The doorbell echoed through the house, crushing any hopes of being ready in time. He cursed and quickly shoved a clean shirt over his head, running out of the bathroom.

This one time, you just had to be on time. Someone up there really hates me.

Dashing towards the sound, he swung the door open, his gaze hardening at the sight of the man on the other side. It was like looking into a mirror, one that showed Leo how he would look in about thirty years. Only their statures and facial structures weren't the same. He had thankfully inherited those from his mother.

"Leo, how ar…" The older man trailed off, his gaze taking in Leo's disheveled state. "I… Is it the wrong time? We can reschedule if you're busy."

Coloring slightly, he scowled. "It's fine, Edward. My run just took a bit longer than expected. Come in."

Ignoring his birth father's slight grimace at the use of his name, he waited for the man to put away his coat before leading him into the living room.

"I'm afraid I can't offer you anything to eat. Like I said, I was running a bit late. Most I can do is a coffee or tea," he offered, barely sparing the man a glance.

Edward waved him off. "Not a problem. I already ate. I will take the coffee though. I had a long day."

Try a long week. Leo grumbled internally with a sigh as he entered his kitchen through the doorless archway. He really had to thank whoever designed this house that Edward couldn't see him from the living room.

Taking a few calming breaths, he leaned against the fridge and closed his eyes. Come on, you just promised Lily that you would at least try. Don't take your annoyance on him. He just arrived, for fuck's sake.

The coffee machine buzzed, and he quickly poured two full cups. With the final deep breath, he wiped the frown off his face and went back to the living room.

"Here you go," he murmured, passing over the coffee and taking a seat on the other side of the small table.

A slightly uncomfortable silence fell upon the room as the two sipped their drink. Leo might have decided to go a bit easier on his father, but it didn't mean that he would be the one to take the lead. Not today, not when they hadn't seen each other for almost a month.

Thankfully after a minute or two, Edward broke the silence. "I see you still haven't changed anything in the house," he said, glancing at the brightly colored walls and outdated furniture.

And indeed, ever since he received this house from Edward half a year ago, he did nothing to alter its general interior. Well, apart from a few minor changes to his bedroom and kitchen…

Not giving any emotion away, he kept his gaze on the cup in his hands. "Why would I? Mom loved this place. It helps me remember her. I just can't see myself changing anything."

"I'm glad," Edward replied, chuckling. "When I bought this house, Melania went all out on designing the interior. She made it into her own little world... We had never done any big renovations when we lived in the US, so this became her real playground. Though I still think that those colors don't mix well with each other."

Leo shrugged. "I like it."

Although 'like' maybe was a bit too strong of a word. 'Could have been worse' summed it up much better. Not that he would ever say it out loud. Some childish part of him still wanted to disagree with everything his birth father said.

Old habits die hard…

"Whatever suits you," Edward replied and went for a change in the subject. Talking about Leo's deceased mother never ended well. Usually, such a conversation was followed by an argument and a quick end to their meeting. "How is your work going? I couldn't really get a hand on any of your stories in the past few weeks."

Good choice. Leo almost snorted, but a small smirk still managed to claim his face. He took pride in his accomplishments, considering that just a few years back, his future looked quite bleak.

He just leaned back and shrugged. "Good, very good. If nothing changes, I might get a promotion soon."

"You deserve it, son. You worked hard," Edward smiled. "Even if I'm sure that the little Hale hellion was also the main factor in your success. I have never taken you for a writer in the past."

Because you don't know me. Leo wanted to say but stopped at the last second. There was no reason to make this conversation even worse.

"I can't deny that," he said instead.

After a month without a meeting, he almost forgot how hard it was to carry on a normal conversation with his father. It sometimes reminded him of a dance on a field full of landmines. Step on one, and the entire thing could go up in flames.

Just calm down and try. He repeated while another part of him, the one he had been trying to kill for years, instantly objected. Why should I? He didn't care when I needed him. He didn't even care to speak with me for years.

It was always the same thing: two sides constantly waging war against each other. One fueled by Lily's persistence and the desire to have his father back. Meanwhile, his deep resentment, stubbornness, and ability to hold a grudge sparked the flames of the other side.

Still, I promised. He sighed and decided to extend an olive branch. Probably the first and, depending on how well the rest of the conversation went, the last one.

"So, where have you been for the last month," he offered. "I got your notice about our next meeting, but it didn't explain why."

Edward winced as the accusation hung in the air. Leo didn't even want it to sound like that, but somehow it still did.

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Way to put a foot in your mouth… Stubborn fool.

"I'm sorry. I should have called you," the older man's shoulders slumped. "I had to leave out of the blue. My company needed someone to finish a few deals with contractors in the US, and the responsibility fell on me. Two weeks of almost only meetings or planning things through the phone. God knows why I even agreed to go…"

That explained a lot. Edward was just as passionate about his job as Leo was when he first began. In addition, from what he gathered from his foster parents, his birth father used his job as a way to deal with problems. Not a healthy thing to do, but he couldn't fault him, not after everything he had done in the past.

Wait a second. Leo's eyes narrowed. "Two weeks?"

Edward sighed, obviously expecting the question. "I finished the last deal in Colorado, quite close to our old home."

Oh…

They never talked about the tiny house they left behind in the US. Not before the accident and definitely not after. To hear his father mention it now was surprising, to say the least.

Leo sighed, eyes closed. His mind traveled back to those easier times when they still lived in the US. Back when his mother always waited for him to come back from school. Back when his biggest worry was homework. Back when his mother was still alive…

Eyes opening, his gaze instantly snapped towards a lone photo of a short blond-haired woman, smiling widely towards the camera, staring back at him. Her deep blue eyes shone with love as she gazed at the small child of ten in her arms.

He blinked when he felt something wet travel down his cheek.

Why now?

It had been a while since he went down such a memory lane, and he definitely didn't plan to continue it now. Not when Edward was just a few meters away.

Quickly wiping the lone tear, Leo cleared his throat. "I thought you sold the house," he stated, his voice barely a whisper.

Edward looked like he wanted to address what had just happened but thought better of it. They both knew that nothing good would come out of that conversation.

"Just like with this house, I couldn't. I just left it empty to degrade with every year," the older man replied, taking another sip of the coffee that was probably already cold at this point.

"You know, I never found enough courage to go back. Not when it held so many memories," he continued, staring at an empty space. "But when I was so close, I just told myself, 'It is now or never; you probably won't get another chance.'"

Leo stilled, the conversation becoming a bit too emotional for his liking. Even then, not once did he try to stop Edward from continuing. No, he had to know what made his father stay. Besides, the man talked like he was in some sort of trance.

"When I arrived there, the house was barely habitable. I should have gone back right then, but I didn't," he chuckled. "Instead, I called some time off work and tried fixing that mess."

Edward stopped, but Leo wanted — no, he had to know more.

"Why?" It was only a single word, yet it had the power to unravel so many secrets.

The older man refused to meet his gaze. "Because, son, for the first time in years, I found a place that felt like home. A home that I didn't want to leave."

What?

His eyes widened slightly. He didn't realize that his father had such a problem. He thought that Edward had found a new place to call home long ago, just like Leo did with his foster family.

Apparently, he was wrong. Very wrong.

And just like that, a realization hit him like a speeding train. "You're moving there." It wasn't a question but a hard statement. A statement that they both knew to be true.

If Edward previously refused to meet his gaze, now he outright avoided even looking in his direction.

"I'm sorry," the man uttered, his head hung low. "It might seem like I'm abandoning you again, but I have to do this. Please know that there will always be a place for you there. After all, it's your home too."

Leo barely held back his scoff while his fists clenched under the table. Not because Edward was leaving once again. Hell, anyone who knew his father understood that he deserved a chance to move on.

No, what made his blood boil was the fact that Edward still couldn't say it to his face. Just like always. Running or hiding away when the situation became too heated.

Stubborn fool, I might be. But you, father, will always be a coward.

Leo sighed, the heat of the moment evaporating like boiled water. What was the sense of raging over something he knew for years? Why did it always hurt the same?

"I understand," he stated, refusing to say more as silence fell upon the room.

Edward's gaze still refused to move even an inch away from the empty cup while Leo glared at the man's head, trying to drill a hole with his eyes alone. Every few seconds, he even thought of saying something to maybe put an end to their decade-long issue, but he just couldn't.

Each time his mouth opened, words refused to form. The nagging of his mind just wouldn't let him do what had to be done.

Edward should be the one to put an end to this. Not me.

Once again, the past had defeated common sense.

Maybe it's for the best. Leo snapped his gaze away from Edward and tried to find anything to occupy his thoughts with.

It was not to be, as his father's movement caught his attention again.

"I think it's time for me," the older man announced as he stood up. "Do you mind if I use the bathroom before I go?"

Of course, you would run. Leo masked the shake of his head with a nod. "You know the way."

As Edward disappeared into the corridor, he squashed the urge to punch the table with all his might and just mechanically collected the empty cups.

In the end, maybe we're both cowards, father. Scared of confronting our fears. Worried that if it doesn't work, our relationship will break like it did all those years ago. He sighed as he entered the kitchen. After all, it's better to keep what we have now, no matter how bad it is, than risk losing each other again.

Absently, Leo put the cups into the dishwasher and leaned on the counter right in front of a window. He took a few deep breaths and tried to clear his mind, just like after each meeting.

His thoughts might have raged like a tornado inside his mind, but even that couldn't stop his eyes from widening just a bit as his gaze stopped at a particular object.

"What, the…" He muttered and leaned forward, thoughts halting for a second.

There, in the sky, a small orb of dark red light hung. As if awakened by Leo's gaze, it expanded, slowly consuming more and more of the cloudless sky. Its conquest didn't stop there. Instead, the light turned towards the Earth, slowly descending like a vengeful angel.

Eyes wide and heart hammering in his chest, he could only gasp as the light slid through the walls like a ghost and engulfed everything around him. Nothing was spared.

He fell to the floor, twitching and screaming as something invaded his body, burning him from the inside out.

Through the pain, Leo heard more screams pierce the air. They were muffled, barely audible. He had no idea where they came from, nor did he care. Not when his mind refused to focus on anything other than the red light and the inferno that threatened to consume his whole body.

He didn't know how long he thrashed on the floor, howling like a madman and probably losing his voice in the process. But when the pain disappeared like it was never there, he had eyes for only two things before the world went dark.

The dark red light that dimly illuminated his kitchen wall and a few lines of text hanging in front of his vision.

Universe No. 435 collapsed.

The First Cataclysm of the 64th Outbreak is beginning.

Survivor of the 237th Universe, prepare yourself.