Tom eased over to them, rubbing his thumb over the arch of Neil's eyebrow, fingers digging into the short hair at the back of Mike's neck.

"We got this," he said, and he believed it. Right up until Tuesday morning, he refused to be afraid. He dropped into a low crouch in front of them, blinking up at them with wide eyes, slipping a hand onto each of their thighs. "It's different, this time."

A lot of the rules felt like they'd changed.