Once they had discussed the plan and Nimue returned to her room, all there was left to do was wait. She said she would try to stall any of the experiments that Digorn was planning to go ahead with today, so they all felt safer knowing there was someone out there trying to stop the pain.

Dot had still been a little off with Felix very recently, apart from falling asleep on him earlier today. But that was more to remind Nimue that he liked him more than her, if anything.

His words about how Dot was a 'lab rat' stung fresh in his mind, eating him up inside. He knew he should bring it up with Felix soon because he was sure the man didn't mean what he had said: after all, he was only saying it out of anger when he discovered how his body had been changed without his permission. But still, Dot couldn't help but wonder if he had meant it.

It was for certain that he loved Felix, there was no doubt about that. And he wanted him to be his dad and to spend all their time together, he wanted to meet his family and become one of them.

He knew he loved Felix. But he was beginning to doubt if Felix really loved him.

The man in question strolled over to him and sat about a ruler's length away, close enough that they were together but not close enough that Dot was uncomfortable. It was little things that Felix did like this, little things to show that he cared that made Dot love him so much. He was definitely not serious about what he had said earlier when he was yelling at Tiro, right?

"Heyyy, Dotty." He said, making Dot frown in false anger. That nickname was so annoying. "Wanna play solitaire? Or any other game. I'm bored out of my mind."

He rubbed a hand over his black stubbly beard, which had grown in over the past few weeks. Luckily, every few days he was now let out to shower, so he no longer complained about that. His new topic that he liked to moan about was how they didn't supply him with a razor to shave his face, since having a beard apparently 'covered up' his 'amazingly fantastically flawless handsome jawline', in his words.

'yes' he typed out on the card, in answer to Felix's question. 'but not solitar can we play difrent game'

"Sure, uhh... another round of Go Fish? You liked that last time."

Dot stalled on the answer, feeling all weird inside for a reason he couldn't quite place. 'actuly ther is somthing i wanted to talk abuot'

"There is? What is it?" Felix rested his head on his hand as he lay horizontally on the floor, balancing himself with his elbow.

The hybrid was typing for a long time after that, giving Felix the time to fiddle with his new tail for a bit and shuffle the cards around.

'you sed somthing meen to me erlier did you meen it or wer you not thinking becose it hurt lots'

"What did I say? I'm sorry for hurting you. You know I'd never do that on purpose, right?" Felix huddled a little closer to him and ran his finger along the top of one of his wings, stroking it gently in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

'you sed the tayl makes you lik another lab rat' he typed, and then paused to stare at what he had written before adding some more. 'do you think i am a lab rat'

Felix paused and was silent. Dot wasn't a lab rat, that was for sure. To him, the hybrid was just a human stuck in a very unpleasant situation, one that he didn't deserve to be in. He thought like a human and had all the personality and love to give of one, so why shouldn't he be treated like it?

"I'm really sorry Dot." He resisted the urge to call him Dotty, knowing this was not the time for that. "I don't even remember saying anything like that, but if I did, I promise I didn't mean it. You're just like me, okay?" He gestured to his tail, and then at Dot's wings. "This doesn't make me any less human, right? So why should those? I'm sorry that what I said made you feel like that, I wasn't thinking and I didn't mean it. It won't happen again, I promise. Can I have a hug?"

Dot nodded and let Felix cuddle him, accepting the apology with a smile. Of course Felix hadn't meant it. It wasn't like him to be so cruel and thoughtless, even in a moment of anger. The reassurance that he did in fact recognise that Dot was human too meant more to the boy than he could ever know.

Over in the opposite corner, near the door, Tiro was spinning in circles and humming tunelessly while staring at the ceiling, which honestly killed the mood a little.

"Do you reckon he's lost it?" Felix whispered to Dot, which made them both burst out in laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Tiro stopped spinning and slumped onto the floor, staring at them.

"You." Felix replied with a completely straight expression, making Dot snort at both the nonchalance with which he said it and Tiro's baffled expression afterwards.

"You look like a nutcase." He added, causing Tiro to stick his tongue out and flip him off lightheartedly before giving a breathless laugh and looking back up at the ceiling.

"Can you teach me how to play cards? I'm bored out of my mind." Tiro asked. It was a simple request, but still made him anxious. They'd say no, of course they would say no. Why would they say yes? There was no reason for them to-

"Sure thing," Felix chuckled, "get over here, you nutcase."

a/n: hello uhm [head in hands] i am sorry for not updating much, i'm really not doing very well with motivation at the moment eek