Because it had been a while since he drank, Sero found himself already intoxicated after 3 shots. In the back of his mind, his Rationality threatened to cleanse and restore his mind, but Sero stifled the urge. For some reason, he wanted to enjoy this moment a little longer.

The four S-ranks were more drunk than he was; Gregor seemed the most composed with Kit surprisingly refusing to use her Cat Paradox to remain sober.

"So, you’ve never had a girlfriend before?" Cassandra dreamily asked him, her pale blue eyes half-closed. "But, you’re adorable!" She leaned in closer to him, her chest swaying into view.

"R-really? I’ve never had anyone say that to me…" Sero found it hard to meet the Glass Queen’s gaze. Someone yanked on his arm and Sero fell to the side, straight into Kit’s chest.

"Easy, princess," Kit hissed, wrapping her arms around Sero’s head. She smelled sweet, like strawberries. "I claimed him first."

"Hmm," Cassandra smiled, unbothered. "We can share him, can’t we?"

"You guys," Enzo growled, his face flushed red from the alcohol. "Leave the kid alone. He’s probably getting too excited between the two of you."

"Ha! Says the womanizer. You're probably jealous that he's getting the attention of women, not you." Max sneered at the Demonic Judge, his face equally as flushed.

"Oh, stop it, you two." Gregor put a hand on each of their shoulders, trying to diffuse the tension. "We're all here to have a good time, remember?"

"It'd be better if he wasn't here." Enzo grumbled.

"I feel the same way."

"Didn't you fuck up a job a few weeks ago?"

"Only because you didn't do what you were supposed to!"

"Um," Sero interjected, trying to find some way to insert himself in the conversation so that he could escape the gazes of the two women beside him. "What do guys do, exactly?"

Both Enzo and Max stopped their bickering as they looked at Sero, as if they had forgotten he was there. A smirk slowly spread across the Demonic Judge's face.

"Sero, what's our branch name?" Enzo asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Janitors."

"And what do regular janitors do?"

"Clean...?"

Enzo nodded, satisfied with Sero's answer as he sat back and closed his eyes sagely. Max stared incredulously at the Demonic Judge.

"That didn't explain anything to him!"

"It's not supposed to," Enzo replied, opening his eyes again. "You have to understand the context."

"What the fuck are you on about? What context?"

"Well, it's true we do 'clean up'," Cassandra jumped in with a spaced-out look as the two men began to bicker again. "But, that's only the surface. We take on work that other Ascendants can't handle, from spying, protection, infiltration... oh, and assassination!" The Glass Queen finished cheerfully, clapping her hands together.

"...Pardon?"

"It's a bit more nuanced than that, but yes, that's the gist of it," Gregor finally stepped in with an amused smile. "My Janitors are people with... troubled pasts, making them perfect to perform tasks that are morally ambiguous."

Despite still in the clutches of Kit's arms, Sero couldn't help but shiver. He recalled Enzo mentioning murder, and the way Cassandra casually highlighted assassination was unsettling.

"We're not bad guys," Gregor chuckled as he noticed the look on Sero's face. "We are contracted secretly by even governments to eliminate harmful groups. We never step out of line."

Sero nodded, though he didn't feel reassured, especially with the drastic change Gregor himself displayed when he used his Conqueror skills. Kit began to stroke Sero's head comfortingly.

"Don't worry my little bookworm," She purred as she pointedly stared at Cassandra, who shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll keep you safe if anything happens."

"Th-thanks..."

Another round of shots was poured, everyone clinking their glasses together as they downed the alcohol. Sero barely noticed the way the meat and alcohol continued to appear on their table, figuring it was Kit's doing that kept them supplied.

As the night wore on, the conversations grew more heated, the alcohol loosening tongues and inhibitions. Enzo and Max continued to bicker, their insults growing ever more vicious, while the others watched with varying degrees of amusement. Shockingly, Gregor seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, his eyes gleaming as he allowed the two men to go at each other.

"Should we... stop them before it gets out of hand?" Sero asked, trying to ignore the way Kit was clinging onto him like a... cat.

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"Oh, that's just how they are," Cassandra telepathically pulled everyone's glasses towards her as a floating bottle of liquor poured itself. "If it gets too rowdy, Gregor can just say a word and stop them."

Sero's phone buzzed and he glanced at it, seeing a text from Amaya asking where he was.

"Oh shit," he muttered under his breath. "It's almost eight; I have to get back."

"I can take you back!" Kit smiled down at him. "After we take this shot!"

"No," Gregor suddenly stood up. "I'll take him right now. Let's go, Sero."

After much whining and pouting from Kit, Sero managed to wriggle himself free from her grasp. Though he was relieved, he did enjoy being held by her. Cassandra lazily waved goodbye as he slipped from the two women.

"Wait, Boss, don't tell me you're gonna leave me with the tab." Enzo protested as he paused his bickering with Max. The Conqueror chuckled as he pulled out a black metal card and set it on the table.

"Here, use my card. Feel free to continue eating and drinking." Gregor turned to Sero with a wink. "Ready?"

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Sero wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he never would've guessed that the 5th strongest Ascendant would be driving a minivan. As Gregor drove them back to the hospital, Sero allowed his Rationality to activate, beginning to feel his intoxication wear off. He did feel a little awkward sitting there in silence.

"So," The Conqueror began after a while. "I want you to be aware that I know of your situation with your father."

Sero stiffened, but remained quiet. It was a little upsetting that everyone seemed to know a lot about his personal business.

"I will admit, I did some background research the moment you caught my eye. Of course, I only learned the most basic information about you, to respect your privacy." Gregor continued, sensing Sero's unwillingness to speak. "I know of your mother's passing, and your period of no contact with your father. But, it was during that investigation that I was able to locate your father, and in turn, inform Amaya of his whereabouts."

"Thanks." Sero quietly grunted in response as he stared out of the window.

"As far as that goes, I did not pry any further." Gregor cleared his throat. "There's a reason why I decided to have a word with you, though."

When Sero didn't reply, the Conqueror took that as a sign to continue. "I noticed the change in your attitude when I offered you that drink. You seemed troubled."

They rolled to a stop at a red light. The building lights illuminated the streets as people bustled about. Sero turned his head to look at Gregor. "What do you mean by that?"

The stoplight turned green, allowing them to drive forward. Gregor seemed to think about his words.

"I'm not a mind reader, but I am a father." Gregor slowly started. "You don't know anything about Nala's mother, do you?"

"No."

"Well, she passed away when Nala was young. My daughter was always quiet, just like her mother, but she was expressive with her emotions." The Conqueror said quietly. "When we lost her mother, Nala stopped being so expressive, even with me. She started having the very same gaze you had earlier."

"I'm not saying that I understand what you're going through. You've come back to life after a year, and now you've reconnected with your father after all this time. Not to mention you're a changed man, thrust into a role you probably didn't want. I can only imagine the weight on your shoulders."

Sero sighed to himself. Gregor was right, there was a lot on his mind, but Sero didn't know how to deal with it. It wasn't like he had much experience with it, either.

"I don't know for certain what your relationship is with your father, but I can say with confidence that as a father, he truly cares for you. We may not always show it, but we love our children very much."

A lump formed in Sero's throat as he swallowed hard. That was weird. His Rationality should be working to keep his emotions in check.

"While it wasn't exactly the same situation as yours, I was aware of Nala pulling away from me," Gregor continued. "Although I was still away during the time, I still tried my best to make sure she knew I was there for her. After the apocalypse occurred, I doubled my efforts to keep her safe. I can't imagine what I would've done if I had lost her."

Tears began to well up within Sero, but he blinked them away. When were they going to reach the hospital?

"You don't have to listen to this old man's ramblings, but I just want to say that I'd do anything for my little girl. Even if I never saw her again, I'd want her to know that I would always love and care for her. If she was safe, then that would be all I wanted."

Sero took a shaky breath. He wasn't sure why he was sharing this with Gregor, but it felt good. "My father... I don't know. I just... I don't know what to do." He finally said, keeping his gaze towards the window. "We've lost so much time, and now that I've got him back, it feels like I'm going to lose him again."

The Conqueror was silent for a good while. They pulled onto the street where the hospital loomed up ahead.

"Perhaps finding some forgiveness would be a good first step," Gregor said as they entered the parking lot. "You don't have to forgive completely, but just see it from his point of view. You're his son, his only family. I'm certain he has some regrets of his own that he'd want to confess to you."

He turned off the car, turning to Sero. "No matter how strong you've become, it's not a bad thing to rely on others. Family is one of the easiest to lean on."

"Yeah," Sero croaked as he hid his face. "Thanks."

----------------------------------------

The two headed to where Sero's father was, where they saw Nala waiting outside the door.

"Hi Sero. Hey, Dad," The Shadereaper stood up and stretched. "Amaya's inside with Casey."

"Well, I'll be taking my leave then," Gregor nodded to Sero, then to Nala. "Do you need a ride home, sweetheart?"

"Sure." She turned to Sero and waved. "See ya."

Sero watched the father and daughter walk away before taking a deep breath and entering the room. He saw his father sleeping with Casey curled up next to him on the bed looking just as peaceful. Amaya had her back to Sero as she gazed up at the TV.

"Hey," Sero whispered quietly to her as he sat next to the liaison. "How long have they been sleeping?"

"Not long. They passed out around the time I texted you." Amaya replied softly. Sero glanced at the boy sleeping next to his father.

"Doesn't he have to go back to his grandma?"

The Spellblade chuckled. "He went back earlier to let her know he'd be staying with us. Her room is a couple doors down the hall from here." Amaya's smile faded. "Your dad's surgery is tomorrow afternoon, when the matches begin."

Sero took a deep breath. Gregor's words weighed heavily on his mind as he gazed at his father's face. It was peaceful and still, dangerously appearing as if he were dead.

"It's going to be fine," Amaya placed a gentle palm on his shoulder. "If you want, I can stay here with him."

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that." Sero gave her a grateful smile. He carefully stood up, drawing closer to his father.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dad." Sero whispered, placing his hand on Tiero's arm. His father murmured in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Sero turned back to Amaya. "I'm ready to go home."