Chris turned toward the hand on his shoulder, clearly debating with himself what he wanted to do. He was fooling himself if he thought that he would get away even if he did manage to leave and that Cole would forget anything had happened. It was too late to take it back now, even if he really did wish he could have caught himself before he showed up unannounced and unexpected. There was a lump forming in his throat because he almost couldn't believe how well Cole had turned around to accept the presence of a son not even born yet, and that acceptance meant more than Chris could comprehend.

After the moment had passed, Chris found himself sighing, shoulders slumping and generally just losing much of the semi-confrontational stance he had taken on instinct. He ducked his head and nodded. "Yeah, okay. Lead the way," he said. This wasn't an apartment familiar to him, but of course by the time Chris had grown old enough to remember his dad's place, Cole had gotten back on his feet and found somewhere much more suitable to live.