“>”
They used to be unable to inform their parents about their injuries when they’d been with Strike Force until long after the wound was healed and they were free from blackout orders. Maria and Evgeni Dvorkin had never liked that aspect of radio silence when it came to how they did their jobs. The MDF gave immediate family members a little more leeway when it came to the agency’s field agents, especially their metahumans. They could be informed when someone was hurt, just not how or why they incurred thewound.
“>” Alexeiasked.
“>”
Alexei nodded, blinking sleepily. Having just woken up, he shouldn’t be tired, but pushing his body through a rapid healing process was exhausting. He didn’t know how Kyle managed to do it over and over without medical intervention and still be mostly fineafterward.
“>”
“>”Kylesaid.
“>”
“>”
“>”
“>” Kyle eyed him shrewdly. “>”
“>” Alexei protested, which was a lie. It definitely crossed his mind there for asecond.
Kyle poked him in thearm. “>”
Alexei waved his brother off before closing his eyes. “>”
That, too, was a lie, and they both knew it. Kyle wasn’t going anywhere while Alexei was still laid up, and Alexei wouldn’t want him to. If the situation were reversed, Alexei would be sitting right where Kyle was, counting down theminutes.
He let Kyle do exactly that through the night, waking up to dawn’s light creeping through the window. Kyle, awake and sitting on the chair, had his knees tucked to his chest in a pretzel-like position that looked uncomfortable, but which never wasforhim.
“>” was the first thing Alexei said after giving in to ahardyawn.
“>”
“>”
“>” Kyle said tiredly. “>”
Alexei made a face at the horrendous taste in his mouth. Shoving at the blankets covering him, he swung his legs over the edge of the biobed, ignoring the soft chime of warning it gave off as he left its scan field. Kyle didn’t insist he get back into bed, but he did watch Alexei walk to the bathroom withsharpeyes.
“>” Alexeiassuredhim.
“>”
“>”
“>”
Alexei rolled his eyes. “>”
Kyle squawked in wordless indignation at Alexei’s mild revenge for all the times Kyle had overshared about his sex life. Alexei flipped him off with a smile before palming the bathroomdoorshut.
He took his time in the shower, scrubbing off all the dirt and sweat and blood the nurses hadn’t been able to clean off him yesterday. The warm water felt wonderful, but he couldn’t help thinking about the shower he and Sean had shared in Las Vegas yesterdaymorning.
Alexei squeezed his eyes shut, glad his head didn’t hurt anymore, but he still didn’t feel quite right in his bones. He moved one hand out of the way of the water, flexing his fingers. Concentrating, Alexei reached for his power, searching out that indiscernible sensation of heat in his very cells that he’d lived with since being turned into a metahuman. His pyrokinesis was accessible, if only just, a tiny curl of flame flickering acrosshispalm.
He snuffed it out, ridiculously relieved he could access his poweragain.
