"Are you mad at Heeyos, Maman?"
Ezra's hand stopped mid-motion while brushing through Lior's soft hair.
It was after bath time now, the room still faintly warm from the steam earlier, with Lior sitting patiently in front of him while Ezra carefully dried and brushed his beautiful pale hair.
Lior smelled faintly like soap and honey.
It was comforting despite everything that happened.
And somehow, that normalcy made Ezra's chest ache even more considering everything happening around them.
"A bit," Ezra answers softly after a moment, continuing to brush through the strands carefully.
Because with Lior now in danger—
And with Helios becoming the main suspect behind all of it—
Ezra didn't want to risk Lior continuing to trust him too much after all the times Ezra himself made Helios seem safe.
Trustworthy.
Good.
"Why?" Lior asks innocently, tilting his head back slightly just to look up at him better.
Ezra's chest tightened faintly at the sight.
