let your colors bleed, and blend with mine

Eliot Spencer has guarded a secret that could destroy everything - he's connected to six other souls across the globe through an invisible psychic bond. For years, blockers have kept his true nature hidden from Parker and Hardison, the two people who've become his family. But when the pills run out, his carefully constructed walls crumble, threatening to expose them all to the dangerous organization hunting people like him. As his two worlds collide, Eliot must choose between protection and honesty, isolation and connection, in this high-stakes tale of love, trust, and the courage to reveal your true colors.

let your colors bleed, and blend with mine

Eliot Spencer has guarded a secret that could destroy everything - he's connected to six other souls across the globe through an invisible psychic bond. For years, blockers have kept his true nature hidden from Parker and Hardison, the two people who've become his family. But when the pills run out, his carefully constructed walls crumble, threatening to expose them all to the dangerous organization hunting people like him. As his two worlds collide, Eliot must choose between protection and honesty, isolation and connection, in this high-stakes tale of love, trust, and the courage to reveal your true colors.

The pill bottle is empty. Again. I stare at it, feeling the absence like a physical weight lifting – or maybe settling – over me. Three years of blockers, three years of relative silence in my head, and now they're gone. I should be relieved. Instead, I'm on edge, waiting for the inevitable. They'll come through soon enough.

"Eliot?" Parker's voice startles me. I quickly hide the empty bottle in my pocket, turning to find her watching me from the kitchen doorway. "You okay?"

"Fine," I say, too quickly. Her eyes narrow – she knows I'm lying. Hardison appears behind her, already reaching for the snack cabinet.

"Hey man, you wanna help me taste test these new chips? I ordered like fifteen different flavors."

Before I can answer, I feel it – that subtle shift, the presence at the edge of my consciousness. Natsumi. I clench my jaw, willing her away.

"You good, man?" Hardison asks, noticing my tension.

"Yeah," I mutter, "just need some water." I head for the sink, but as I turn on the faucet, I hear her clear as day: "You can't keep pushing us away forever."

I freeze, hoping Parker and Hardison didn't hear her too.