"Bro!" I heard Hero laugh out, "you almost had it."

I let out a sigh. This was the best Hero had been in what felt like forever, and I knew that it most certainly was not the best time to confront him.

Lena and I walked into the living room, seeing Hero and Fran sitting on the couch together, playing some game on his phone. I bit down on my lip and shrugged out of my coat, throwing it over the couch.

Hero looked back at us, smiling when he saw us. "Hey, guys."

"Hey," I greeted, "what's up?"

"Fran's trying to play COD," he said, "I'm teaching her, she's getting better."

Fran smiled up at me, averting her attention back down to the phone in her hands.

I walked around the couches and stood in front of them, looking down at Hero. He chuckled and looked over at Fran, but gave me a double take when he noticed I was standing in front of him.

"What's up?" He asked, relaxing into his couch cushion.

"This is the time that I need you to be completely truthful with me, Hero," I said, nodding down at him.

He lifted an eyebrow, resting his elbow on the arm of the couch. "Okay?"

I let out a heavy sigh, raking my fingers through my hair. I took a bit to compose myself- now I knew exactly how Dad had felt when Fred and I were teenagers, and he was having to get on our asses about something new every day.

"Did you get someone pregnant?"

I watched his entire persona shift- his face draining of its color, his entire body stiffening up at five words. He sat in front of me, speechless, his lips parted as if he was ready to speak, but just couldn't get anything out.

Francesca's eyes shifted from the phone screen and over to him, a worried look on her face.

"Wh-what?" He asked, after a few seconds of utter silence.

"You heard me, Hero," I said, clenching my jaw.

He let out a breath, looking away from me.

"You got Amelia Grey pregnant, Hero," I said, my voice slowly but surely raising.

He shifted his eyes back to mine, his tongue in his bottom lip.

"Yeah," he softly said, "yeah, I got her pregnant."

I chuckled, looking over at Lena. "I fucking told you."

He rested his head in his hand, keeping his eyes locked on me. I could see the agitation in his eyes- Hero didn't like being confronted. He had a temper that was easily set off by someone telling him what to do, or trying to regulate his actions.

"You know, Hero," I said, shaking my head, "I, for some reason, thought that maybe you were responsible enough."

"Yeah?" He asked, nodding up at me.

"Yeah," I said, "to at least take some kind of precaution. I don't care if that's you buying her a fucking plan B. I thought that maybe you were man enough to fix your mess."

He chuckled, looking away from me.

"In what world is this funny?" I asked, looking down at him as I shook my head.

He stood up, only a few inches away from me. "I'm just thinking about how good it felt. Fucking her raw."

"Hero!" Mom yelled, and I could see Fran plug her ears from out of the corner of my eye.

"Your fucking sister is right there," I said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, you're talking about being a man, let's be men!" He exclaimed, chuckling, "let's talk about how good it feels, Dad!"

"You can't fucking stand confrontation, can you?" I chuckled out, "here's an idea, use your fucking brain and don't get yourself into these situations, and we won't have to do this shit! Maybe we should try that!"

He placed his tongue in his bottom lip, clenching his jaw shortly after.

"You are seventeen years old, Hero," I said, "I-I'm stuck between thinking you're too fucking young to even get yourself into this shit, but also thinking that you're old enough to know better."

"Well, hey," he angrily said, leaning down to grab his phone.

"I'm not done with you, Hero," I said, "what exactly is your plan?"

"She's getting rid of it, Dad," he said, leaning his head back.

"Oh, she's getting rid of it," I said, looking back at Lena, "well, look at that. Quick fix. Right? Am I right?"

"Jo," she softly said, tilting her head over.

"Hero, what if it wasn't that fucking easy?" I asked, "what if she couldn't just get rid of it? What would you do then?"

He kept his jaw set in frustration, his eyes locked on mine.

"You don't have an answer for me, do you?" I asked, "you didn't think that far ahead when you just decided to ditch the condom last minute, did you?"

"You know, I really didn't think-"

"Exactly," I snapped, "exactly."

"You didn't let me fucking finish," he said, obviously annoyed.

"Alright, finish," I said, gripping my hips.

"I didn't think about that because I was falling apart, Dad," he said, "and-and at the time, it was the only thing that could take my mind off of all the shit I was going through. And you didn't notice, and Mom didn't notice, nobody fucking noticed. She was the only fucking person who noticed."

"Oh, so fucking her without a condom was your way of thanking her for that?" I asked, my voice raising, "impregnating her was your version of a thank you card?"

He laughed, brushing past me. "I'm done talking to you."

"I'm not done talking to you," I said, spinning around to face him.

"Dad, that child is the only thing getting me out of bed in the mornings," he said, standing at the base of the staircase, "let me fucking have it. Alright?"

"It is not that easy, Hero! What if it wasn't just something that you could just make go away? What if you were stuck with the consequences of your actions? That child would be keeping you up at all hours of the night, that child would be another mouth to feed, that child would be your responsibility. So, no, it is not that easy."

"But it is!" He yelled, opening his arms, "in a few weeks, it's gonna be a memory. Okay? I promise you, I'm not bringing another me into the world."

"Hero, he didn't mean it like that," Lena softly said.

"No, he's terrified," Hero sneered, "he sees me and how I'm a hologram of him. And he's scared of this child being a hologram of me."

I clenched my jaw, shaking my head. "You need to cool off."

"Yeah, that makes fucking two of us," he said, jogging upstairs.

~*~

"'Sup, man?" Eros asked, nodding at me as I walked into the locker room.

"Hey," I greeted, opening my locker. I threw my bag in and stripped off my shirt, leaning my head back.

"You good?" He asked, sitting down on the bench behind me.

"Yeah," I said, looking back at him, "yeah. Just tired."

"Yo, Eros's girl has to be like, number one on the list."

"Shut the fuck up," Eros yelled, tying his shoelaces.

"Oh, come on, man. Everyone stares at your girl."

"Okay, well, she has a name," Eros said, standing up, "and she's mine. So fuck off."

Eros brushed past the guy, making me look up at him. "Seriously. Don't talk about her at fucking all."

He folded his arms over his chest, grinning down at me. "Yo, King, don't be looking at me sideways and shit now."

"What?" I deadpanned, looking up at him as I tied my shoelaces.

"When we're getting dressed and shit."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

He lifted an eyebrow, chuckling. "You didn't see it?"

"I didn't see what?" I asked, standing up. I brushed past him, grabbing a towel.

"Dude, it was posted on IG," he said, "we all just figured you did it. Letting us down easy, or whatever."

Eros walked over to us, grabbing a towel for himself.

"What was posted?" I asked, my eyes locked on the douchebag standing in front of me. I'd never liked him, and even his name was douchey. Jesse Brown.

"Bro, you're bi," he laughed out, "w-we all thought you did that shit."

My stomach dropped, my lips parting. I dropped my towel, raking my fingers through my hair. "You're shitting me."

"I-I promise I'm not," he muttered, making me brush past him and scramble around for my phone.

"Where the fuck is my phone?" I yelled, ripping open my locker.

I finally found it, shakily opening Instagram. I didn't even use Instagram, except for posting pictures every six months.

"I-it was on the exposed page, you know, that one that-"

I tuned him out, dropping my phone when I saw the post. I leaned my head back, clenching my jaw.

"Did you fucking see that?" I asked, looking over at Eros.

"Bro, I don't even have Instagram," he softly said, "I'm sorry."

"Fuck!" I yelled, kicking the bench over.

"Yo, guys, come on, we got practice," Jesse stuttered out, keeping his eyes locked on me as he jogged out of the locker room.

Eros stood next to me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, man, it's alright-"

"It's not fucking alright," I said, "I was just fucking outed on fucking Instagram!"

"O-okay, who knows?" He asked.

"Everyone now!" I chuckled, "fuck!"

"Hey, I'll find out who did it," he said, "and I'll beat their fucking ass."

"You know, no you won't," I said, smiling over at him, "because you can't beat a girl's ass."

He knitted his eyebrows together.

"It was Cordelia," I said, "I fucking know that shit."

"You need to cool down," he said, "you don't know for sure that it was her."

"Who else is that vile, Eros?" I asked.

He lifted his eyebrows, nodding as his hands fell to his hips.

I sighed, hanging my head as I, too, gripped my hips.

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way," I said.

He gently patted my back. "We'll find the son of a bitch."

I watched as he ran off, making me interlace my fingers behind my head as I paced around. "Fuck!"

~*~

"Is Henry okay?" Brian asked, bringing a piece of wood into the garage.

"Ish," I softly said, looking up at him as he walked past.

"That freaking sucks," he said, shaking his head as he pulled off his gloves, "whoever did that is awful."

I bit down on my lip. "Yeah."

He knocked on the door, leaning his head back. "Hey, Mrs. Dot? I got your yard cleaned up. I'm about to head out, okay?"

I smiled back at him, sliding off of the hood of his car.

"Let me pay you, sweetie!" The old lady exclaimed, hobbling towards the door.

"No, Mrs. Dot, I'm not worried about it," he said, shaking his head, "you keep your money, alright? Save it for those grand babies that you love so much."

I smiled, watching as Mrs. Dot opened the door. "Let me give you a kiss."

He chuckled as she grabbed his face and planted a kiss on his cheek, backing away from her after a few seconds. "Thank you."

"And who is this young thing?" She asked, her eyes meeting mine.

"This is Francesca, my girlfriend," he said, beaming over at me.

"Hi," I meekly greeted, shooting her a small wave.

"You two make a beautiful couple," she said, "be safe on your way back, okay?"

"Always, Mrs. Dot," he said, opening my door for me.

I slid inside his car, admiring him as he walked around to his side. He slid inside and chuckled, turning on the car. "I love her."

"She's really sweet," I giggled, buckling up.

He pulled out of the garage and drove off, turning on his air. I smiled over at him and placed my hand on top of his free one, which was resting on the gearshift.

"I'm kind of waiting," I said, looking over at him.

He looked over at me for a split second, smiling. "On?"

"A flaw," I said, "literally even one."

He chuckled a silent chuckle, shaking his head. "I have plenty."

"I haven't seen them."

"I'm good at keeping them under wraps," he said, "I guess."

I smiled, pulling our hands up to my mouth. I pressed a kiss to the back of his veiny hand, taking my time in admiring his arm.

"Hey, what happened here?" I asked, pointing to a scar.

"I, uh, got burned really badly on one of the cars in the shop."

The scar didn't exactly resemble a burn scar, but everyone's were different. I brushed my fingertips against it one last time, still studying his arm.

He gently pulled his arm away from me when his phone began to ring, grabbing it from the cup holder. "Hey, ma."

I looked over at him, obviously unable to hear what his mom was saying, but almost gathering the information by his facial expressions.

"Mom, I'm with Francesca, I can't drop by," he said, shaking his head.

"Hey, we can go," I whispered, nodding.

He looked over at me and sighed, his jaw set. "Is it an actual emergency? Or is this something you could wait to do? Like it was the other night?"

I'd never heard Brian be bitter, towards anyone. He was just an easy going guy. But he was bitter right now, and towards his mother, at that.

"We'll be there in a minute."

He hung up and placed his phone between his legs, making me bite down on my bottom lip. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah," he said, "yeah, everything's fine."

He covered my hand with his, and we drove in silence to his house. It was peaceful, but I knew something was weighing down on his mind.

"I've never been over here before," I said, looking over at him.

"Yeah, I don't recommend it," he meekly admitted, weaving through the one-way street, crowded with parallel parked cars on both sides.

"Is he homeless?" I asked, my eyes following a man sitting on the side of the road.

"Yeah," he said, "that's Mr. Pat."

I looked over at Brian, my eyes soft.

We pulled into an apartment complex and he parked, and we sat in the car for a few seconds.

"As much as I don't want you to see my place, there's no way you're staying in the car by yourself."

He opened his door, walking around the car to open mine. I stepped out and bit down on my lip, and he held out his hand.

I grabbed it and he led me through the complex, making me look around. There was no way this was actually safe to live in, as awful as it sounded.

He sighed and pulled out his keys, unlocking his door. I looked up at him as he opened it, and my lips parted at the inside of the apartment. It was messy and smoke-filled, making me hold back a cough.

"Brian?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he said.

"Hey, hey, sweetie," his mom greeted, smiling up at him.

He clenched his jaw, and his mom's eyes met mine. She placed her cigarette down, folding her arms on the table in front of her.

"Hey, baby," she greeted, smiling.

"Hi," I softly said.

"What-what did he say your name was again?" She asked, sniffling as she wiped her nose.

Brian let out a sigh, subtly shaking his head.

"I'm Francesca," I said, smiling a soft smile, "Francesca King."

"Do I know your dad?"

"I'm Josiah King's daughter, so possibly," I said, smiling.

"I know that name, I think," she coughed out.

"Yeah, he's on TV a lot," Brian said, "you know him."

She smiled up at me, standing up. "I'll be right back, baby, okay?"

She pressed a kiss to Brian's cheek, making me turn around and watch her slip into her shoes and jacket.

"The boys- the boys are in-"

She sniffled, scrunching up her nose. Brian nodded, sitting down on the couch. "Just go, okay?"

She opened the door and he braced his elbows on his thighs, looking up at me from the couch. My heart broke for him- Brian deserved far more than this.

"Th-"

"Brian!"

He turned around, smiling at his siblings. "Hey, kiddos."

"Hey, I learned a new word today," the younger of the two said, "shit!"

"Hey," Brian said, wrapping an arm around his neck, covering his mouth with his hand, "don't say that. Where'd you learn that?"

"Mommy."

"Of course," Brian muttered, "you guys hungry?"

"Yeah, we haven't eaten all day."

"You haven't eaten all day?" Brian asked, obviously taken aback as he stood up.

I bit down on my lip, looking up at him. There was no way that Brian Baker was this behind closed doors.

"No, Mom didn't pay our lunch money bill," the older said, obviously bitter.

"Here," Brian said, pulling his wallet out of his pocket, "for both of you. Can you pay Charlie's?"

The older one nodded, slipping the two twenty dollar bills in his pocket. I smiled at the boys, whose eyes landed on me.

"Uh, this is Charlie," Brian said, placing his hand on the younger one's head, "and this one's Thomas."

"I'm Francesca," I greeted, smiling.

"Brian talks about you," Thomas said.

"Oh," I said, shooting Brian a smile.

He rubbed Charlie's hair, walking into the kitchen. I followed, leaning against the counter.

"Hey, there's kind of an ant problem," he muttered, pulling me away from the counter, "I just- I don't want you getting bitten."

I looked up at him, earning his eyes after a few seconds. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into me for a hug.

"You deserve so much more," I whispered, blinking back tears, "you and them."

He softly rubbed my back, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Welcome to my humble abode."

I smiled, pulling away from him. "I-I can help make them food."

He smiled over at me, and I looked at Charlie and Thomas sitting on the couch. I bit down on my lip, clearing my throat as Brian opened the cabinet above my head.

"We won't be here long, I promise," he softly said, "I never intended for you to see this."

"Brian," I said, "i-it's okay."

He let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead. The door flew open, making me jump and grab his arm. His mom stumbled in, brushing her hair away from her face. "Hey, babies."

Brian walked out of the kitchen. "There's Mac and cheese on the counter. Those frozen chicken tenders are in the freezer. Please make it for them."

"Yes, that's my favorite!" Charlie exclaimed, falling on his back on the couch.

I smiled down at him, seeing scars all over his arms. My smile faded, making me look up at Brian.

"I'll be home late tonight," Brian said, "I'm working at the garage until closing."

"Okay, be careful," his mom said, "a-and you, Francine?"

"F-Francesca," I corrected, earning her eyes.

"Be good to my boy," she whispered, walking past us.

Brian opened the door and we walked out, making him tightly wrap his hand around mine. We made our way to his car, and both of us got in. He didn't immediately turn it on and pull away, he just sat there for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Brian," I said, shaking my head.

He sniffled, scrunching his nose up as he turned on his car. He smiled over at me, grabbing my hand. "Where to?"

I shook my head, wondering why on earth Brian Baker, out of all people, had been dealt this hand.

~*~