A couple of days had passed since the argument with his father. The apology had helped smooth things over on the surface, but the tension never fully disappeared. It lingered around the house in quieter, heavier ways.
The living room felt almost unnaturally still. The faint hum from the ceiling lights blended with the steady ticking of the clock mounted near the hallway. Every step Alan took across the wooden floor sounded louder than it should have. He paced from one end of the room to the other, fingers drumming restlessly against the side of his leg before stopping near the window for the third time in under a minute.
Nothing about this conversation felt easy. He turned sharply and walked back toward his bedroom door again, thoughts colliding over each other faster than he could organize them. His hand dragged across the back of his neck before falling to his side. He stopped outside his room and stared down the hallway for a second, silently debating whether to wait longer.
Then he heard the television murmuring from the other room. Alan stood there another moment before finally forcing himself forward.
When he stepped into the living room, both of his parents were already settled on the couch. Diana sat curled slightly against one side with a book resting open across her lap while the television painted shifting gold light across the room. Ben leaned deeper into the sofa cushion beside her, one arm stretched along the backrest while something played quietly on the news channel in front of them.
Alan stopped near the entrance instead of speaking immediately. His fingers curled once against his palm before relaxing again. Time to do this, he thought. You can do this, Alan.
He cleared his throat. Diana looked up first. The moment she noticed him, her expression softened almost automatically. Ben turned his head a second later. His posture stayed loose, but Alan caught the subtle shift in his attention immediately.
"Mom. Dad." Alan rubbed his thumb briefly against the side of his hand before continuing. "Uhm… so vacation's coming up soon, and I was thinking about traveling to China for a few months." He paused just long enough to feel awkward about it. "If that's okay."
Diana blinked once before straightening slightly. The book folded shut against her lap with a quiet thud. "China?" she repeated. One eyebrow lifted while amusement mixed with curiosity across her face. "That's a pretty big jump. What brought this on?"
Ben leaned forward slowly, forearms resting against his knees while his fingers linked together loosely in front of him. His eyes stayed fixed on Alan the entire time. He lifted two fingers and tapped them lightly against his upper lip — the familiar gesture he made whenever he sensed something off. "Yeah, boy," he said calmly. "What suddenly sparked your interest?"
The words sounded casual enough. The look behind them did not. Alan shifted his weight from one foot to the other before finally crossing the room. He lowered himself into the chair across from them while one knee bounced instinctively beneath his hand until he forced it still.
"Well… I want to study martial arts there," he said. "Real martial arts. Not some commercial gym classes or watered-down clubs here." His attention drifted briefly toward the television before returning to them. "And it's not just about fighting."
Ben's fingers tapped once more against his lip as he watched him. Diana noticed the gesture immediately. So did Alan.
"Why China specifically?" Ben asked. "We own multiple martial arts schools already. Hell, half the instructors there trained overseas. Why not stay here?"
Diana tilted her head slightly while studying Alan's face more carefully now. "It's really far away, sweetheart," she added gently. "Why not start here first?"
She watched Alan quietly after saying it. Her thumb slid back and forth across the edge of the closed book resting on her lap while she waited for his answer.
Alan leaned forward, resting both forearms against his thighs while his hands clasped together loosely between his knees. "I'm trying to understand myself better," he said. "You told me to find my own path, right?" His eyes moved between both of them. "That's what I'm trying to do now."
His fingers rubbed slowly against each other while he searched for the right wording. "I need distance from all this for a while. Ember, school, everything." He shook his head once. "China feels different. The culture, the discipline, the history behind everything there. I want the full experience."
The room stayed quiet while he continued. "I think I need something that clears my head properly," Alan admitted. "Something that pushes me out of the same routine."
Ben stayed quiet for several seconds. The television continued flickering quietly behind him while his thumb tapped once against his folded hands. Finally, he spoke.
"You sure this isn't really about what happened the other night?" he asked. "Because this sounds a hell of a lot like somebody trying to run from a problem."
"I'm not running." The response came out sharper than he intended. Alan saw Diana's attention shift toward him immediately after. His fingers pressed harder against his knees before he forced himself to settle back slightly, trying to ease the edge out of his posture before speaking again. "I just… I don't want to stay stuck in the same place forever waiting for something to change on its own."
Ben leaned back slowly without taking his eyes off him. One finger tapped once against the armrest while the television light shifted across his face. Alan could already tell his father was still trying to decide whether this was stupidity, manipulation, or the truth. Silence dragged across the room long enough that Alan could feel his own pulse climbing. Then he rubbed one hand slowly across his beard, eyes still fixed on Alan like he was weighing every word coming out of him before finally speaking.
… fine," he muttered. "I'll play your game. If this is what you want, I'll play along. For now." His attention shifted briefly toward Diana. "What do you think?"
Diana placed the book aside and rested one hand gently against Ben's arm. "Well, he's not a little kid anymore," she said. "At some point we have to let him figure himself out properly." Her eyes returned toward Alan. "And you still have that unfinished project at Winchester Enterprises with Russia and China waiting. Maybe this trip helps all three of us breathe a little."
Ben gave her a sideways look. "You already decided before I answered, huh?"
A small smile tugged briefly at the corner of Diana's mouth. "Maybe a little."
Alan sat still, but the tension that had been locked through his shoulders since entering the room finally eased just enough for Ben to notice.
"Do not start celebrating yet," he warned. "We still need to figure out where you're staying, who's training you, how long this lasts, and whether this entire thing turns into a disaster."
Alan nodded quickly. "Fair."
Ben pointed toward him without much force behind it this time. "And you are not doing anything reckless while you're out there either, you hear? Trust is a fragile thing once you break it. It's hard to fix. Understand?"
Alan lowered his head once in understanding. "Yes, father."
Ben studied him another second before finally leaning back against the couch again. The tension in the room loosened slightly after that, though not completely.