“Compromise?” Byron asked, incredulous. “I don’t see how you compromise on that. I thought I was being pretty cool with tolerating the extended touchy-feely make-out session. What are you thinking the compromise is?”

“I don’t know,” Mr. Vaughn said. “But my issue is that it seems very unreasonable to expect total abstinence for the indeterminate future.”

“That’s insane. It’s not that. It’s that he wants to go have sex or do whatever with randoms, and I have a front row seat. I have to see it. I have to feel it. And that’s—you can’t change that. You can’t make it not the case. I know you’re not a stupid man, Mr. Vaughn. You have to understand this.”

“I…” Mr. Vaughn said. “Find myself in a difficult position. On a certain level, I very much agree. Where I’m leery is that we have had attention from the Youth Guard. Gender freedom, freedom of expression, sexuality—they are touchy subjects.”

“So is me being subjected to that!”

“Byron,” Mr. Vaughn said, his voice firm. “My concern is that if I take a stance or take a side, I am opening myself up to issues, no matter what I do. I suspect you are right, though you may be acting unreasonable or operating on too many assumptions when it comes to your interpretation of your brother’s actions.”

“That—”

“I don’t know,” Mr. Vaughn said, less of an admission of ignorance and more of a statement of direction. “Probably not. You’re probably right. But I don’t and can’t know. I don’t want to abandon you either. If I wash my hands of this and say it’s between the two of you, I think I know the outcome.”

“Oh yeah,” Byron said. “I think so.”

“Before it comes to that, before I’m forced to make a choice that hurts my relationship with one of you, or before I make a choice based on things I can’t know, I would like for the two of you to talk. Discuss. Let me step out of the office. I’m going to go to the cafeteria, I’m going to grab my dinner, I’ll come back, and if you have found a resolution, my respect for the two of you will redouble.”

“And if we don’t?” Byron asked.

“Then…” Mr. Vaughn said. “We will discuss. And we will make hard choices.”

Byron nodded. Mr. Vaughn stood and left the room. Byron tried to think of what to say, what argument he could make. But before that, he had to know.

He had to confirm his suspicions.

He switched to Tristan.

“I can’t believe you brought it to him,” Tristan said. Switch.

“No choice. We needed a mediator.”

“He’s the boss, and he’s not stupid. When you talk about me having a partner, he can connect the dots.”

“You did it first.”