Greg takes a little longer than necessary to finish up and come back. He carefully puts the browned waffles on his plate, taps at them to make sure they're not too hot, hems and haws over to make some more, contemplates the leftover batter, drums his fingers on the waffle iron a few extra seconds before turning the heat off.

Once he finally returns to sit by the bed, one foot bounces anxiously as he pours the syrup. And for a long few seconds, Greg simple stares at the breakfast perched on his lap, untouched. He swallows around the lump in his throat, and his hair contracts into anxious, greenish curls.

"Steven, I... I want to talk about what happened. Back in Celebration, before the vampires and everything."