Because I realized it would be something Mason would do and therefore it needed to be written.

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Mason leaned against the side of his car, arms crossed, eyes scanning the exiting stream of students. He stopped when he found the one person among the sea of uniforms he was searching for. But instantly, his attention caught on the person beside his target.

This would complicate things but that was fine, he knew how to handle complications. He'd already made his decision and a glitch in that plan would not stop him from seeing it through. Even if the glitch that appeared was his daughter.

As the pair walked down the steps, Mason observed his daughter as she talked to Zander. Though 'talking to' was not the way to describe it, it seemed Zander was monologuing and Sophia felt content to listen. This unsettled Mason, for many reasons.

One being that unless a person was of above average intelligence, his daughter often found people boring. Their choice in topics were dull to her and the lack of knowledge on the topic they brought up would sometimes annoy her. She felt if a topic was going to be discussed there should be ample information known to make it interesting. 

Two, Sophia looked at Zander as he talked and periodically his gaze would meet hers. When it did, Sophia didn't look away. Another bad sign. His daughter found eye contact taxing unless she felt she fully knew the person and could trust them.

Though Mason had a lot of mixed emotions watching the pair, it only strengthened his resolve. What he was going to do needed to be done. If Sophia had an issue with it, then he would explain it later.

But right now, he needed to be her father and it was okay if she didn't understand that. If she even disliked him for that, Mason could handle that. He could. He needed to do this.

Halfway to the curb, Sophia found him and met his gaze. Though she stood tall and held herself as someone much older than fourteen, all Mason could see was his little girl. The baby he cradled in his arms. The toddler he laid on the floor with encouraging to crawl. The little girl who skinned her knee once and he carried all the way home. The girl who beat him at chess for the first time at the age of ten. All of those memories, pieces of her were there in the girl beside That Boy.

"Hello, Father," Sophia said, stopping before him.

"Hi, Mr. Douglas," Zander said. "How was your day? We had a weird day. We had to dissect a frog in science and it was so gross. I wanted to throw up but didn't because Sophia was there and it would have been embarrassing.

"Also, she handled it all really calmly so then that made me handle it calmly too. I feel like she could be a medic in a war zone, that's how stable she was. It was awesome to watch. That was the interesting part of our day. I'm sorry, Panda if I ruined it for you since you might have wanted to tell your father about it. Anyways I'll leave before I ruin more stories about the day, though there aren't any. Sorry. Good to see you, Mr. Douglas."

Zander took a step back but froze when Mason set his gaze on him.

"Don't leave, Zander," Mason said.

"Oh, okay."

Mason surveyed the continuing exiting crowd until he spotted the two stationary figures at the top of the stairs but off to the side so they could watch the proceedings.

When Kennedy saw that Mason had spotted them, she mimed eating popcorn. Mason almost sighed, like mother like daughter. He pointed to Sophia and then pointed to them. Kennedy nodded in understanding.

Mason focused on Sophia. "I want you to drive home with Kennedy and Harrison."

"You're not here to pick me up?"

"Not today."

She glanced between the still waiting Zander and Mason. "Will I be able to know what this is about later?"

"Possibly," Mason said.

"Okay. Bye, Bear."

Zander grinned in a way that Mason felt might damage his cheeks. It was Sophia's choice to give someone a nickname and he understood this said a lot about how she felt about that person. She felt close enough to address them causally. Yvette would call it a good sign, Mason would say it was being hasty, after all, how long had she really known this kid? About a month? He felt that was rushing things a bit. Prudence wasn't a bad quality to have.

"See you, Panda," Zander said.

Sophia's tiny hint of a smile made Zander oblivious to the strong look Mason was sending him. When Sophia walked off, Mason looked to Zander's shadow, a man who looked nothing like Smith, but Mason felt an instant appreciation for him. After all, he knew firsthand what being the agent to the First Son was like.

"I'm sorry," Mason said. "I don't know your name."

The man grasped Mason's hand in a firm but respectful grip.

"Agent George Park, Mr. Douglas."

"Just Mason is fine. I'm going to take Zander, feel free to follow us."

Agent Park looked like he wanted to argue but Mason had a trump card that he knew would blow all the arguments away.

"If you feel the need to call Finch... I mean the President to okay this, then feel free to do so."

George understood what Mason was saying, first name basis with the President meant that any call would be pointless. It wasn't even a first name basis built on an adulthood relationship but one built from having gone to Hamilton together.

Mason had wondered if Owens ever knew that nearly breaking Finch's wrist had made him rethink his life choices. He'd never told her, feeling it would be too much of an ego boost from bully to President all because of one terrifying girl, life could be strange.

"When you see my car then you can drive off," Agent Park said.

"Will do."

Agent Park walked away and Zander looked to Mason. "Are you going to tell me to get into your car or should I just assume that's what you want and do it on my own?"

Without answering, Mason rounded to the driver's side. Zander scrambled to climb in when Mason started the engine. They sat there, waiting for Agent Park to appear. Beside him, Zander shifted, pressed down his slackers, glanced at Mason, checked his seat belt, coughed, scratched his nose, and cleared his throat.

"Are we going to drive in silence so that it feels awkward and I become uncomfortable so that when you say whatever you want to say I'm already in an unsettled place and it will have more of an impact?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

With that, Zander rested his hands in his lap and stared out of the window. Though he'd perfectly laid out Mason's tactic, he didn't seem at all uncomfortable.

Even by the time they reached the cafe Mason had picked, he didn't seem bothered by the prolonged silence. And for someone who seemed to need to talk in order to live, it had Mason questioning his tactic.

At the back of the cafe, with Agent Park positioned at a distance, Mason sat across from Zander. Though Mason had many instances in his life where he sat in this exact arrangement with someone he barely knew, Zander felt like the first person to not be intimidated, uncertain, or overwhelmed by Mason.

In fact, looking at Zander, all Mason could see was a puppy. Big, open eyes with no malice, calculation, or worry in them.

As First Son, he was as opposite to Mason as possible. Zander had an openness that Mason would have found idiotic in his younger years, knowing that the world couldn't be trusted. But as Mason looked at Zander, he wondered how being in his position, Zander could be guileless. Even if he did something wrong, it would be like a puppy chewing a shoe, they did it because they didn't know better.

But even if the puppy didn't know it was wrong, it needed to be taught that it was. Mason was the one to do that, not for Zander but for Sophia.

"I'm going to make this very simple," Mason said. Zander looked at him, his eyes somehow becoming bigger as he focused. "If you hurt Sophia, I will destroy your life. Your father might be the President, but there are ways of working around that. Ways that I know. When Sophia learns to trust someone, she trusts completely, and in some ways blindly. That means she's most vulnerable when it comes to you. That means your hurt would be extremely damaging to her."

Mason rested his clasped hands on the table and leaned in.

"That means if you hurt her, I will destroy you. Do. You. Understand. Me?"

Though Mason expected Zander to shrink under his piercing tone, Zander held his gaze, remaining silent for a long moment.

"I do," he said quietly. "You love your daughter." He spoke slowly, intentionally. "And to be honest I know Sophia trusts me... But I often wonder if I deserve it. I see how she is on guard for the rest of the world... Why did she let me past that guard? Have I really earned the right to be her friend? I'm someone she trusts? What if I mess it up? I don't want to. When I'm with her..." His gaze drifted off and he smiled so softly it was as if he didn't realize he was smiling. "With her, I feel like I don't have to hide parts of myself."

He looked at Mason. The openness was still there in his face but there was a maturity Mason hadn't ever seen.

"I believe Sophia deserves to be loved and should be protected from people who don't understand her. I wonder if... I am the kind of person who can do even a fraction of that."

Mason leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. His plan had not gone as he'd predicted. Worse than that, Mason didn't know what to do with this kid anymore. Not only was he not intimidated but he'd taken Mason's words to heart as a chance for self-reflection. This was not going the way Mason wanted because now he didn't know where to go.

"You've had those thoughts?" Mason said.

Zander nodded, his face almost cartoonish in its seriousness. He blinked quickly, surprise coming to his expression.

"Oh, I was supposed to be scared, wasn't I? I am. I mean you are a terrifying person in general with your calm but authoritative manner. But... I don't know... It's hard to be scared of you when what you're saying just means you love your daughter a lot. I mean someone who has that much love in them can't be an awful, scary person, right? So... I... um... yeah, definitely scared."

Mason felt like laughing and it annoyed him. He'd meant to be the one to scold the puppy, to put it in its place instead the puppy had somehow wagged his tail happily and won him over. Owens would be embarrassed for him. How long had it taken for so many people in his life for him to even admit he liked them and this kid seemed to do it easily. He was dangerous.

"I'm done threatening you," Mason said.

"Oh good. Does that mean I can ask you if I can buy you ice cream and you talk to me about how you handled being the First Son?"

"You want to buy me ice cream?"

"Yes and ask you about being the First Son."

This kid could one day take over the world and the world would thank him.

Mason studied Zander for a long moment and again he saw a kid with this purity to him that Mason didn't know could still exist in the world. How had it not been beaten out of him by the cruelty of others? How did he see the world and see good? How did he look at Mason and not see someone who'd just threatened to destroy him but someone who could be a source of support?

Mason stared at Zander and realized he saw aspects of Sophia in him. Despite his daughter's knowledge and rough encounters, she still held the hopefulness that one day she'd understand the world. She still had innocence. Like Zander.

And somehow in a political world where innocence died at birth for most people, they had become friends.

"Yeah, Zander," Mason said, standing. "You can buy me ice cream and I'll talk to you."

Zander beamed and Mason felt himself hoping that he'd never have to make good on his threat.

*****

The wind swirled around Mason as he stood on the rooftop, hands in his pockets, gazing out at the city. The message had been sent and now he waited.

As he did, he couldn't stop the replay of the afternoon. Zander had talked a thousand words per minute and despite that, Mason hadn't wanted to strangle him to get him to stop. Because all that Zander talked and asked about, were old feelings Mason had felt. Feelings that had been boxed away for years. Hearing them put into words by Zander only reminded Mason how lonely he'd been. How he'd simply wanted one person to see him.

Owens had oftentimes been that, Smith on occasion, his mother for moments, but no one ever saw it all. He'd felt completely alone.

But it meant Zander didn't need to. He'd watched as Zander soaked up Mason's words like he'd been in the desert. When Mason eventually handed Zander off to Agent Park, Zander looked like he wanted to hug Mason and never let go. To stall that reaction, Mason had put a hand on Zander's shoulder and told him he'd be okay.

Mason hoped he would be. He didn't know, the world could be cruel to people like Zander. They attacked the good things in life.

The door to the roof opened and Mason stayed where he was, facing the city. The chairs behind him let out noises as they were occupied. Neither of the new arrivals spoke and Mason wondered if it had been a mistake to even send the message.

"I threatened a fifteen-year-old boy today," Mason said.

No response came.

"It didn't work and in the end he bought me ice cream in exchange for advice about life."

Mason turned around as Donovan and Link burst into laughter.

Donovan's head fell back as he clutched his stomach and Link was in danger of falling out of his chair with how bent forward he was. Mason didn't feel the reveal merited this dramatic of a reaction.

Sighing, he took the third chair and waited for the laughter to die down. When he thought they'd gotten control of themselves, they looked at Mason, exchanged a look, and started laughing all over again. Mason rolled his eyes and contemplated leaving.

But Link waved his hand at Mason as if he knew what he was thinking. Finally, they both managed to get a hold of themselves. Though they no longer laughed, their resulting smiles did not make Mason feel any better about himself.

"You know you're stuck with this kid, whoever he is, forever, right?" Link asked.

With a heavy sigh, Mason stretched out his arms and rested his laced fingers behind his head.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Mason said.

"Who is it?" Donovan asked.

"Zander. The First Son."

"You threatened the First Son!" Link asked.

"Yes."

"I've met him. That's like kicking a puppy," Donovan said.

"Clearly not," Mason said. "Because at least a puppy would know when it's been kicked, Zander was not at all scared."

Link coughed a laugh but pressed his hand to his mouth, swallowing it down.

"I'm sorry," Link said. "It's only that you intimidated literally everyone and yet someone like Zander isn't at all scared of you."

"He said it's because he sees how much I love Sophia and figures anyone who has that much love can't be an awful person."

"Shows how wrong he is," Donovan said, grinning.

Mason threw him an unamused look but let it go after a second.

"What's the issue?" Donovan asked, sobering.

"I didn't think I would have to worry about a boy getting close to my daughter this soon. She has a natural way of warding off boys and yet there's one that has managed to get close."

"Are you worried he'll hurt her?" Link asked, all his laughter gone.

"No, the opposite. I'm worried he will be the person who gets her and she bonds with him meaning that..."

"She'll no longer need you," Donovan said.

Mason nodded. "Yeah."

Mason looked at Donovan and felt a connection that he rarely felt with the man whom he would define as perfect. Fathers of daughters, they felt something Link didn't.

Their daughters were the most precious people to them, they'd do anything for them, kill for them. But one day they knew another man would step into their lives, replacing the protection they expected from their fathers. And when that day came, they only hoped the man, whoever he was, would do a good job. And that they could accept what they couldn't change.

"They'll always need us," Donovan said, doing that strange mind-reading thing Mason always found annoying and slightly impressive. "Because no matter what, we are the safe place they should know they can always come back to."

"So I shouldn't kill the First Son?" Mason asked.

"Not for now."

Mason begrudgingly agreed.

The talk shifted to a new topic and the trio stayed on the rooftop until the sun had disappeared and family dinner called them home.

When Mason stepped into his house, he found Sophia descending the stairs. She paused in front of him, her head tilted at a curious angle.

"Will you tell me what you talked to Zander about?" she asked.

"I told him not to hurt you."

Sophia nodded as she absorbed this statement. When he saw that she'd worked out his logic for why, she lifted her gaze to his. In her eyes, he could see her heart, and that he still remained in a large part of it.

"Thank you," she said.

Mason kissed her head, hearing the safety she felt in him.

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Hello my little cumquat!

Yes, I know the pairing we didn't even know we needed. Go ahead and tell me all about your thoughts! 🗯💬💭🥰

Am I in love with Zander?

After reading that is there any question, not only did he hold since own against Mason in the most lovable way but he also won Mason over! Like what?! Who is this kid and why is he so adorable!

This is Mason Douglas we are talking about! He goes head to head with Owens and sometimes wins! And YET! He was defeated but defeated in the sense that he-wasn't-defeated-at-all-but-willingly-surrendered defeated by a wide-eyed boy who talks a mile a minute!

What is this world coming to! And should we make fun of Mason until the end of time for this?

Obviously, what would Carter do after all? She'd never let him live it down, so neither shall we! We will tease him forever! Because he was beat by a cute bunny rabbit of a person!

So yeah, I love Zander! Which I never expected, I knew I was going to love Sophia but Zander was a bonus that I'm not at all mad about! It's great!

Vote, comment, follow because you know you love Zander and soft Mason!

Shout out comments from: An Honest Discussion

Well at least it's tears from cuteness and not sadness 🤷‍♀️

Oh jeez, it was a happy chapter what's with all the tears going around 🫣

Phew! No tears. ☺️

Yeah, I had missed Donny and Carter

🥰 This makes me happy.

Why is this Zander?! 😂