn’t do too well with the rain, It made her like a wet rag and wet rags don’t belong in the office. She preferred to stay inside, filing paperwork and taking requests from patrons. She moved to grab some papers before her damp wool smudged the ink. He snorted, her wool would take hours to dry. Though, trying to focus on the present, seeing smiling faces was all she really needed. 

She heard the door bell ring. A G Shep and a Xero, almost identical to the one that ran out. 

“How can I help you?” She said as she took her hands off of her computer and watched as the G Shep approached. 

“My name is Ace. We’re looking for a Xero, looks like him.” Ace said as he pointed at the Xero, completely dry but shivering with a look of fear in his eyes. Sarah looked at the Xero before going back to her computer. Biting her lip. She knew what they were talking about, but she couldn’t break the news to them.

“Yes, a Xero came here, looking for independent housing.” She said, looking back at them. “Are you his guardian?” She asked. 

“Yes.” Ace answered, a quizzical look on his face. Sarah scratched the back of her head. 

“Well,” Sarah started, taking a deep breath. “He claimed to have no guardian.”

 Ace bit his lip, “Crap.” he said, resting his hand on the bridge of his nose. 

“He ran away. We have officers chasing him right now.” Sarah explained. A lump in her throat forming. She had never dealt with anything like this. Almost no one runs away from home. It still shocked her anytime a child had to go to an orphanage.

“Come on Shirako.” Ace said. Shepherding the Xero out the door.

“I…I’m Sorry.” Sarah said. 

“He’s most likely safe, that is all I ask for. Thanks for your time.” Ace said as he grabbed Shirako’s hand, both walk out the door.

***

“I know where he is.” Shirako signed as they both walked outside. 

“You sure Shirako, not even the police can find him.” Ace asked.

“Are any of them his brother?” Shirako signed. Ace looked at Shirako before smiling. 

“Lead the way.”

***

Stark sat in the alleyway as he chewed on a granola bar. Guess I’m living homeless, he thinks as he sits in the rain, unable to move. The pain in his heart keeping him from moving. Stark hears two pairs of footsteps move closer to him. Guess he has overstayed his welcome. Like a bolt of energy, he stands up. Running away from the approaching people.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Stark hears, stopping him in his steps. He steps around, looking, hoping. There he was, a pink fluffy Xero drenched in the rain. Shaking violently, but with tears in his eyes. Shirako bolts to his brother before Stark can react. Hugging him as Stark sat against a wall. 

“B-but how?” Stark asked as he saw the face of Ace. “No.” He says tensing up, ready for the hit, ready for the punishment. It never came. Instead, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Stark looked at Ace, a look of worry in his eyes, not a look of disappointment. Stark’s mouth opened in awe. Is he really different from the researcher? Questions for another time.

“I missed you, Shirako.” Stark said. Shirako latching onto Stark. Unable to let go.

“But it’s raining. How’d you—” Stark started while Ace pulled him onto his shoulders. 

“Stark, some words are better left unspoken.” Ace says while Stark tried to throw himself off. “Others need to be said more. I love you Stark, I’m sorry if I ever made you feel unloved.” Ace says before pausing. “I heard what the researcher did, he had no right.” Stark heard. The determination in Ace’s voice resonating with his heart. Stark stopped struggling, laying against Ace’s chest, enjoying the lull of being carried. 

“Hey Ace.” Stark whimpered.

“What is it?” Ace said.

“Could you tell us a bed-time story tonight?” 

“Always.” Ace said as Stark slowly drifted to sleep, his heart finally at rest.