Nitocris was feeling agitated.

No, that was not it. Sad? No. Upset? No.

What was this feeling?

Well, he definitely was feeling agitated, over the fact that he didn't know what he was feeling.

It began when Kyle went for his promotional tour. His little puppy followed and he was fine. He was. Really! After all, it's not like he had been seeing his little puppy every night. Well, okay, he did, ever since that night.

Maybe it's the fact that the bed and the pajamas his little puppy had used didn't have his smell anymore. Nitocris had taken the pajamas from the laundry basket and it had not been washed yet. He was very, very reluctant to do so, even now.

Nitocris found that since that night, he could sleep very well. Even though his hands felt really empty, it was not so bad. Using the same pillow that his little puppy had used, holding onto the pajamas that he had worn, gave him a feeling as if his little puppy was still there.*

It eased his loneliness a bit.

How could just one night with his little puppy make him so dependent on him? It was ridiculous. Yet, true.

Nitocris sighed, something that was so unusual for him that his subordinates around him started feeling like they were on the edge of a cliff.

Their boss had been rather moody lately.

Usually, he's just cold, like an ice block. An ice block of Death, that is.

You were always on edge, and each time he was around, you felt like you were the naughty student that was in the presence of a strict Principal, ever ready to mett out punishment for any mistakes.

However, for the past few days, he was more easily triggered. It's not to say that he picked on them, but rather, things that he would have normally let slide ... he didn't. There was even once, Boss's Right-hand man had actually managed to get to his side without him realising it.

He had been so deep in thought about something that he completely zoned out everything.

That had never happened before!

They were worried about their Boss. So they kept a closer eye on him, even though they were scared of triggering his wrath.

After all, he was their Boss.

✿.✿.✿.✿

Patrick was pursing his lips, reading a report about the last venture Kyle had done for the company. There wasn't much fault in it, and he could hardly reprimand his son for it. The skills he was showcasing here was impressive.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel rather upset about this.

Kyle seemed to be completely independent, and all his actions seemed to be purposely avoiding any sort of dependency on them. Kay was different.

Ever since they were small, you could tell the stark difference between the two.

Kay would be the sort of baby that wanted to be spoilt by everyone, demanding attention and seeking love from all - even though most of the time it was towards her brother rather than her own parents.

Kyle, on the other hand, never seemed to need it. He shied away fom any sort of show of physical intimacy. He would even cringe a bit from hugs, let alone kisses on the cheeks. He never voiced it, however, and the fact that he was suppressing his dislike for it made them subconsciously stop giving it.

Yet, the more he seemed to keep pushing him away, the more Patrick wanted Kyle to know that he was still a kid. He still needed his parents. He is still a young boy, learning about the ways of life.

Aggravatingly, Kyle had not been showing any signs of the typical 'teen boy problems'. No fights. No girl drama. Top student. Role model. All the teachers had only good things to say about him, and the Principal.

Patrick snorted. The Principal even appeared to be Kyle's fan.

Any parent would have been ecstatic to be in his shoes, but they didn't know.

They didn't know how much Patrick feared for Kyle.

He was extremely worried that Kyle was setting himself up for a fall. To be this good, this self-sufficient, was abnormal. How would he cope when he makes a mistake? Can he handle it? He had smooth sailing all this while and never suffered.

How would he handle a set-back?

Patrick had been keen on Kyle getting his legal dependency - not because he was pushing him away, but because he was convinced that with this last 'line' cut, Kyle would be more reckless. More at risk. And Patrick would be there to help pick up the pieces and finally, finally show to Kyle that he needs his parents.

After all, he was still a kid and Patrick was the adult here.