2

Chapter 2

Victor: hello Hugo, can you hear me?

Victor: hey Hugo! Are you still there?

Victor: I know I sound desperate, but please answer me

Victor: please tell me you're alright.

Victor: please answer me...

Victor: please tell me that you're alive.

Victor: please tell me that you're alive.

Victor: please tell me you're alive.

Victor: please say something.

Victor: please respond...

Victor: please....

Suddenly, the door opened and revealed Victor standing behind it. Victor's face immediately lit up when he saw his husband in the door frame. Victor ran across the room and jumped on his husband, hugging him tightly.

Hugo laughed slightly, he loved how happy Victor made him. He lifted his arms to hold his husband tighter. Victor gently kissed the top of Hugo's head, and stroked Hugo's soft brown hair.

"You scared me!" Victor exclaimed, almost making Hugo cry again.

Hugo chuckled again, "sorry Victor..." Hugo whispered as he returned his head to where Victor was holding him.

The couple sat on the couch together, enjoying each other's company while Victor continued to caress Hugo's head. Victor noticed that his husband's eyes were a bit red and puffy which worried him.

Victor: Hugo I know that today is very stressful for you but, please don't worry too much. Everything will be fine, we'll find a way to solve this problem. We can deal with anything as long as you stay with me.

Hugo sighed deeply, knowing that even Victor would be disappointed once he hears what happened last night. "I couldn't control myself, I didn't want to"

Victor: Hugo, please look at me

Hugo turned his head to meet Victor's eyes, "it was all my fault. You shouldn't have come with me.

Victor: no Hugo! Listen to me! No one deserves this. I'm sorry that I'm a poor excuse for an elder brother.

Hugo: what? Victor, no. It was my decision. I had been drinking and I lost control.

Victor: yes and I'm thankful that you didn't drink any more. However, I still wish you would've let me know before we got home.

Hugo: yeah... but what did you expect me to do?

Victor: I don't know, Hugo. Anything besides that.

Hugo sighed again, "yeah... I know but, I was feeling stressed lately and... I guess I just overreacted".

Victor: so what's the plan now?

Hugo: nothing really, we just sit tight until the authorities arrive. Then maybe talk to them about what happened last night.

Victor: okay.

The couple spent most of the day watching TV and eating whatever snacks Victor had in the kitchen, though Hugo wasn't hungry. As soon as it was getting dark, Victor drove Hugo back to their house. It was only a few blocks away from the mansion, but Hugo was nervous nonetheless. Victor helped him get inside their house and locked the gate. Then he guided Hugo to his bedroom. Hugo layed down on his bed, exhausted from everything that had happened earlier that day. He didn't notice that his eyelids were closing slowly as he fell asleep.

***

Meanwhile, Victor stood in front of the large wooden desk that was in the center of his office, deep in thoughts. It was late afternoon when Victor decided that there was nothing else he could do.

"Victor, are you alright?", Ms. Platin called out to her boss

"Yes, why wouldn't I be? What brings you here?".

Mr. Platin shrugged, "I heard about this incident from our security guards this morning. Apparently a lot of people witnessed the whole scene. I was wondering if you needed any help with any investigations?"

Victor sighed, "thank you, Mr. Platin, but I don't think it's a good idea for me to involve any of the police officers in this. I've known them for a while now and they aren't the best at handling situations like this. Besides, I don't want to drag anyone else into this. Not everyone needs to know about this case."

Ms. Platin took a seat in one of the armchairs facing Victor, "why don't you bring someone from the police department over here so we can get everything straightened out? A new perspective may help you figure out the situation better".

Victor thought for a minute, "I don't want to inconvenience anybody", he finally replied.

"I'll just send one of the security guards. Maybe it'll help you understand the situation better", she suggested.

"Okay", Victor agreed. He was starting to feel overwhelmed by all the information that was being thrown his way. He knew that he couldn't afford to lose any more sleep than necessary so he told Ms. Platin that he'd send one of the security guards over later that evening.

When he walked back into the conference room, he noticed Hugo's eyes fixed on him. Hugo stood up from where he was sitting, "you should go to sleep. Get some rest." He said quietly.

Victor raised an eyebrow, "I won't make you go through this again Hugo, I promise"

"No", Hugo shook his head, "I don't want you to go through it again. It was bad enough yesterday and you were so weak and vulnerable..."

Victor frowned slightly in confusion, he hadn't realized that he had shown weakness or vulnerability. He was used to being strong and dominant during times like these so he never bothered to try to control the feelings that surged inside him every time the criminals attacked his son.

"So I'll just leave you alone in peace", Hugo stated, trying to mask the fear that was visible on his face.

Victor stared at Hugo for a few moments. He suddenly smiled as he reached out his hand and placed it softly against the younger man's cheek, "Hugo... I know that you're worried and scared, but I'm perfectly capable of handling everything myself. Don't forget to take care of yourself".

Hugo looked down to avoid the contact with Victor's hazel eyes. After a short moment he looked up again to nod slightly, "okay. Thank you". He turned around and started to walk out of the room.

Before he left the room Victor spoke again, "just remember, I love you". Hugo stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned around to face Victor again, his heart skipped a beat when he looked into his husband's gorgeous hazel eyes. For some reason he couldn't seem to stop looking at Victor. His husband was the first person who he allowed himself to trust since losing his parents. It felt nice to see Victor showing him such unconditional kindness and support. Despite being so young and inexperienced he had always believed that Victor would be the one to take care of him. And now he found himself proven right yet again, even if Victor didn't show it in the exact same way that Hugo had always dreamed of.

Hugo quickly glanced away from Victor's eyes, realizing just how long he had been staring at him. He forced a small smile and muttered a quick 'goodnight' before quickly leaving the room and locking the door after him.

He leaned his forehead against the hard wooden door. Victor didn't understand why he had reacted like that. Why did he feel so ashamed of being upset over something as simple as seeing his wife being mugged? Even if the mugger was only trying to rob her, that's not the point. He felt guilty for letting his own emotions get the best of him and for scaring Hugo when he tried to protect him. All he wanted was to protect his family.

But, he also hated how easily he seemed to give in to the darkness that he was born into. The only reason Hugo was able to overcome those negative traits was because of his wonderful mother. She taught him how to live a happier life instead of a sad one, how to be strong and confident instead of broken. In her eyes, the dark side of society wasn't scary or evil. The opposite actually. She believed that everything that came out of your mouth was the truth. If you believed it then nobody could ever hurt you.

In her mind, her child was worth everything. He would forever be her shining beacon of hope. That was exactly why the world was in jeopardy because Victor could be swayed by negativity and depression too. But the light he shone was just enough to keep Victor sane. She knew that Victor would need her more than he needed a therapist to cope with everything going on in his head right now. She loved him too much to watch him become a bitter alcoholic.

Hugo slowly pushed open the door to his and Victor's shared room and stepped inside. He crawled underneath the covers of his bed and pulled them up to his chin as he closed his eyes, hoping for a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 7

Two days passed without any incidents. Everyone at work was acting strangely, except for Victor. They were trying to hide anything suspicious that had happened from him, and he appreciated their efforts. Victor kept his distance from everybody including Hugo. He tried to put himself together but the guilt was eating him alive. He had been careless enough to let Hugo down and now he couldn't find the words to apologize properly for hurting his son's feelings. He hadn't seen his father or the rest of the group either.

One evening at dinner, Victor sat beside his wife and Hugo next to him, "hey baby", she said cheerfully

"Hey mom", he whispered.

She smiled gently at her son, "are you okay?", she asked cautiously.

"Yeah, mom. I'm fine", he nodded.

His mother gave him one final glance and nodded at him, "if you say so", she said with a small smile.

After dinner, they made their way upstairs to Hugo's room. As soon as they were inside, Hugo dropped down onto his bed and threw his legs over the side of it. The two adults watched him silently as he laid there silently staring off into space. His body was rigid and trembling lightly.

"Hugo?", Victor asked hesitantly, "how are you feeling?"

Hugo remained silent, "it's just...", he began, "