It must’ve been an hour since the session started. Bliss lounged with his legs draped over the shrink’s couch and his head hanging off the seat. His hands rested on the ground behind his head. He was counting every screw wedged in the metal ceiling above, annoyed at how perfectly spaced they all were. He was relying on that petty rage to carry him through mandatory counseling. A blurry glimpse of the woman sitting across from him rested in the corner of his visual field.

  “Mtsislav, please look at me.”

  His eye twitched at the gentle tone in her command. The one face hanging over his head turned to many. The barking of shadows that no longer mattered scattered across the room. Some voices were drenched in sugar, others came with the promise of violence. All dripping with that hint of fear Bliss came to recognize so well. The woman’s head moved out of range, taking the shadows away with her.

  “I’m sorry. It seems I’ve upset you.” He heard her write something down, undoubtedly cataloguing his brief hallucinatory fugue. “These sessions are a cooperative effort. If there’s anything that makes you uncomfortable, you can always let me know.”

  One arm emerged from behind his head. The shrink’s eyes tracked it as he moved it to hover over his face. His CellPulse lit up and he checked the time. Only twenty minutes passed since he was locked in this room. He sighed and put the hand right back where it was, closing his eyes in defiance.

  “I’d like to know more about why you decided to open up about your trauma during the gala.”

  Bliss put his hand to his mouth and stifled a laugh. Immediate regret flooded in. Any reaction gave away too much information.

  More writing followed the small outburst. “Interesting…”

  Shit.

  He swung himself up and pivoted his legs to rest properly on the couch. His hands folded politely over his lap.

  “Opening up is an interesting way to put it,” he said.

  Her eyebrows moved up in a calculated display of curiosity. “How would you describe it?”

  He scoffed. “I said what everyone was already thinking. I silenced a rumor.”

  “You made a lot of people feel less alone. Less ashamed. That counts for something, regardless of your intent.”

  “Everything I do counts for something.”

  She paused, then nodded along. “How does that make you feel?”

  He turned to examine her face. She moved to make eye contact as soon as it was available. An inquisitive stare. A neutral expression.

  Oh, she’s good. Crux must’ve given her reality glue before this.

  “Nothing.”

  “And you felt nothing when you confirmed your history as a trafficking victim?”

  His eyes moved from side-to-side. The shrink actually managed to get him to think about it. There was no use in turning back after that.

  “Mostly. Maybe I felt a little amused.”

  He turned back towards her, waiting for even the slightest hint of disgust.

  “Are you looking for something?” she asked.

  He absolutely overestimated how much he could push a professional. It must’ve been that damn reality glue. This was a wake-up call. He had relied on his powers too much to make people squirm. Maybe he wasn’t as sharp as he thought.

  “That’s alright. I’ll move on. Would you tell me why you felt amused?”

  He started feeling pressure setting into his bones. This was too much. It was time to pull the plug. He let the color in his eyes fade away as they found the screws in the ceiling once again. The shrink sighed and time continued to pass in the background of his ceiling observations. He came back when the shrink’s CellPulse started beeping, signaling his freedom.

  “That’s our time, Mtsislav. I’ll see you next time.”

  She leaned forward and extended a hand to him. He didn’t bother shaking it. He just wanted to be anywhere else. Well, not anywhere. As much as he hated it, his heart was pulling him to one particular spot. He went up and out of the planet.

  I can’t believe I’m doing this.

  He flew to the miniature planet housing the GSA’s most well-guarded prisoner. Crux hesitantly gave him access to the monster’s cell. Bliss would’ve rioted if he didn’t. He claimed it was so he could monitor his brother’s mental state; to check if he was ready to give in and follow Crux’s orders. That was a lie. He wasn’t fooling anybody, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

  The giant door welcomed him back to the chamber. Crux’s fragment was hunched over in the corner, working on a panel that led to Old God knows what. In the containment device, Onder’s eyes were closed and his body relaxed. Bliss found it impressive that he managed to sleep so soundly in the gravity-manipulation chamber. Part of him wanted to bang on the glass and wake him up. Another part wanted to crawl into the crook of his arm the way he did as a child.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  He thought, really thought about phasing through the glass tube. He could do it easily enough. It wouldn’t disrupt the containment process. The only problem was that Onder was now an enemy. His brother was looking for anything to use as a weapon against Bliss. Anything to prove he was the lost and scared child Onder gave up years ago.

  Don’t do it. Dear Old God don’t you do it.

  One blink and suddenly his hand was translucent and passing through the glass. He gasped at his own weakness.

  You’re a fucking joke. You want to be held that badly?

  Yes. He knew that he did. It didn’t make it any easier to give up his pride. Entropi had abandoned him for the cold embrace of space indefinitely. There was no one else to cry on.

  He slowly dragged his full body into the chamber and let himself float towards Onder. He caught one of his arms and settled in the open space. Onder arm twitched at the contact and moved inward, trapping Bliss in a hug.

  “Mtsi…” Onder’s eyes were still closed. His voice was light enough that Bliss trusted he was still asleep. “Please. I’ll protect you this time.”

  Another chance to do what? Are you going to drag my innocence out of the trash?

  In all of his spite, Bliss still let his head rest on Onder’s shoulder. His brother had the nerve to start sniffling. The sound made Bliss want to break down himself. He felt a tingling sensation in his eyes as he tried to remain calm.

  It’s not you I miss! It’s the time before I was like this…

  He was sick of letting the words rot inside of his mind. Onder needed to hear it. Mtsi was gone. Discarded years ago by people who only wanted Bliss. He couldn’t be both. He chose the option that caused less pain.

  “Onder.”

  The red giant’s eyes flickered open. His hand tightened around Bliss’s back and he choked on his own breath. He turned to see Bliss cradled between his arm and torso. Bliss watched a desperate smile form on his face.

  “Mtsi, you’ve finally come to your senses.”

  Bliss chuckled. “That’s what you call this? I think I’ve finally lost it.”

  Onder then looked down to find that he was still floating in the chamber. He grimaced at the walls and a low growl escaped his chest.

  “The rock-man put you in here too?”

  That assumption earned a full-on cackle. Bliss almost scared himself with how hard he was laughing. The ridiculous assumption that he went rogue. Thinking Crux would actually put him in prison next to Onder. That the chamber was even capable of holding him. It was too good. Too precious. Onder’s expression went back to one of parental disappointment, though he still kept Bliss within his grasp.

  “I’m sorry, I just-“ The laughing continued as he wiped a tear from his eye. “That’s so adorable. On so many levels.”

  “So, you chose to come in here? You want to cling to my arm?”

  He had Bliss there. It was a clear sign of continued affection for the man he claimed to disown a few days ago.

  “This is just muscle memory. Don’t flatter yourself.”

  Onder started laughing as well. “Oh yeah?” Bliss started to move within his grip as his brother continued. “You’re even wearing something normal. This is the first time I’ve seen you out of that ridiculous outfit they keep you in. Do your donors like it?”

  Bliss shoved Onder’s torso away. “Fine, if you’re gonna be like that I’ll just leave.”

  Bliss phased through his brother’s arm and seamlessly cut through the gravity field, landing back on the floor just outside the chamber. He ruined the moment when he woke Onder up. He always ruined it. He always had to push people a step further.

  Onder’s face dropped when Bliss slipped away. The last bit of control he could pull out of the situation, even if he felt the comfort was over too quickly.

  Gut him now, or else this humiliation was for nothing.

  He let his eyes drift down to his feet, bringing out some of the tears he always kept in reserve. “I guess I did miss being held. Being held by someone without expectations. Even you seem to expect something from me now.”

  “I expect nothing from you—I just want you to make the right choice! I don’t care if I’m stuck here. All I want is for you to escape.”

  Onder chose the wrong words. Very, very wrong. Darkness started filling the room as color drained out of Bliss. This time, his entire body started to twitch, glitching in and out of space. He took two steps forward and slammed his fist into the glass, cracking the reinforced material. Onder actually flinched.

  His voice came out wrong. It echoed throughout the room and cut in and out, just like his body. “That’s. Not. Nothing.”

  WARNING: DAMAGE FOUND IN MAIN CONTAINMENT CHAMBER. REPAIRING NOW.

  Bliss felt a force pushing him to the side and fell straight onto his left arm. He looked to find the Crux fragment franticly sealing the crack as the chamber helped repair itself. He didn’t even bother scolding Bliss for temporarily bringing the GSA closer to an extinction event.

  “DON’T YOU TOUCH HIM!” Onder hissed at the fragment.

  Bliss couldn’t be bothered to watch this argument play out. He created enough pain to last the rest of the day. He actually felt like going to sleep at this point, though he knew he had a funeral to get to. He pushed himself up from the ground and dusted himself off.

  “You two have fun. I have to go to the funeral of the man whose head you crushed.”

  Whatever conversation unfolded behind him was tuned out entirely. He wasn’t going to explain his sudden rage to Crux. He certainly wasn’t going to watch Onder white-knight for him.

  The only thing he had to worry about after that pathetic attempt at comfort was being asked to speak at Surfrista’s funeral. They’d probably expect it since Bliss was the object of Armageddon’s obsession. Some may have even claimed it was his fault for hosting the gala. Certain reporters certainly tried taking that angle.

  Bliss related rage-bait needs to be its own news category at this point.

  He made his way back into the stars and landed on planet Lusus a few blocks away from the GSA’s “official” cathedral for the Old God. Bliss wore a black suit, hoping it would conceal his appearance just enough to get him through the event. All he had to do was make it into the pictures so no one could claim he wasn’t there.

  I’ll be there in body, but not in mind or spirit.

  When he entered the hall, he finally got a glimpse of Surfrista’s portrait at the front of the room. He planned to remain apathetic for the whole ordeal, but something inside started churning when he saw that dumb smile. He hadn’t seen the man’s face for a good while. A small sigh escaped his lips without warning. Surfrista was only a small nuisance in his life, but he was in it. He managed to take up some of the empty space in Bliss’s head. He was going to miss that.

  Despite your slacking, I know you loved this job. I’m sorry, Surfrista.

  Every hero knew what the job could cost them. Bliss knew a more unique price, but Surfrista paid the ultimate one. He deserved a proper send off from his coworkers. He was worthy of Bliss’s eulogy.

  I’d try to say something. I can always turn bullshit into beautiful words. But I can’t bring myself to stand in front of people who actually loved you. I don’t even know your real name.