"It's encouraged to at least have one fight," Krem said, carding his untrapped hand through Thomas's hair. "But there's a lot of other people there that are still fairly new to fighting. And you've been picking up the things I've been teaching you well. You could hold your own against...some people."

Blue. Thomas could fight Blue. And she would still probably win. But Krem wouldn't say that, not aloud and not to either of their faces.

He shifted his hand from Thomas's hair to his cheek and sighed contentedly, nuzzling in carefully, giving him a brief kiss. It hurt a little more than it had the night before, when he'd arrived, but that was alright. "Good morning."