Lyndon let out a quiet laugh and reached over to draw her near.

"Come on, sweetheart, you must be starving. Stop giving our boy that fierce stare. Let's head down for some breakfast."

Tilda's eyes narrowed at him. "Go on, Lyndon, indulge him again if you dare."

Lyndon muttered a quick, "Sorry." From the bed, Sheldon watched them exit, exhaling deeply.

The thought of losing his laptop privileges made his shoulders slump once more.

His dad's fear of his mom was proof of how much he adored her, which was sweet.

Still, Sheldon wasn't sure if he wanted his father to toughen up a bit or keep giving in to her every whim.

The little guy was tangled in his own thoughts.

Deep down, he wished his dad would stick up for him more, especially when his mom was around.

Slowly, Sheldon slipped into his clothes, brushed his teeth, splashed water on his face, and trudged downstairs.

In the dining room, Tilda and Lyndon were already at the table, waiting.

"Sheldon, morning," Elma said warmly as she carried breakfast in from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Elma," Sheldon mumbled in his small, gloomy voice, shuffling into the room.

Elma picked up on his mood right away. "Sheldon, didn't you sleep well? Why do you look so down?"

With his laptop gone, life felt a lot less fun, so how could he be energetic?

But he only dared to complain internally and denied, "No, I'm okay."

Lyndon rose from his seat, hoisting the boy onto a chair. "If you're unhappy, just admit it. Why deny it?" Sheldon settled in, lips pressed shut, saying nothing.

Elma tilted her head, intrigued. "Sheldon, what's on your mind?"

Tilda cast a knowing glance at her son and said with purpose, "Elma, he's really something these days. He's a big shot in a video game."

"What?" Elma, confused, handed Sheldon a glass of milk.

He gripped it, pausing before making a final plea.

"Mom, can we talk about this one more time?" Tilda's stare was firm. "Of course not." Sheldon's head dropped, a touch of defeat in his eyes. "Fine."

Elma blinked at them, utterly confused. "Tilda, you're being cryptic. What's this about being a big shot? Sheldon, who are you gaming with?"

She figured maybe he'd clashed with some kids over a game.