Parasitic Love Redux - 25. Calm Before the Storm

Marcus and Rosie tried to be supportive, but they went home maybe an hour after everyone left for the hospital. They seemed really freaked out and uncomfortable sitting around the dark living room while Connor moped in silence.

Connor didn't blame them for leaving, but he certainly wasn't looking forward to being alone… completely alone…

It had been months since Connor had truly enjoyed his solitude. M had been a part of his daily life so long ago now, it felt like something was wrong

Of course, something was wrong. Once Marcus and Rose left him on his own, Connor's mind wouldn't stop running over the hundreds of different ways M and the baby were being murdered right then.

He sat in the dark, convinced his life was ending tonight. His lover was going to be taken. Then the tenacious future they'd been planning would be snuffed. Completely.

Connor thought about his future, M, and their life together while he sat on his ass, doing nothing. He thought about his shitty attitude…

"You've been pouting and moping around for over a week. Something is always pissing you off, so you're always in a bad mood. You treat your mom like crap half the time and you treat everyone else like they're lesser than you!"

Connor remembered M's speech in the SUV earlier that night. He cringed.

"You're a good guy, Connor, but you're also an asshole a lot of the time."

He regretted his actions today. All of them. He'd been an asshole for so long, it felt natural at this point. He overreacted. He catastrohiosed. He took his loved ones for granted and disrespected them all the time…

Connor had been wronged in his life, but he continued the negative trend with his attitude and his shitty outlook on life.

He was about to be a father and he was still letting his temper control his life…

The power came on an hour or so after that. Connor thought about checking the satellite and the internet, but he didn't much care to watch TV or get online.

So he sat in the living room, waiting for something to happen…

It was past midnight when he finally gave up and dragged himself upstairs to bed.

He was tired and lonely and depressed. He felt responsible for everything that had happened tonight.

M had warned him this would happen… and Connor had flat out ignored him.

Up in the attic, he stripped down to his boxers in the dark. He didn't feel like turning the lights on. He didn't feel like he deserved it.

He checked his phone before he laid down though. He hadn't even thought of the damned thing in hours…

Unsurprisingly, there was about 20 missed messages from Bradley. Hannah had ended up tagging along and going the hospital as well, but her phone was still at the bottom of the pool. Bradley had taken over the messaging duties apparently. She'd sent a long series of texts starting 4 or 5 hours ago. The last one had been sent just an hour ago…

The doctors want to run a couple quick tests on Jamie. They say it'll help them come to a diagnosis, Bradley started off. We're waiting for them to take us to a private room now.

90 minutes later

They drew blood, they did a physical exam, a CAT scan and everything came back normal Bradley texted. They say she's fine. They say she could wake up at any moment.

40 minutes later

Nathan is getting impatient. He's throwing a fit out in the parking lot. Hannah and I thought we'd give him some alone time before we go grab him.

30 minutes later

Hannah's awesome, Bradley texted. The hospital's kitchen is closed, but she convinced our nurse to bring us hot meals. We're all sitting here, just waiting for Jamie to open her eyes and sit up, but starting to doubt that'll happen.

60 minutes later

I'm fine, Bradley's last message read. I'm tired, my back's killing me, but I'm fine. The thing is, none of us have gotten in touch with Julie yet. The hospital staff were obligated to contact Jamie's parents because she's a minor, but they haven't shown their faces yet.

Hannah and I figure we should get back to the house by morning so you don't have to face Julie alone. We'll fill her in best we can. We're not expecting you to do anything.

Connor was kind of touched by the girls concern for him. He bent over his phone and typed out a reply.

Marcus and Rosie left hours ago, he typed. The power's on again. He looked around the dark room. The moon shone powerfully through the large window high on the back wall. It cast long shadows across the floor. M still isn't back… I'm alone.

Connor sent the message and let his phone fall to the bed. The screen would time-out eventually. Connor wasn't worried about it.

He was however, worried by the dirty scratches and scrapes he saw running up and down his arms and legs. His skin was bleached pale white under the light of the mobile phone and the minor abrasions looked absolutely disgusting.

Connor got up immediately and went downstairs for a shower. He kept the lights off everywhere he went. His eyes had adjusted to the dark and he was almost enjoying it.

Luckily, there was a nightlight in the bathroom. He wouldn't have been able to see in the windowless room without it. As it was, he found his way around with the little yellow light over the sink. He got a fresh towel and washcloth and climbed into the shower stall. He got the water running and made sure it was hot.

He scrubbed himself harshly under the boiling hot water. His body ached from being thrown around the patio, but it was the dirty little marks on his body that he concentrated on. He felt more unclean than usual. He felt filthy and he didn't want the superficial cuts to get infected.

He hissed as he ran the washcloth over his skin. The soap and water burned. He toughed it out though. He was a man. He could take it.

He washed himself until he was squeaky clean, then he moved to stand directly under the spray of water, letting it pour down over his head.

He was crying. He wouldn't admit it to himself, though. He let the water wash his tears away, let the pounding jets soothe his shaking muscles and drown out the sound of his sobbing.

He pulled it together quickly and finished up… he didn't linger for long. He shut the water off and tidied up in the bathroom. He left his boxers in the hamper and wrapped the towel around his waist.

He headed upstairs. The house was deafeningly quiet and as he walked naked down the hall, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

He crept up the stairs to the attic. Each stair creaked in some different and interesting way no matter how lightly he stepped.

He carefully opened the attic door, wincing when it scraped along the uneven floorboards in the doorway. He looked up and sucked in a breath.

M stood in the middle of the room. He was lit by moonlight. There was a vivid red mark on the right side of his face, from cheek to temple, but other than looking a bit ruffled, he appeared completely normal and fine.

"M?" Connor whispered, the name full of awe.

The blond smiled.

Connor came closer, his eyes locked on the boy standing so casually in the middle of the room. M's eyes followed Connor's cautious approach. The smile teased his lips.

"Where did you go?" Connor asked. "You left me here…" He trailed off before he could say the word alone. He knew his voice would crack.

M's smile finally faded. "The agent took us to an empty field, maybe a mile from here," he said. "He wanted to face me alone."

Connor finally moved close enough to be able to reach out and touch the blond's face. He cupped M's cheek and rubbed the red mark with his thumb. M winced.

"He hurt you," Connor said. His eyes flashed.

"It'll fade," M said softly. "He didn't really hurt me, Connor. He wouldn't actually fight me."

"Then what happened to your face?"

M laid his hand over Connor's. "He got one parting shot on me," he said. His eyes narrowed a bit. "He offered to transport me back here after our fake stand-off." M shook his head, his eyes focused on some far off distant point. "He held his hand out and I reached out to take it. He backhanded me so fast, I was on my butt in the backyard before I knew what had happened."

Connor scoffed. "That fucker."

"We were supposed to shake hands… It was an agreement and we were going to confirm it the human way," M said. "But he hit me instead."

"An agreement?" Connor ghosted his fingers over M's smooth face. He didn't know if he was asking out of curiosity or out of a desperate need to keep his hands on M's soft flesh. It had been much too long since he'd enjoyed M's supple charms.

"Yeah. I asked him to give me time," he said."Maybe we can figure out another way for him to examine the bond between me and Michael's body. Maybe he doesn't need to remove me."

"And then he hit you?"

"Pretty much," M said with a sigh. His eyes were weary, Connor could see that even in the dark. "He said he wouldn't antagonize me, or harm any more of my friends. And then he held his hand out… Then he hit me."

"So the deal's off?"

M laughed bitterly. "I don't know, Connor." He moved away from Connor's longing touch and went to fall back on the mattress. "I don't trust him, so yeah. I don't think we can safely expect him to leave us alone."

Connor didn't know what to say. He went to sit next to M on the bed. He pulled his towel up awkwardly and felt his cheeks getting hot against his will.

Suddenly, M huffed and he flipped over and buried his face in the bed sheets.

He started to murmur something, but Connor cleared his throat first.

"I can't hear you."

M turned his face to the side and tried again. "I was there for hours and it was a complete waste of time. I thought at first maybe I could take him. I ran for the trees and tried to plan an attack from a distance, but every time I even attempted to get close to him, he'd disappear or use a projection of himself to trick me. He outsmarted me every time. He was just making sure I felt helpless, then he called me down for a truce."

"A backhanded one. "

"Right," M sighed. He rolled onto his side and looked up at Connor with half lidded eyes.

"Where is everyone?"

"The hospital," Connor said. "Jamie isn't waking up."

M bit his lip. He looked away guiltily.

"It's my fault," Connor said quickly. M turned to look at him, his eyebrow raised. "I pressed the issue of the party. You tried to warn us, but I specifically went against your best judgment. It's my fault Jamie's in a coma right now. I should have listened to you."

M blinked. "I guess I can't argue that."

Connor smiled a little. "You don't know what will snap her out of this spell, do you?"

M shook his head. "I don't even know what he did to her."

Connor scratched the back of his neck. He was surprised to find it still beaded with water and then he reached up and felt his wet mop of hair.

He pulled the towel from around his body and rubbed it briskly through his hair. He was dripping water on the bed…

"I'm sorry about today, too," Connor said while he wasn't looking M straight in the eye. "You're right. I'm always in a bad mood and I take it out on everyone else," he said. "I'm sorry I do that."

M gave him an incredulous look. "It's just who you are, Connor. You don't have to apologize—"

"Yes, I do," Connor said. "This isn't who I am. This is who I let myself be. I hate myself, M," he said harshly. He balled up the damp towel and bundled it over his lap. Over his bare cock.

He was suddenly feeling self-conscious about every part of himself….

"Connor? What are you doing?" M asked softly. He touched Connor's naked back with a warm hand.

"I've been alone most of the night," Connor said, sneaking a peak over his shoulder. M watched him intently. "I've been thinking about what a miserable excuse of a father I'll be…"

"You're going to be amazing," M said very seriously.

Connor scoffed. "Really? Or will I be just as short-tempered and foul-mouthed as usual?"

M bit his lip.

"I'm not sure how to change, but I want to," Connor said. "I want to be better for you… and the baby."

M's eyes shimmered in the light of the moon.

Connor turned to M fully. "I love you," he said. "I don't ever want to be without you again. Don't disappear like that. I thought you were going to end up… dead."

"I didn't really have a choice," M said softly. "But… I'll try. OK?"

Connor nodded. He didn't feel totally back to his normal self, but he tossed the towel to the end of the bed, he got to his knees and crawled closer to the blond.

He was exposed completely in an instant. His cock hung heavily between his thighs and his muscled body flexed as he shifted across the sheets.

M sat up as Connor reached his side. They stared at each other for a moment and then Connor pushed M gently onto his back.

Connor went after the blond, throwing a leg over his big belly and straddling his thighs. He put his hands on either side of M's head and leaned over him, careful of the baby inside of him.

M gasped and his shimmering eye ignited with passion. The look on his face made Connor's cock twitch and start to fill with blood.

"Can I kiss you?" Connor asked. He touched the mark on M's face again with just the tips of his fingers.

M nodded enthusiastically.

Connor still hesitated. "I don't know if I'll be able to stop if we get started, M. It'll kill me."

"You won't have to," M said with a smile. "The agent isn't here. Nobody is. We're completely alone."

"No interruptions," Connor sighed in relief. "Fuck, M. I don't deserve you, but I fucking want you."

"I think maybe you're on the right path to redemption," M said with a grin.

"How about I start by making you hard for me after only one kiss?"

M's eyes opened extra wide. "You can do that?"

Connor curled himself over M's baby bump and claimed his lips. M sighed into the kiss and that gave Connor an opening. He dipped inside M's sweet mouth and met the boy's wet tongue.

M gasped into Connor's mouth and trembled beneath him. His eyes fluttered shut and he timidly stroked his tongue against Connor's in answer. They kissed deeply for a stretch of indeterminate time. Their tongues intimately entwined and their bodies pressed together just as close.

Connor could definitely feel M's hard dick poking against his leg. His head spun with an intense arousal and he knotted his fingers in M's hair and pulled him closer still… He was so desperate for him.

"Connor?" M hissed. "You're hurting me."

Connor pushed himself up and sat back on his heels. He panted for air and felt flushed and hot all over even as he crouched naked on the end of the bed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

M sat up too. His hair was spiked up on one side from Connor's rough hands and his cheeks were a delicious rosy pink. "It's ok," he said. He licked his red, kiss swollen lips. "You were right, though," he said shyly. "I'm hard."

Connor grinned. "Show me."

M whipped his little shorts off in a single move. Then he pulled the overlarge cotton-tee that covered his naughty bits over his head. His hair went all over the place, caught by the neck of his t-shirt, but he was naked, and Connor could see his erect penis, bobbing excitedly below his round belly.

M spread his legs and he started to lay back again, but Connor stopped him.

"Let's put a pillow under you," he said.

M rolled to his side and let Connor position a pillow behind him, then he rolled and lifted his hips to rest uptop the mound of bedding.

Connor got between M's naked thighs. He skimmed his palms up the blond's soft, tanned legs and stopped at his waist. He pressed himself against the boy's warm body and kissed him again.

They melted into each other. Time and space and aliens ceased to exist in that moment. The two highly sexed boys rutted together as their tongues did a sensuous dance…

Connor's cock was instantly frustrated. His erection slid across the bottom of M's rubbery belly. The blond's rubbed incessantly against Connor's hairy upper leg.

Neither feeling was a sexy one.

And he hadn't felt the baby move yet, but he was afraid he would, soon, and he feared it be during some awkward moment such as this.

The kissing was amazing though…. A lot of saliva was being exchanged and Connor thought to bring his hand up to his mouth and get his fingers wet with spit.

He trailed his slippery fingers down the middle of M's tummy then moved them lower, between the boy's soft inner thighs. He touched the blond's hidden asshole with his forefinger and M moaned softly in anticipation.

Connor worked two of his fingers into the boy's tight little bumhole. Straight away, M rocked into the fingers, taking more into his body, trying rush it. There was sweat beading along his hairline and soft, sexy noises poured from him.

"Oooh, Connor, please fuck me," M whined between one of their heated kisses.

Connor pulled up a little so he could look into the boy's beautiful eyes. He got a good angle and then slowly pushed his fingers all the way into M's asshole. He scissored his fingers a few times, then searched around for the boy's secret button. The fleshy nodule was buried deep inside his body. He poked it gently with the tips of his fingers.

The effect was electric. M arched up into Connor and moaned wantonly. "More," he begged. "I want you inside me."

Connor felt incredibly honored to be welcomed into M's hot little body once more. He kissed the blond gratefully and then wasted no time at all. He carefully drew his fingers out of M's clenching hole, spit sloppily into his palm, and then quickly lubed his cock with it.

"Fuck," he grunted. His slick hand on his hard penis was such an incredible rush. He hadn't had a good cum in like forever.

He had better things to do than masturbate though… He gripped his cock at the base, groaning a little as dull waves of warm pleasure flowed though his body. He found the wrinkled entrance to M's asshole with the head of his cock and he lined up against it and pressed gently.

M whimpered and whined in a confused state of arousal as Connor wickedly teased his hole.

He pushed just the tip of his cockhead through M's tight anal ring, pulling back just as the hole began to dilate. Over and over, Connor 'kissed' M's quivering anus.

"Connor…" M moaned desperately and the sound of his voice was enough to convince Connor to continue.

He slid his cockhead all the way into M's asshole and then paused, hissing, as the blond's anal muscles went wild.

M bit down on his bottom lip. He groaned loudly.

"Relax," Connor said softly. He was struggling not to shove his cock deep, immediately and like right now. He willed himself to hold absolutely still.

M screwed up his face and went a little red as he concentrated on relaxing his muscles. He cringed a little at the pain, but urged Connor to continue.

"I'm ready," he whispered hotly.

Connor took a deep breath and started to push again. He was on top of M, supporting the majority of his weight on his knees and his arm. He had a free hand now and he touched the blond's hair and face with it, marveling at the sensations of silk and satin the boy inspired.

His cock was halfway inside M and the blond groaned beneath Connor, his face splotched with strain.

The tip of Connor's penis throbbed with need. He was starting to perspire too. He exercised a lot of restraint and care, wanting this to be as good for him as it was for M. He trembled a bit from the effort.

"Connor?" M asked in a tiny voice.

Connor forced himself to stop. The spit wasn't a terrible lubricant, but it was already drying out. "Am I hurting you? Should I find the K-Y jelly?"

M shook his head. He stared up at Connor with stars in his eyes and Connor felt his heart skip a beat.

"What is it?" Connor asked calmly. He grit his teeth, but he couldn't help it. His cock was screaming at him to continue.

M smiled. "I love you," he said simply.

Connor took M's lips with his own. He sucked his tongue into his mouth, enjoying the taste of his love. His one true love…

He felt sentimental all of a sudden and he pushed himself up onto his knees.

"I love you, too, M," he said in a serious tone and he absolutely meant it. It wasn't a platitude or a cop out. He loved M more than anyone or anything…

M's anus clenched tight around Connor's shaft in response. Connor grunted and thrust a bit deeper. M squeezed his asshole again, teasing Connor deliciously, tempting him to enter fully.

Connor pulled out a touch and then slid back inside, deeper into M's asshole than before. He did this a few times more, going slow, sweating from the effort, and clamping down on the urge to cum again and again. M was gorgeous splayed out before him like this, naked and crying with pleasure.

Connor inched a bit deeper inside with his next stroke. M moaned and squeezed Connor's dick with his greedy little hole. He did that every time and Connor was going crazy with desire. He thrust his cock deeper still and M threw his head back in ecstasy.

Connor took these signs as an invitation to introduce the last few inches of his cock into M's eager body.

He paused, lifted the blond's legs over his shoulders, and then he thrust his hard cock all the way in. His eyes slammed shut immediately and he groaned deep in his throat as he fought off another orgasm. Fuck, if he could last for three more minutes he'd be happy.

When Connor came back to himself, he saw M was going through a similar situation. The blond's body was tense all over and his eyes were shut tight. He gasped for breath and his hands were fisted in the bed sheets.

"Did I hurt—?"

"No," M hissed. His eyes remained closed and he didn't relax at all. "Just give me a second…"

M took a couple deep breaths and suddenly, Connor felt the baby kick.

His abdomen was pressed to the bottom of M's enlarged tummy and that's where he'd felt it. The little bump, the unwelcome 'hello' from his unborn spawn… He wasn't about to be scared away when he was so close to cumming, though.

He boldly pressed the flat of his hand against M's stomach. He felt one more faint movement from inside and then nothing more…

"He's gone," M said in a raspy voice. "Please, please, fuck me now."

Connor didn't need further encouragement. He shifted his weight and leaned over M's prone figure.

He started to fuck M's asshole in earnest. He didn't feel nearly as much resistance as before. M's muscles had relaxed significantly and his anal passage was slick from Connor's pre-cum.

"Connor," M moaned for him. His frantic hands fought for purchase in the sheets. He cried out repeatedly in time with Connor's thrusts as he began a quick rhythm that had his groin smacking into M's soft, rounded ass.

Connor had finally worked up to the pace he wanted. He grunted like an animal and gripped M firmly around the hips. He dragged him down on his dick and slammed powerfully into his asshole.

The blond yelled out when Connor first nailed his prostate. He whined and cooed with helpless pleasure, thrashing his head around, when Connor continued to saw his engorged cockhead over that special spot… M strained to get his butt up higher, closer to Connor's plunging cock. It was obvious he was loving it. His eyes rolled up in his head when Connor fucked him especially deep and the sound of his accompanying moans and screams was raw and delicious.

Connor couldn't believe how long he'd lasted already, but he was reaching the end of his run. M's tight hole milked his cock, his skin smelled amazing, and Connor was just plain strung out from lack of regular sex. He needed to cum.

He felt himself ramping up the speed, getting closer to the peak, to his inevitable orgasm.

"Fuck!" he gasped. Stars erupted behind his eyes. He reached around, under M's belly and grabbed his cock. It leaked clear, sticky fluids onto Connor's clenching palm.

He squeezed the organ warmly and began stroking. He teased his fingers up around the head, teasing the skin there before he gripped the shaft again. M made a strange, strangled sound. His mouth opened wide, but no sound came out. Connor suddenly realized he was orgasming when he felt the boy's anus clamp down hard on his thrusting cock. He sobbed and closed his eyes, his face weary.

Connor pumped his cock into M's trembling body just a few times more and then he too was tumbling over the edge, spilling his seed deep into M's spasming rectum.

He rolled off the blond immediately. His hand was covered in cum. He licked it off absently and then wiped the residue on the sheets. They'd get washed. Eventually.

"Wow," M said. He blinked up at the dark ceiling. "That was amazing."

Connor smiled and threw his arm around the blond. He was exhausted, content and feeling very grateful. He kissed M's soft hair and stroked his back.

Their naked bodies curled together generated a lot of heat. Connor was incredibly comfortable. They didn't need to pull up the blankets…

Connor felt himself drifting lazily into sleep. He turned his face into M's chest and closed his eyes. He breathed M in… he smelled like sweat now, and faintly of cum. But Connor didn't mind. It was his cum anyway. It was probably leaking out of M's tight little ass right now…

***

The sound of someone clearing their throat woke Connor with a start. The sound was loud. It demanded attention.

He groggily opened his eyes. Bradley stood over them in bed, her hands on her hips.

"So I'm guessing this is why you never answered my texts," she said.

"What?" Connor rubbed a hand over his face. Beside him, M stirred and rolled onto his side. He buried his face against Connor's side.

"I sent a bunch of messages this morning," she said. "Obviously, we're home again. Jamie's still at the hospital."

"Mmm." Connor frowned. He looked around the bed for his phone and spotted his bath towel from last night instead. It lay in a crumpled ball on the corner of the bed. Oh fuck.

Connor glanced down at himself. Then he looked wildly over at M.

"Fuck!" They were completely naked and uncovered. "Bradley could you— Turn around or something! Let us get dressed first, shit."

Bradley chuckled but she politely turned around. She made a little show of covering her eyes and everything.

"I'm sorry guys, I didn't see anything interesting," she chortled. "I barely even noticed."

Connor looked down at his cum-crusted pubes… Not for the first time, he thought about shaving his cock and balls… either way, his resting dick wasn't anything to be ashamed about. It was a beautiful, thick piece of meat.

He snorted as he climbed out of bed. "You're lucky you got to see that," he said sarcastically. Still, he hurried to grab a fresh pair of boxers before Bradley cut the act and uncovered her eyes. M stayed on the bed but he pulled his t-shirt on from last night.

Bradley laughed again. "Why am I lucky?" She dropped her hands. "I'm a lesbian, Connor. If I woke up with a penis in my bed, I'd be having a pretty unlucky day."

Connor rolled his eyes. He dick was covered now, though, so he just let it drop.

"So, what's the story with Jamie?" he prodded. He pulled some jeans on and a faded red tee. He wished he could have gotten a shower first, but he seemed to be dressed for the day now.

"There is no story," Bradley said. "There's no change in her prognosis. She'll be waking up any minute now," she curled her lip and shook her head. "The doctors have no idea what's wrong with her, so I don't know how they can say something like that."

Connor glanced at M. The blond blinked black at him. He looked just as clueless as Jamie's doctors. Connor was a bit disappointed. "How's Nathan holding up?" he asked roughly.

"The same— You could have gotten the short version of this already if you'd turn your damn phone on. I got one message from you yesterday, something about being alone and M was still missing… That changed sometime in the night, obviously."

Connor smiled sheepishly. "My phone's on mute. Sorry."

"Pfft. Well, absolutely nothing has changed on our end. We got back here around 8 am. We assumed you were sleeping and we didn't want to bother you, so we got cleaned up downstairs. Hannah and I did at least. Nathan went to bed I think…" She frowned faintly and Connor wondered if maybe Nathan's crocodile tears hadn't been as fake as he'd assumed. Maybe he was depressed." Anyway, Julie showed up in an Uber around 9 and Hannah and I took over on that front, like I said we would."

Connor smiled darkly. "If she just stared at you blank like, then her brain was probably turned off."

"She started tearing up," Bradley said, glaring at Connor for his bad joke. "She went up to check on Nathan and I guess they decided to go see her. They left in the Hummer to go be with Jamie. They've been there all morning."

"Oh," Connor said dumbly.

"Hey, M," Bradley said, her tone cheery and fake.

M smiled brightly, totally missing Bradley's sarcasm. "Hi, Bradley!"

Bradley continued to smile. "What the hell happened to you, sweetie? I saw you vanish right before my eyes."

M licked his bottom lip and pulled his bare knees up to his chest. He considered his next words carefully. "The agent just wanted to show off. We spoke briefly and he made a bunch of false promises."

Bradley's smile started to become strained. "That's incredibly vague," she said.

"I know," M said. He shrugged. "The details aren't important. Connor and I agreed last night, the agent is going to do whatever he wants whenever he wants. Nobody is safe and nothing has changed, but he wasn't keeping watch over the house last night. I see that as being some weird sort of truce."

Bradley folded her arms." A truce? "

"I don't know," M said uncomfortably. "Maybe we just got the night off. I don't know what's going to happen next. I can't read minds like the agent can."

"He reads minds now? Great."

Connor laughed. "We're fucked. Get used to it."

"I'm starting too," Bradley said with a sigh. "What is the plan guys? Wait for Jamie to wake up? Stay inside at all times so we can hide under the covers?"

"I think the last one sounds about right," Connor said with a grin.

Bradley sighed again. "This is stupid. We're stuck in a never ending cycle of reacting. We need to be the reaction. We need to get a plan together so we can take this guy out already!"

Connor instantly agreed with her, but he he had to point something out first. "Seriously? Didn't we plan on you shooting the fucker when he showed up at the party? Marcus had a fucking light on him. Don't say you were blind in the dark or something… You pussed out."

"Hannah begged me not to use it," Bradley said harshly. "After I rescued her ass and helped her back into the house, she saw the gun and started bawling."

"So, you pussed out," Connor repeated.

Bradley showed her teeth. "Fuck you."

Connor smirked. "No. That's inappropriate."

"I won't let Hannah talk me down next time," Bradley said through her teeth. "I made a mistake."

"M?" Connor called. "Would a shot to the head be enough to end the agent?"

M hesitated. "I can't say. I've never even seen a gun in real life. I've seen them in movies a couple times," he said.

"How do we kill this guy," Connor stressed. Bradley listened intently, her eyes narrowed in thought.

M took a deep breath. "Complete removal of the head? The soul's the size of a human dime. The currency?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah?"

"And it's implanted on our pioneer ships by advanced AI, at the base of the human skull. It's connected to the spinal cord and the brain. That's all I know."

"That's a lot more than any of us," Bradley said.

Connor slowly shook his head. "Fucked up," he muttered.

M put his head down on his knees. His hand played with the ruffled sheets below him on the bed. "We're not supposed to kill each other… murder is as big a crime to my people as exposing our race and our mission to the natives."

"The agent is murdering aliens and humans. That has to mean something. Can't you do a citizen's arrest?" Connor asked.

"Yes," M said. "But that doesn't mean I can kill him."

"Then we'll do it," Connor said determinedly. "You just told us how."

M didn't say anything.

"How are we taking his head off," Bradley asked boredly.

"I don't fucking know," Connor said. "Any ideas?"

Bradley sighed and dropped her hands to her side. "Back to square one."

Connor shrugged. "It's not like we're missing anything. What else do you got to do besides save the world?"

He was mostly joking, but Bradley's face grew serious in a hot second.

"I've got to get back to my apartment. Bills need to be paid… I can't hang out with you guys on this eternal vacation for much longer," she said. "I need to get home and start looking for a new job."

Connor stared at Bradley for a long moment. "I guess I can see that,"he said." I lost everything the last time I was here. On this eternal vacation."

Bradley laughed. "Weren't you running from the police though?"

Connor frowned. "It sucked going home and seeing my place locked up and all hallowed out," he said sadly. "If you can avoid it, I'd recommend it."

"Yeah. Thanks," Bradley said.

Suddenly, M jumped up. "I'm hungry," he said. He rubbed his belly and sure enough, Connor though he heard it grumble.

"We ate cereal," Bradley said helpfully.

M nodded. He started to leave the room, but stopped at his set of drawers to find another pair of shorts.

He wasn't nearly as self-conscious as Connor was. He pulled his long top up without a care, giving them all another peep show. M's cock and balls were visible for a solid 10 seconds as he slid into his yellow jogging shorts.

Bradley awkwardly looked away, but Connor's gaze lingered on the blond's exposed body. He hoped he'd get to enjoy it again soon… Last night had been… something else.

"We might as well join him," Bradley said. "Hannah's down in the living room. She wasn't keen on waking you up."

"Well, now you get to tell her she missed the show," Connor said as he followed the others downstairs. "She loves catching us 'in the act'."

Bradley rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You wish. She was just trying to avoid another explosion. She's not in the mood to fight."

"Neither am I," Connor said. He sighed heavily. "I think I've got some apologizing to do."

They came down the second flight of stairs and entered the foyer. M charged ahead of them, heading for his bowl of Frosted Flakes. Bradley stopped in the middle of the hall and leveled a serious look in Connor's vicinity. Connor stopped dead in his tracks.

"Do you know how much Hannah loves you?"

Connor blinked. "I know—"

"Good. Then you know how much you hurt her feelings, right?" she hissed. " Because you do it regularly."

Connor rubbed the back of his neck. He tried to avoid Bradley's dark, intense eyes, looking at random pictures on the walls, staring hard at the carpet running the length of the hall, studying the crystals on the overhead chandelier… "I said I was going to apologize, right?"

"And I'm telling you it's a long time coming," Bradley said shortly. "So make it good."

"Fuck," Connor muttered. He kind of wished he hadn't said anything.

Bradley patted him powerfully on the shoulder. "We'll be waiting in the kitchen," she said and then she walked off into the other room.

Connor was left alone in the foyer. He licked his lips. They were suddenly very dry… Fuck, he didn't even know what he was supposed to say!

He'd made a promise to himself last night though. That he'd try to be better for M and the baby… He'd meant it, damnit. He couldn't let a little embarrassment and awkwardness keep him from doing what was right. Not anymore.

He went into the living room.

Hannah sat in the middle of the couch, her eyes trained to the afternoon news. The dog laid at her feet, asleep.

Hannah looked tired. Her body sagged into the back of the couch like it was her only support in the world…

"Hannah?"

The blonde girl turned at the sound of her name. Her eyes met Connor's and they lit up just a little.

Connor sighed… Poor fucking Hannah. She still had feelings for him…

He rounded the couch and sat on the edge, more than a foot away from Hannah. He hesitated. He looked down at his hands as he sorted through his words.

Hannah smiled at him. "What's up?"

"Hannah…" Connor started. "I'm sorry for last night. I'm sorry I yelled at you and caused a scene."

Hannah did a double take. "What?"

Connor took a deep breath. "I say a lot of mean things," he said. "That's because I'm not thinking about anyone but myself. I'm not thinking about how you're affected or what I'm doing to you. I'm angry and I want everyone to fucking know it."

Hannah's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Are you OK?"

Connor snorted with amusement. "Never better," he said. "But I think it's time to start thinking about my future. I'm sick of the way I am. You were right all along, I wasn't happy at Pizza Hut. Maybe I do want to go back to school. For something," he said vaguely. "But most of all, I don't want to become my father."

"You did a good job imitating him last night," Hannah said, which seemed like a pretty presumptuous thing to say since she'd never actually had the pleasure of meeting Marshall Flynn. But still…

"I shouldn't have used alcohol as a stress reliever," he said simply. "It wasn't smart."

"No," Hannah said. "It wasn't." She frowned a bit. "I always wanted you to come to me when you were upset. I just wanted you to talk to me about stuff. About life..."

"Can't we do that now?" Connor asked shyly. "I mean," he lowered his eyes. "I didn't ruin it, did I? We're still friends, right?"

"Oh, Connor." Hannah touched his cheek. Her fingers were warm.

Connor looked up at her. He felt strangely vulnerable. He'd never felt like this before, raw, fucking helpless… like his soul was exposed.

He didn't apologize… He didn't express himself or his emotions… He definitely didn't admit his faults out loud… but he'd just done all of those things and he was left feeling bare. It was weird.

Hannah stared deeply into his eyes. "Can I just— One more time…" She leaned across the couch, separating the distance between them in a heartbeat. Before Connor could figure out what she was asking, Hannah closed the space between them and pressed her lips to his.

"Hey!" M yelled.

Connor tore out of Hannah's grasp, his eyes searching frantically for the source of the voice.

M and Bradley stood in the doorway. Bradley had a hand over her mouth, hiding a smile, but M glared death at Hannah. He held a bowl of cereal, half eaten, in one hand and a spoon in the other.

"You kissed my boyfriend!" he cried, pointing the spoon in Hannah's face. "Get off!"

Hannah flushed red all over. She stuttered. "Wh-when did you get here? Nobody told me you were b-back!"

"Hands off, Hannah," M said. "I'm here to stay. I'm not letting you move in on my boyfriend!"

Hannah jumped up, making the dog jump too, in surprise. "I wouldn't do that," she said quickly. "I was just tying the loose ends of our relationship. I was just saying goodbye!" Jack whined and crouched down. He hurried out of the room and away from the human drama.

M moved aside so the dog could get by but he didn't otherwise move. He continued to glare at Hannah and the spoon trembled. It's blame held true. It pointed straight at Hannah's guilty face.

"I'm sorry!" Hannah cried and she ran out of the room, after the dog.

"Oh, c'mon, really?" Bradley huffed. She turned to go after the girl. "Thanks a lot guys."

M and Connor were suddenly alone in the living room. M put his spoon back in its bowl and came further into the room. He sat beside Connor and started munching on his frosted corn flakes once more.

"Uh…" Connor started. "I didn't mean for her to kiss me."

"I know," M said easily. "We watched the whole thing. Bradley didn't think you'd be able to pull it off. She bet me five candy bars that you would choke and you wouldn't apologize."

Connor snorted. "I guess you won."

"Yep," M smiled. "Next time we're at the store, I get my pick!"

Connor changed the channel. He was in the mood for some brainless CourtTV.

M took a bite of his cereal and settled in for the show. "She better never look at you like that again though," he said casually. "I'll tear her face off if she ever gets a crazy idea like that again."

Connor laughed.

"I can't believe she put her lips on you! Ick!"

Connor smiled. Go figure, it wasn't until after another enemy ambush and the loss of Jamie as an active ally that he found some contentment.

He chuckled a little under his breath at the irony of it all. Everything was falling apart and Connor was glowing from the fantastic night of lovemaking he'd just had. He kind of felt like an asshole.

M finished his cereal a few minutes into the court show. He started to get up. "Do you want a bowl? I'm going to wash mine real quick."

Connor nodded. "I want the Reece Puffs though."

M got up to head into the kitchen, but he paused first, his eyes meeting Connor's.

"I love you," he said.

Connor drew the little blond down for a kiss. It was slow and passionate. Connor tasted the inside of M's sweet mouth, made even sweeter from his sugary breakfast.

As usual, the future was dark and unknown, but Connor didn't care. Somehow, he carve out a future for himself with M at his side. He was starting to see a tinier version of M in that future as well. A blond, blue-eyed little baby…

M left the room and Connor heard the water turn on in the kitchen. He relaxed into the couch and decided to take the day off, to enjoy M's company and to recuperate from a night of drinking, drugs, and terror.

Tomorrow, he would start looking for another job. He'd been idle for too long. He didn't want to sit around anymore, fearing some sort of alien attack that might or might not be coming anytime soon. He needed to get some new wheels too… Fuck, he missed having some independence.

Feeling hopeful despite the grim outlook, Connor waited patiently for his cereal.