Episode Two, Part 2:
S e r u m

As the next day dawned, and Elara remained eager to avoid any acceptance of what was happening to her, Ares felt overwhelmed by the reality of his sister's suffering and felt a guilt creep into his chest that wouldn't budge, even against his best efforts. 

He had made his way over to the medic tent, knowing he would find Fenn there, seeking a distraction for his heart. 

"Ares?" The boy called his name, looking up from the desk, dropping the pen in his hand. 

"Hey," Ares replied, lingering in the entranceway. He could see that he was busy working with Aeryn, and didn't want to disturb them, knowing they were reviewing their notes on Elara. 

Ares scratched the back of his head awkwardly, unsure what to say. He smiled nervously at Fenn, shaking his head as if to say 'it doesn't matter', and began turning to walk back outside.

Seeing him leave, Fenn hurried up from his seat and chased after his friend. 

"Hey, wait up." He called, reaching out for Ares' wrist and spinning him around. 

They both were both caught off guard by how close they were to each other, and after a moment with their locked on each other, Fenn breathed out, chuckling at the pair of them. 

"Come on. I know somewhere we can go." He said, keeping his hold on Ares arm. He led them through a narrow, unmarked path between the Sovereigns Quarters and the Medic Tent, out to a hidden nook between the two places and the fences of Basilisk. There was a large tree and a scatter of dead bushes which kept them out of sight from everyone, and, at the stump of the tree - a collection of things that seemed to belong to Fenn. 

Ares scanned his eyes around the cove, sitting down beside Fenn, leaning up against the wall of the Quarters. The space felt intimate and personal, and Ares couldn't help but wonder if anyone else had been here before. 

"What's up?" Fenn asked casually as if the gesture of taking him there was something so ordinary that he didn't have to think twice. 

Ares snapped out of his thoughts, having to take a moment to process everything before he could answer. 

"It's my sister." He admitted, sighing heavily. "I guess I just thought that when we brought her back home, everything would be normal again." 

Fenn nodded along empathically, his eyes fixated on Ares. 

"It's like I knew there was a march coming, and I knew our dad wanted to take her to Targo, but if I just got her back home, then nothing would matter any more. There wouldn't be anything else to worry about. It would fix everything. Do you know what I mean?" 

"Yeah." Fenn answered, resting his hand on Ares' knee for comfort. "But at least she's home. And she safe, because of you." 

Ares scoffed, the judgement he had from himself spilling out. "Some brother I am." 

"What are you talking about?" Fenn asked, shifting his body to face him. Did he not hear what he had just said to him. 

Ares shrugged. The guilt stopping him from looking up at the boy. "It's my fault that she's... She's..." He struggled to know what to call it, or to find a word that belonged. 

"That she's damaged." He finally concluded. There was a stick that he had been peeling bark off since they had sat down, and as he spoke, it snapped in his hands. 

"That's what you think?" 

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Ares asked, finally facing him, revealing all the shame he felt. 

"I made the decision to pull her out of the simulation, even though you told me what could happen to her. You said, 'taking her out of it early could leave long term damage, or kill her.' I knew the risks, and I still told Kodiak to do it. Now she's agonized by the 'visions.'" He recalled his sister's words, trying not to break apart as he thought about her. 

"To think she suffered so much when she was actually there, and I show up and make it worse. She had a chance to escape, and now, whatever is happening to her, followed her here-" 

"Ares, stop!" Fenn cut him off, taking both of his hands into his and squeezing tight. The sensation brought Ares to focus on him, allowing his guilt to slip away for a moment. 

"If you didn't decide to end the simulation when you did, then I'm pretty sure she would be dead by now." 

Ares sighed, trying to figure out if there was truth in what Fenn said, or if he was lying to spare his feelings. 

"You're only saying that to-" 

"No." Fenn didn't allow him to say anything else. "No, I mean it. From what Aeryn and I had figured out from her vitals and everything we already know about the Alteration, she probably wouldn't have lasted the night. The Alteration itself takes a couple weeks to complete; they were trying to get Elara to succeed in days." 

Somehow, Fenn's confession both relieved and terrified Ares all at once; knowing that they had gotten to his sister just in time was a deliverance from the blame he felt trapped under, but at the same time, the knowledge that they had been so close to losing her for good was enough to knock the air out of his chest. 

"When will it stop?" Ares began with his next set of questions. "The visions: when will they go away? She managed to sleep through the other night, but after we left to go the labs, she started screaming again?" 

Fenn sighed heavily. "That, we can't figure out. Maybe it was because everyone wasn't there."

Ares frowned. "But Quill and Aeryn were there when she woke up. And they didn't tell her we were at the labs." 

"I know," he sighed again. "But she's smart. She probably figured out there was a reason why you weren't all there because it would have to have been pretty important for you guys to leave her side. Or maybe it was just that she knew there would be a lot of questions from everyone when they got back, and she wasn't ready to face what happened to her." 

Ares nodded, a question lingering in his mind, almost too afraid to ask. 

"But it will go away one day, right?" 

Fenn knew he didn't have the answer. He knew there was nothing about the visions that anyone was sure about, or the long-lasting effects of what Elara had endured, but if he could do anything to give Ares a peace of mind, then he would say anything. 

"Yeah." He breathed out, as if to say 'of course she'll get better. She has to.' 

"Everything goes away." He answered softly. 

Ares looked over, unable to explain the lightness in his chest; there was a feeling he had never felt before, but he knew it was right and desirable. Slowly, he began leaning forward and Fenn did the same until the two boys met, lips colliding delicately against each other's. 

Two // Part Two
Everything goes away.

Honestly, I've been dropping hints about Ares and Fenn for SEASONS now, but I finally got round to making them cannon!!!