Hermes sat with his head in his hands.
The sterile lights above him hummed faintly, their glow bouncing against the polished tiles of the research facility.
His elbows rested on his knees, his fingers pressing against his temples as if he wanted to squeeze the thoughts out before they tore him apart.
Ymir and Magni sat with him. Not beside him exactly, but close enough to share the same waiting bench. They weren't speaking. They weren't even breathing too loud.
Every now and then, Ymir would glance at Magni as if silently telling him to say something. Magni would return the look, equally hesitant, equally unsure. Neither moved.
The silence stretched like a thread about to snap.
Then footsteps echoed. Light ones. Quick, eager.
Somner appeared, or rather… Cael in this timeline. The blond, green-eyed boy who now walked in that borrowed skin.
He spotted Hermes and immediately rushed forward, tackling him into a hug!
