The meeting with Tetraeniute still weighed on Lawrence's mind. On one hand he grieved possible needless end, and yet...

Elektra had been so hostile. The insults, the anger...

Lawrence opened his text messaging app and opened the thread with her. He read monmths of text messages pestering him to come home with the children. Complaining he was woprking too much, did he not care about the children or her? A sigh. Of cou4rse he did. She was so angry and all Lawrence tried to do was bring home enough for his family.... He had tried. Was he really so out of touch? So disconnected from his boys? He hadn't ev en known about Cherish or Reynard, was it him?

Lawrence shook, wondering if his sons were better with their sister. Even now to his surprise her boyfriend had offered to let them stay at his apartment a few hours to play with his youngest brother Levi. To his knowledge they'd gone. Hell, Eos thought Lex was "cool". Lawrence buried his face in his hands. He felt like he was drowning.. Drowning in uncertainty, drowning in despair, drowning--

"Bill Nye the Science Guy! BILL BILL BILL BILL--"

The sound of loud thomping startled Lawrence out of his depressed spiral as he looked to see his son bouncing for the kitchen, the boy freezing when he saw his father, blinking as he stood mid-hop like he was just caught thnropwing a baseball in the house, eyes wide as he stared at his father with the mollified look one generally expected of a human twice his age. And Eos was a newly minted 8 year old. Lawrence stared at the bopy quizzically, one yellow brow raising slowly as he stared at his sopn. For one, it astonished him to see Eos bouncing about. Second to see his son plainly watching things on his tablet Lawrence recalled watching as a child. Third, that Eos was home at all.

"What.... Are you doing with my tablet?" Lawrence asked, reaching for it. Eos withered, handing it over.

"Sorry Dad. I was watching Bill Nye the Science Guy." A pause. "And there's Bill Nye Saves The World on a streaming service--"

"Why didn't you go with your brothers?" Lawrence asked. He wanted to point out Bill Nye Saves The Woirld was for older viewers but.... It ewas... Educatgional. Lawrence addressed the issue he faced first. Why was Eos [home?

"I didn't feel like it." Eos huffed. "And there was a chance I'd get to be homer alone--"

"Not onm your life young man." Lawtrnce sighed, shaking his head, then... Paused. "And why are you watching Bill Nye anyhow? You need to socialize at yoiur age."

"I mean, do I, Dad? The other kids don't like me at school and I like Levi but..." Eos wrinkled his nose. "He doesn't play video games." It was the logic of a child and Lawrence saighed.

"And you're watching Bill Nye, not playing vuideo games." Lawrence argued,

"Cyrus hid my controllers." Eos grumbled, then held the tablet up. "I thought you'd hsave games and then I saw streaming and well. Uhm. I like Bill Nye." Eos huffed. "And there's this cool cartoon called Animaniacs on there! And old cartoon Batman! And--"

"-- did you break into my bookmarks?!" Lawrence fret, walking over. Eos blinked.

"But it's all educational or cartoons!" Eos protested. Lawrence groaned. He could already hear Elektra complaining he needed to encourage Eos into joining his brothers. It had been a common argument. She always encouraged Eric since he was the son closest to her. Cyrus she praised for his socializing and person skills. Eos....

Lawrence sighed. Elekjtra complained Eos needed to be nmore like Eric and Cyrus. Thren again she'd been so sure their son had to be a girl at birth she named him after the Greek Goddess of Dawn and refused to change her mind. For a moment, Lawrence considered takiong Eos to the apartment himself. His son... Did need to expand his horizons... Didn't he? Before Lawrence could speak, Eos flounced onto his father's lap and Lawrence went entirely still. Eos had never initiated as much when Elektra was alive and Lawrence snapped out of it, looking at his son.

"What are you doing?" Lawrence asked. Eos pulled a video up on Youtube, showing him.

"Look Dad, I found a cool music video." Eos said excitedly. Lawtrrence blinked. Eos was engaged. In technology.

"I see that." Lawrence managed. Eos was getting xomfortable, pulling up a VOD onm the site, showing Lawrence. Lawrence hummed,.

"Ah. The Artemis II launch, yes, I showed the stream live in class, why?" Lawrence blinked. Eos gasped.

"Really?! I didn't get to talk about it in school, my teacher said it had nothing to do with the current unit in class even thoiugh we're literally talking about Apollo and thisw is the followup and how am I sup[posed to make a Moon Base for my homework without understanding the moon." Eos protested. Lawrence stared.

"Eos are you skipping hoimework again?" Lawrence groaned. Eos stared.

"No it's not due for anoither couple days." Eos sniffed. "Cyrus' is already almost done. But I want a GOOD base! And they were testing Oriuon's life support, and--" Eos was frantic and Lawrence sighed, hugging his son.

"Eosm, Eos calm down. I know. But you shoulsn't be so fixated on videos when you have an assignment. A moonm base hm?" Lawrence sighed. Eos nodded.

"Levi Eric and Leonidas are helping Cyrus add Christmas lights to his. I want something cool but not.. Cyrus cool. Like,I want to remember the past stuff and properly memorialize it but everyone said that's dumb." Eos frowned. Lawrence poaused, blinking. Then Eos added, "Like, if Buzz Aldrin can punch Moon Landing deniers..."

"Ah. Well if you want OI... Can help." Lawrence faltered. So this was why /Eos was home. Asidce feeling somewhat antisocial. Eos approached his father timidly, suddenly.

"Really? Mom used to just take over and make everything glitter and said she knew what to do but it always came out her--"

"OPf course I'll help. Maybe your sistewr can help. Are you allowed grownup help?" Lawrence asked. Eos nodded.

"Yeah. And won't.. Won't Cherish be busyt with work? Mom aLways helkped Eric or Cyrus with assignments and just did mine. She said my ideas weren't what was normal..." Eos fidgeted. "Dad am I weird?"

"No." Lawrence said immediately. "Not weird. Creative and clever."

"Then why did Mom hate me? Is it because I'm not a girl she wanted?" Eos asked.

Lawrence felt his heart twist in his chest and reached, embrqcing his son tightly.

"Oh Eos...." He sighed. "No. No it isn't your fauilt. It was hers. She shoulds have never played favorites with you boys." Lawrence rocked his son as Eos pressed in close, seeking comfort.

"Didn't Mom love me...?" Eos asked quietly. Lawrence flinched.

"...She... Tried Eos." Lawrence sighed. "But she... Was making bad choices. And she's not here now." Lawrence pet his son's hair, quietly.

She's hurt their son. Elektra convinced their son he wasn't enough.

....Lawrence couldn't forgive that and he picked his son up, walking for his laptiop.

"Come on, Eos. Let's go make a moon base. We can look at some proposals online from past research projkects and a couple theories and I'll explain each so you can make one you feel representys your ideas." Lawrence smiled. Eos liyt up.

"Better than Biosphere 2?!" Eos asked. Lawrence gave a startled lauigh.

"Yes. But don't worry. Your teacher isn't expecting perfect, just what you think it would look like. So.... We can be a little creative." Lawrence nodded, and Eos relaxed.

"Creative? Okay. Like... Biosphere! And not." Eos grasped hold. "Trees can help life support with air, right?" Eos asked, and Lawrence smiled.

This was his son and... In a way.... Lawrence saw some of why Elektra never grew close. Eos was like him. And in a way.... It helped Lawrence accept one thing.

Maybe... Elektra stopped caring after all. And maybe... She wasn't as good as he thought she was.