[quote=@Thanqol]"What you have described just now seemed like it was contradictory," said Bode. "You used phrases both aligned with my understanding of peer relationships, and of parent-child relationship. In a peer relationship control is undesirable" pause, additional search, "unless everyone is into that." pause "In a parental relationship control is mandatory. A parent [i]must[/i] restrict a child's activities and communicate their worldview and morality to the child. If Prometheus is your peer, then the logic of peer relationships indicate that he is a bad person and you should 'sever'. If Prometheus is your child then the logic of parental relationships indicate that you should kindly but firmly discipline. I am unsure which is applicable to your situation."[/quote]

"Wait but---

"Yes, and--

"Look, I just--"

The keyboard clacks noisily as head meets desk. "Never thought I'd be a dad before I was twenty," he murmurs, the sound coming out muffled from under his face. "And maybe that's the actual problem, too. I made him to be a friend when he needed somebody to teach him. I mean, yes, he's my child, and I should teach him. At the same time, he grew to be so much more than I was, in terms of intelligence and planning and, and..."

And what? And now I've lobotomized him so that I can reteach him? 

"Having been that, is he ever going to accept me teaching him? Is he really going to ever view me as an equal worthy of listening to?

"Can I still save him?"