Sick

Four months have passed since the Leechs moved. William got a new and more peaceful job that he usually works from home registering and analyzing the missions of the other hunters and confirming if the actual situation and the story told by them match, rarely being called to participate in missions himself because the S.S. Association classified him as "too useful to never go to the battlefield", despise William tealing them he can't handle much time using his vampire powers. William almost exclusively only works and takes care of his kids, rarely sleeping or feeding himself.

One night Blair had a nightmare and woke up scared, so she came out of her room and went to William's, but he wasn't there. Blair tries to search for William all over the apartment, but she doesn't find him. She got more scared and started crying, until she heard a weird noise from the bathroom. She stays on a attack position in case someone invaded their house. William comes out of the bathroom wearing a dirty black t-shirt, gray sweatpants and a dark purple jacket. He's tired and his stomach hurts.

- Hmm… Blair? Is everything ok? -

- Dad? DAD! -

Blair runs and hugs William, the force of the impact almost makes William throw up again.

- I'm scared and you disappeared and the bathroom had a weird noise and and… -

Blair cries and starts talking gibberish while mixing rhyolitan and sedento. William bends and grabs her in his arms.

- You had a nightmare, didn't you? -

Blair nods in agreement. William gives her a painful smile and they go to his room. He puts her on his bed, takes out his jacket, grabs a blanket and lays next to her, covering her up with the blanket. She puts her head on William's chest and tries to cover him too, being able to just put a small part of the blanket across his chest and shoulder. Blair sleeps peacefully, but William can't sleep at all.

He had just come from an emergency mission that took around 30 minutes and he decided to go alone because both Caleb and Blair were sleeping. It was the very first time William decided to go out without Blair and it was terrifying. He is the parent, he is the grown up, but the anxiety and paranoia are bigger than he thought they were. Not being with Blair remembered him back when his life hadn't been destroyed. The fear of being recognized by anyone or anything made William brutal on the mission. Blair had always been William's confort, even without them realizing. William is afraid that maybe he hurts Caleb because of his codependency, even though he adopted Caleb because both Caleb and Blair are the same and William can see himself in Caleb.

- Am I protecting you or you are protecting me? -

William whispers to Blair.

The next morning, William is preparing breakfast when Caleb asks from behind.

- Why are you wearing this? -

- This what? -

- You look too fancy! -

- Those are just clothes, I'm going to wash the other ones later. -

- Ok than. Choco milk? -

- You don't like it? -

- How did you take so much? You've been there for like hours! -

- I just took like 10 minutes. -

- Still too much! -

- Kids, I'm just a little sick today. So if you can just not make a lot of noise and mess it would be wonderful, ok? When you get hungry I'll make something. -

William goes to his room and Blair and Caleb start staring at each other in an awkward silence.

- What if I made dad sick? -

Blair says worried

- What? -

- I slept with dad yesterday! What if I made him sick? -

- If you made him sick, you would be sick too! -

- What if I'm sick! -

- You don't look sick. -

- But what if? -

- I don't know! I'm just going to watch cartoons all day, or maybe that violent shows with blood for adults. -

Caleb finishes his choco milk and stands up to put his mug on the sink, he smiles while talking about the violent shows.

- You can watch that! Auntie Dustine said that when you're not old enough to watch a show and you watch anyways, the TV explodes! And that would make a lot of noise and dad would be really mad! -

- That guy can be mad? -

- He can! And that 's scary!

- I don't believe you! -

- But you better do! I have known dad for my whole life! You have being here for like an autumn! -

- Are you saying you're better than me? -

- I'm saying that I'm smarter than you! Because you are a dumb dumb that wants to explode the TV! -

- I'm the dumb dumb? You thought you made him sick! -

Blair and Caleb start arguing about who is dumber between them, slowly getting louder and angrier. To the point where Caleb's right arm divides in two and he threatens to punch Blair on her face and her stomach at the same time, being stopped by William grabbing his top shoulder.

- What have I just told you two? -

William askes with a more serious sounding voice.

- To not make noise… -

Blair and Caleb answer at the same time.

- And what you were doing? -

- Noise… -

- I'm not going to give you time out simply because I'm sick today. But I'm counting and you both are going to have time out tomorrow! -

William leaves back to his bedroom, exhausted.

- How can he be so scary? He didn't even hit us! -

- Adults don't hit kids! But… I don't know, he's just sick. -

- … I'm going to turn the TV on, on a cartoon. -

- Ok! Can we watch Orange the mailfruit? -

- What is that? -

Blair starts explaining the plot of the cartoon for preschoolers she likes, that she likes only because all the characters are edible and that's why she doesn't have any merch from the show. While they were watching the show, William appears with bandages and begins to trap Caleb's right arms together, from the shoulder to the fists.

- Why? -

- To make them fuse back faster. -

William finishes and goes back to his bedroom. Caleb looks at his right hands with curiosity and leaves Blair to see William in his room. William is laid down on his stomach with his head at the opposite direction of the door, uncovered. Caleb doesn't know were William's blanket is, so he goes to his room and grab his own blanket on top of his bed and tries to cover William, failing multiple times because his right arms are fusing and Caleb's blanket is too small for William's body. Blair notices Caleb is gone, turns off the TV and tries to search for him, when she finds Caleb trying to cover William, Blair goes to William's wardrobe and grabs with difficulty William's blanket, Caleb helps her and they try again to cover William, but failing because Blair is too short and doesn't know were she is throwing the blanket. William sits down and asks:

- What are you two doing? -

- Do you have a cold? -

Caleb asks.

- No. -

Caleb gets worried because he just realized he doesn't know any other sickness name.

- Orange said today that when people get sick, they can have a fever, and than they cover themselves. -

Blair answers William.

- Thank you, kids. -

William gives them a painful smile. Blair returns with a bright joyful smile and Caleb gives a confused smile. William lays down again and the kids keep staring wondering what they should do for long 10 seconds. Caleb helps Blair to get on the bed and than climbs too, William turns to lay with his back down and the kids lay down too and hugs him on top of the blanket. William adjusts the blanket to cover them as well while they try to make him feel better. They fail, but they don't need to know.