Shady

“Then why did I almost just kill my second father?” she asked bitterly, tears springing to her eyes. She rubbed at them angrily, not looking at him. “You’d have thought ...

“Because every time you try, I make something worse.”

Well, that was cute. And dangerous. Ky and Tadaaki both instinctively clasped their hands — well, Ky tried, and then remembered her left arm was in a sling and had ...

“No one can help,” she breathed, closing her eyes. “Everyone wants to help. And… and I appreciate that. But… but there’s nothing… there’s no pleasing someone like me.”

Well, that was a warmer reception than they’d expected. And far, far warmer than either of them deserved. Ky looked at the little boy warily but kept her anxious smile. ...

“Thank you.” Ky nodded to Emery. She and Tadaaki were side-by-side and there was a half second beat of awkwardness before she reluctantly strode in first. Tadaaki shuffled in on ...

She looked at him coldly for a moment then glanced away. She was being unreasonable. Did he even know about the whole library incident? Probably not. And even if he ...

Ky nodded. So, they shouldn’t be there. She and Tadaaki weren’t friends, much less close ones, and they certainly weren’t family. So why were they intruding on the family meal? ...

Ky’s eyes snapped open and she fixed him in the most venomous glare any of them had seen from her. How dare he throw the library in her face? This ...

Ky took a deep breath, trying to decide whether to insist she didn’t need anything and was fine or whether to snarl at him to see if she could hurt ...

Ky forced another little smile, but it was just that: forced. “…how many people are at meals usually?”

“I’m sure Ms. Miller will insist on it.” Ky smiled but it faltered when she realized that she wasn’t going to like them anymore. She’d feel betrayed. Because. Well. They’d ...

“Thanks,” she said sarcastically. She knew she’d be selling the whole well-adjusted thing better if she did anything at all. Like, even just sitting upright. Or smiling once. Or… anything. ...

“…I’m fine.”

“Yessir.” Ky dipped her head and Tadaaki followed suit. Gods. Gods they were both dead. They’d made it a few hours longer than Aleth. Whoopdedoo. Now they were to be ...