Chapter 508: Old Ache

....

"Whoa." Keanu breathed, his face bathed in neon purple as he leaned in, grinning from ear to ear–

"That is aggressively bright. It looks like a spaceship landing in an arcade."

Henry, seated beside him, looked thoroughly pleased with himself. "Which means the RGB lighting is working exactly as intended."

"Why." a sleepy, dry voice asked from the kitchen entryway. "Is our house glowing like an unlicensed rave in Berlin?"

All three men jumped three inches off the floor.

Beneath the archway was Gwendolyn standing.

She was holding an empty glass with both hands, squinting through the neon strobe light with unamused exhaustion of a kindergarten teacher walking into a room full of toddlers who had discovered finger paint.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Henry immediately straightened his spine, standing at near military parade rest, attempting to look dignified while bathed in pulsating neon pink. "Good evening, Mrs... We... ah... successfully concluded the diagnostic POST sequence."

"We built a computer, Gwen." Keanu offered cheerfully, giving a little wave from beside the breakfast bar. "...A very good one, actually. Everything’s running beautifully."

Gwendolyn’s gaze shifted to the glowing tower.

Then to the mountain of cardboard boxes, foam inserts, plastic wrapping, discarded cables, and half-empty bowls of pretzels spread across the kitchen floor and countertops.

Finally, she looked at Regal, who sat in the middle of the chaos with his teacup in hand and an expression of such innocent satisfaction that it was immediately suspicious.

"It is one-forty in the morning." Gwendolyn said, stepping around a crumpled pile of bubble wrap to reach the sink. "...and here you are still huddled around glowing neon fans like raccoons."

"Henry insisted on the rainbow setting." Regal said smoothly, deflecting with zero hesitation. "I asked for warm white."

"Wrong!" Henry protested, betrayed. "You asked me whether we could make the lights pulse in sync with the Iron Man theme song!"

Keanu broke into a laugh, shaking his head. "I am afraid Henry’s telling the truth, Gwen. Regal was very enthusiastic about the possibilities."

Gwendolyn closed her eyes briefly, as though asking the universe for the patience to deal with three grown men who had apparently regressed to adolescence in the presence of expensive electronics.

When she opened them again, the corner of her mouth had lifted despite herself.

"Wonderful. Three adults, one computer, and apparently not a single functioning sense of time between you."

She stepped carefully around a heap of bubble wrap and made her way to the sink. After filling her glass, she took a long drink, letting the cool water wake her up enough to assess the full extent of the damage.

"Clean up the cardboard immediately, and if I find so much as one screw in the sink tomorrow morning, that glowing spaceship is going straight to a charity shop." she repeated, setting the glass down.

Keanu glanced at the computer tower. "Would you consider a donation to a technology museum instead?"

"I would consider donating you along with it."

Henry lowered his head, laughing into his collar.

Regal, meanwhile, lifted his teacup in a gesture of solemn agreement. "We will have everything sorted before we turn in."

"Good. And someone please make sure Rock eats something. He’s been on his feet since dinner, and I doubt he’s had anything substantial."

"Already on it." Regal assured her.

Gwendolyn gave him one last, suspicious look, apparently unconvinced that anything involving these men could be trusted without supervision.

Nevertheless, she picked up her glass and headed for the stairs. "Goodnight. And turn those lights down."

"Understood... Goodnight, Gwen." Keanu said, his voice considerably more subdued.

Her footsteps receded up the staircase, followed by the faint creak of a floorboard overhead.

The moment she disappeared from sight, Henry’s shoulders relaxed, and he sank back into his chair with the relieved grin of a schoolboy who had narrowly escaped having his favourite toy confiscated.

"Right," he said, rubbing his hands together. "Now, where were we? Graphics drivers?"

"Exactly where we left off." Keanu replied, swivelling back toward the monitor.

Regal finished his tea and rose from his chair, carrying the empty cup toward the sink.

"You two handle the software. I will sort out something for Rock to eat."

He placed the cup beside the basin and opened the breadbox, taking out a loaf of sourdough. He had barely reached for the bread knife when he heard footsteps behind him.

Gwendolyn had reappeared at the foot of the staircase.

She took in the loaf, the butter dish, and the plate Regal had just pulled from the cupboard.

Her eyes narrowed with immediate suspicion.

"On second thoughts... If I leave you to it, you’ll hand him two dry crusts, call it a midnight snack, and congratulate yourself on having provided a balanced meal." Gwen murmured, slipping past him toward the kettle. "Move over. I am making chamomile, and I am coming with you."

"I was going to use thick-cut bacon and sharp cheddar." Regal protested mildly, shifting aside to give her access to the mugs.

"Which is exactly why he needs both of us." Gwen nudged him playfully with her hip as she reached for the tea canister. "And put some caramelized onions on that bread...

....

Ten minutes later, the kitchen was quiet save for the soft clicking of Henry’s mechanical keyboard as he began installing driver packages.

Regal carefully balanced a warm plate holding a grilled cheese sizzling with melted cheddar and bacon, while Gwen carried a mug of chamomile tea with both hands.

She had swapped her fuzzy slippers for a pair of slip-on clogs by the back door, and together they stepped out into the cool canyon night.

Thirty yards away, the windows of the annex were completely blacked out, blending seamlessly into the hillside shadows.

They walked side by side across the path.

When they reached the door of the lodge, Gwen didn’t wait for Regal to kick the lower panel.

She rapped three times with her knuckles, calling out softly. "Rock? Open up, it’s just us."

Inside, there was a sudden thump, followed by the frantic clatter of something plastic skittering across the floor.

A second later, the door swung open.

Rock filled the entire frame, wearing his dark henley and olive cargo pants.

He looked as solid and imposing as ever, but the moment his gaze dropped and he realized both of them were standing on his porch in the middle of the night, his vigilant expression shattered into bewilderment.

"Miss Gwendolyn? And Boss?" Rock rumbled, caught completely off balance. His shoulders instinctively squared up. "Is something wrong?"

"No you big worrywart." Gwendolyn sighed fondly, slipping right past his massive elbow into the entryway. "You haven’t slept again?"

Regal stepped in right behind her, shoving the plate directly into Rock’s chest. "Hold this."

Rock’s hands snapped out on instinct, catching the plate and the tea mug Gwendoyln pressed into his grip a second later.

The rich aroma of toasted butter, bubbling sharp cheddar, and sweet herbal tea instantly filled the small room.

"I... I already ate earlier." Rock said awkwardly, looking down at the sandwich.

"Thats not called proper food." Gwendolyn scolded gently.

She stood right in front of him, hands planted firmly on her hips, tilting her head back to inspect his face with a searching gaze–

"And what on earth is going on with your face?"

Rock blinked, his jaw tightening slightly. "My face?"

"You’ve looked miserable since yesterday." Gwendolyn pointed out. She reached up and lightly brushed the fabric of his sleeve near his shoulder. "You’re stiff as a board, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes."

Rock’s eyes darted toward Regal for help, but Regal just leaned casually against the doorframe with his arms crossed, smiling with zero sympathy.

"Don’t look at me, man." Regal chuckled softly. "I told you she has a built-in radar. You couldn’t hide a cold from her, let alone whatever’s eating at you."

"Nothing is eating at me." Rock mumbled, his voice dropping.

He tried to subtly nudge something under the edge of his desk with the toe of his boot, but Gwendolyn caught the movement instantly.

She peered down behind the table leg. "Is that a bag of frozen sweet corn?"

Rock froze in place. "...It’s cold compression."

"It’s a side dish, Rock." Gwedolyn said, giving him an unimpressed look. "You’re icing a bruised shoulder with frozen succotash instead of using the thermal pads I put in the medicine cabinet?"

She sighed; her voice softened shedding the mock sternness.

"Seriously, Rock. What’s wrong? Are you okay?"

Regal stepped closer, his expression softening as he looked at Rock.

"You spend all your time making sure everyone else in this house is safe, keeping the place secure and watching our backs every single day."

He paused, giving his words a moment to settle. "But you don’t have to carry everything alone, Rock. If something’s happened, or if there’s something weighing on your mind, you can talk to us. We’re family, and you know that, right?"

Rock stood completely motionless between them.

In the life he had left behind, showing weakness or admitting pain was a death sentence.

People used your burdens as leverage, and they smelled hesitation and tightened the noose.

But standing in front of him were two people who always showed what family and kindness is.

His throat felt tight for a second, but he swallowed it down, looking between their worried faces.

A smile broke through the corners of his mouth.

"It’s nothing." Rock said softly, his voice quiet and completely sincere. "Truly. Just an old ache acting up in the rain. Nothing to worry about."

Gwendolyn studied his eyes for three long seconds.

Finally, she let out a relieved breath.

"Fine." she relented, pointing a stern finger at the plate in his grip. "Then you sit down, eat every single bite of that sandwich, and drink that tea while it’s hot. If I wake up tomorrow and find out you spent the night staring at those black and white security monitors instead of sleeping, I am gonna fire you for a week."

Rock’s eyes widened slightly in genuine alarm. "I will eat the sandwich, Miss Gwendolyn."

"Good." Gwendolyn smiled brightly, reaching up on her tiptoes to give his shoulder another affectionate pat. "Now lock the door and get some rest."

"Goodnight, Rock." Regal added, turning back toward the path. "See you at breakfast."

"Goodnight, Mr. Boss. Goodnight, Miss Gwendolyn." Rock said softly.

He stood on the threshold, watching them walk back across the lawn side-by-side; Gwendolyn huddled close to Regal’s side, her head resting lightly against his shoulder.

Once the kitchen door clicked shut behind them, Rock closed his own door.

He carried the warm plate over to his desk, sitting down in front of the camera feeds.

He picked up the sandwich, took a slow bite of the hot, crispy sourdough, and let out a long breath, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease away.

.

....

[To be continued...]

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