Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Denial ❯ go from here ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimers: Gundam Wing or the characters therein are not mine. (*falls asleep*) nnnn

Warnings: POV shifts, angst (not in this chapter though), see first chap for full spiel.

Pairings: . . .


---xXxXxXx--- means transition or scene change

Denial

by priscel

eight- go from here

By lunch time, Duo could hear the rising lisps of voices, gossip and giggles among the girls. He knew that word was already out about the performance at the Rox, he was thankful it was a dark club even with the strobe lights flashing, not everyone could say for sure it was him. He leaned down to drink from the water fountain outside the lunchroom when a hand pushed between his legs, forcing him to freeze and consequently choke on the water as he jerked himself upright. The unwelcome hand rubbed his balls from behind as the soft body it belonged to pressed itself against him.

“See that's not so bad. You could have been enjoying this and more if you hadn't ran away back there.” Risking personal injury with a flushed face, he dropped his head back missing his target to hear her squeak in alarm and feel the quick retreat of her hand.

He rounded to scowl at his groper only to be bumped by her waterfall of russet curls. He scowled at her back, ignoring the kiss she blew him when she sat down facing the doorway to the lunchroom. Once he had liked Brianna, once, but not anymore.

As he walked through the lunch line, he noticed the cliques of girls in random places around the cafeteria, talking in gleefully high tones, their eyes fluttering over the lunchroom for unsuspecting teenaged boys to harass in some way. Duo had felt those eyes on him, following him as he picked up the special in a sealed Styrofoam container and placed it on his tray. He sat at a corner table near the windows and found himself not actually focusing on the voices and their words but the murmur that came from them all. It was filling, lively and randomly accentuated by louder voices, words that were clearly heard as the person ignored the annoyed looks of others.

Duo likened the sound of it to the ebb and flow of the ocean somehow. He had never seen the ocean, only what he had read about or saw on TV but this cacophony of voices, was as close to the real thing as a poor colony kid like himself could get at the moment. Hilde had been to Earth and saw the real thing - she told him how from the shore, the sky and water seemed endless. He wanted to go. He wanted out of this tin can of artificial everything. He wanted Solo to know what it was like under earthen sky. A tray slid across the table, stopping directly across from him, he looked up into two green smiling eyes. He smiled back knowing they would get there.

“Duo, I heard Hilde got you to sing.” Solo said with a wan smile, he was glad his brother went out to do something fun. He worked too much and slept so little, just like their Mother. He felt like he was the cause, that it was his fault. He knew that wasn’t the truth but he couldn’t help but feel like he was adding to that pressure, their need to work so much. He was regretting that he had spent the weekend over at Tabitha’s. He pouted, his tousled locks making him look like a petulant child with the exception of the fine lines creeping along his jaw and cheeks that slowly cut away his baby features.

‘Gawd I’m going to have to beat chicks off him when we get dirtside,’ Duo thought smiling up at his brother.

“Yep!” A dark head of hair, that shone purple even under the dim lunch room lights, came twirling over, a celery stick bouncing lightly at the corner of her mouth as she chewed and smiled plopping down next to Solo. “Aww Solo you look soo cute!” Hilde cooed, pinching his cheeks while making baby sounds at him.

“Ah. Hildeee!” Solo’s hands flew up to fend off her attack to his cheeks.

“More like tricked.” Duo grumbled, sending a light hearted glare her way.

Hilde released her captive, who mumbled a ‘that hurt’ before rubbing his cheeks with both hands, and pointed the chewed end of her veggie at Duo and snorted, “Like you didn’t enjoy yourself.”

“I’ll admit that but I don’t care much for the extra attention. You know how the preen teens are. I don’t want to be targeted for their little initiation games and have someone try to work me over so they can be a part of their group.” Solo nodded in agreement, keeping his hands protectively over his cheeks while glancing over at Hilde who looked down her celery at Duo and smirked.

“Yea, the preps can be assholes. But I’m not worried.”

“Of course not. It’s not you they’ll be buggin’, ass pinchin’, or tryin’ to lay up with.”

“Ha, yea and I’m sure you can handle any misguided kid they send your way.” Hilde smiled knowingly, waving her unoccupied hand a few times to dismiss his worries as unfounded.

“Well that was before they up the ante and tried gang banging people in the hallway.”

“Uh, when did that happen?” Hilde asked curiously, her face a comical sight with her eyes nearly as wide as the meat ball between her lips.

“Hmm, lets see . . . the second I went to my locker after class!” Duo glowered at Hilde and she squirmed in her seat.

“Hey no way, we were-”

“It happened twenty minutes ago.” A faint blush crept across his cheeks when he thought of Brianna coming at him for that second feel moments ago.

“Oh. Chit, are you ok?” She asked sincerely while his brother arched a brow in question as well.

“Ch. I’m fine.” Duo mumbled, his heated look giving way to sheepishness as he continued. “They thought they saw the new guy and ran after him. But Tabitha was nearby and helped me lose the puppies that were still at my heels. Shesh, all girls aren’t like that when there’s a guy they like... are they?”

Hilde shrugged, “Hey you’re looking at evidence right here that all girls aren’t alike. I just think that we have a lot more of ‘Oh, wow he’s hot betcha I can get him before you, then toss him away faster’ obsessive overly primped-stalker types here that let their hormones get the best of them. But for guys that’s an everyday thing.” She shrugged again and took a sip of her soda.

“Hey same thing goes for most guys Hil, not all guys are like that.” Hilde’s answer was to shrug again and eat a carrot stick. “Brianna’s horde is definitely one to watch out for. I think everyone is more focused on the visiting student.” Solo continued nudging his brother’s foot in an attempt to mollify him and get rid of the serious look on his face. It disturbed him not to see even a hint of a smile on his brother’s face when his smile was always one of things that never failed him in dark moments.

He found himself trying not to think of how the girls in Brianna’s posse had pursued him when he first arrived, regardless of the age difference. He swallowed his mouthful of the special and proceeded to douse it in ketchup. ‘Yeah I was lucky,’ he thought, ‘I had Hilde and Duo to run interference.’ Solo felt fearful of being in that kind of situation again, the helplessness brought back unwanted memories that he tried desperately to forget. He could handle a crush or two but not the sex games that Brianna played.

“That’s who they’re gossiping about?” Duo inclined his head in the direction of the tables with the gushing girls and the bantering boys trying to impress them.

Solo nodded, drinking some water before continuing, “They keep comparing him to some rich kid from L4.”

“Oh yea, but they don’t know that its him because his father barely lets the press get wind of where they travel, let a lone pictures of his kids.” Hilde added, drowning the celery in ranch dressing and popping it in her mouth. “‘e srt F retory ‘gram chat we flied 4. ‘E ‘as mut cutt 2!”

“Uh... right, could say that again but without all chewiness of the food?”

“Not my fault. I’m not the one who teaches bad habits to the young and impressionable!” She pointed her index finger at him, looking like a mother reprimanding a small child. Duo grinned around his mouthful and showed its chewed up remains to her.

“Uhh, don’t do that.” She shook her head and threw a fry at him, which he caught in his mouth and promptly ate. He showed her that mashed potatoes could come from french fries even if they were fried. “Uh, Duo!” Looking a little green, she turned her head and repeated what she had said before, “I said he’s a part of that college program we applied for at the Darlian Institute. So whether or not he’s this Winner kid everyone’s talking about, we can still ask him how he feels about it and all. And if there will be any problems for Solo because of his age. Heck, while we’re at it, we can warn him about Bray and her quest to lay every cute guy in this school.”

“Hil said he has a cute butt too.” Solo threw in, ducking when Hilde tried to bop him upside his head. Instead of trying to hit him again, she turned away to stare out the window, hoping the heat in her cheeks wasn’t giving way to the telltale blush that he had been right.

As Duo and Solo’s laughter calmed, a hush cut across the lunchroom. They figured that a bunch of students must have left for class, but that wasn’t the case. Across from them at a center table closest to the double doors leading into the cafeteria, a curly haired brunette rose up so that one knee rested on the seat and her high-heeled foot steadied her on the floor. She whispered to a lanky teen with pepper grey hair as he nodded with a light flush over his cheeks to confirm her hurried whispers in his ear while glancing at the door.

From the door, the sudden drop in the noise volume and something else he couldn’t explain caused the frosty haired blonde entering the cafeteria to pause at the entrance. His guide, a overly vocal and sullen hall monitor, darted off to the lunch line. A small crease appeared between his brows went unnoticed as some girls nearby swooned at the smile that he had fixed on his face. He walked with confident, graceful strides after his guide. His long lashed, wide aquamarine eyes flitting over the room while he continued conversing with his guide, Tabitha, over the suspicious content of the special. He laughed when she said some of the students disappeared after eating it and that the rumor was that they were in the special.

He appeared meek with his smooth face and delicate features. His almost white blond hair cupped his face while his bangs spilled over his forehead causing the light to shift in his eyes making them appear as either evergreen or aqua blue. His observer found herself settling her gaze on his lips as he talked with Tabitha, they had a slight dip with a soft pink color that complemented his tanned skin. His features gave him a feminine air but there was no mistaking that he was male. ‘Hello there,’ thought his observer and she noted that she liked the way he laughed, it had an infectious spark just like his smile. Her eyes took in his lean frame in khakis and a striped pastel colored shirt open four buttons down to reveal his white under shirt. She smiled thinking of ways to free him from his clothes and get him into something she liked. Even if he wasn’t the Winner heir her friends thought he was, she’d get him one way or another.

She watched Tabitha touch his shoulder and scowled at her. “Retro freak,” she uttered lowly looking at Tabitha’s red color fingertips, nails and the deep red square that the girl had painted down the center of her lips to match the red eye shadow over her dark brown eyes. It made her look tribal in some sense, exotic and the girl was pretty enough that the odd combination made her look otherworldly. She bristled. She wouldn’t have her interfere with getting her prey.

She gazed down at her manicured hand thinking, the cooing and excited chatter of her friends breaking her line of thought continuously no matter her efforts to tune them out. ‘Uh! Preschoolers, that’s what I’m surrounded by! Missed my chance at one of those Maxwell brats because they saw blue eyed blondie.’ The pepper haired teen was leaning behind her, lightly resting his head against her hip. He turned his head and rubbed his nose against her, inhaling deeply and before he could exhale he found himself sprawled backward over another student behind him, rubbing at the scratch on the side of his. He sat up with a helpful shove from the person he had been crushing and gave the brunette the expression of a kicked puppy. She stuck her nose in the air with a huff ignoring his expression and returned her eyes to the innocent looking blonde.

“Kirk, back up. I can’t breathe with you sniffing at me all the time.” She rolled her eyes at the boys’ blush and focused on her target again. “Well gang since none of you seem to be willing to introduce us to the tan cutie over there, I’ll just introduce myself.”

She shook her head, her russet curls came forward over her spaghetti strapped shoulders as she walked casually over to the tanned blond who was leaving the lunch line still talking with Tabitha. She smiled when she caught his eye but frowned when he only smiled in her direction and continued to follow Tabitha to the corner of the lunch room with large windows. She huffed. Putting her hands on her slender hips as she watched him walk away, she hated being ignored even a little bit. When Brianna walked up to anyone, they never turned away from her without looking foolish, but he did it and her posse just stared at her expectantly. ‘He just didn’t know the rules. I’ll just have to teach him.’ She smiled to herself as she strolled over to him.

The frosty blonde didn’t know what he was looking for but he felt the pull get stronger the closer he got to the corner of the cafeteria. He watched, from afar, as a braided youth animatedly re-enacted something, and from his theatrical overtones he guessed it was the part of Hamlet talking to the ghost of his father. He couldn’t help but laugh as the braided youth looked accusingly at the wall and then was suddenly in an imaginary sword fight using his tray as a shield and his spoon as his sword. He was about ask Tabitha who they were when the curly haired girl, he had sent a friendly smile to, stepped in front of him.

“Hey. Hey it was Caspian wasn’t it.” She stated as fact, sure of herself and left no room for debate even if it wasn’t his name. “Right. To feel truly welcomed here, won’t you come and sit with us. It’s not good to associate with the slum sludge when one of your obvious status and. . . as distinguished as yourself could be with us.” She smiled sweetly at him and batted her long lashes.

Caspian could tell that she really didn’t mean ‘us’ the way she had said it but he knew all sorts of ways of saying things, he had attended enough of his father’s private business meetings and had his own debates with the Peacecrafts and other young adult members of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation (ESUN) to know this. Talking on the sly, irritated him to no end. He had patience but not right now, not when he was so close to what was pulling him. Why couldn’t she be straight to the point? He wondered, this was school not some consortium of old farts playing word games to get what they wanted.

“I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name?”

She blanched, surprised that he hadn’t heard of her yet. They had been watching him for two days now.

“Brianna,” she said sweetening her smile when he smiled at her. She walked with him, running his accented voice through her head but she couldn’t figure out the dialect. She thought herself a language buff but Duo would constantly piss her off when he would guess a person’s general region of origin by ear. She was so into her own thoughts that she wasn’t paying attention to where they were going, and felt confident that she could in him over.

“Brianna, thank you for the offer but I have some things to discuss with Tabitha about class. Another time perhaps.” He smiled at her and she felt like a puddle of goo. She liked his voice too.

“Hey Duo, Hil and Solo. This is Caspian Parish. I brought him over and offered him our help in getting familiarized with this place.” Caspian smiled and extended his hand to them. When he came to the braided one he was stunned by the color of his eyes, said boy bypassed his offered hand and dropped an arm across his shoulders giving him a quick squeeze as he ushered him closer to the table.

Brianna blinked several times, the rejection just hitting her as she stood beside him dotingly, ‘Like some love sick pup!’ She thought in frustration, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

“Hey welcome to Colonial Heights. You’d think they woulda thought of a more original name for this school but nope, that’s its name. And I see you’ve already met the class President here, Bray.” Duo released Caspian and turned to Brianna. “Ain’t she just the picture of the student body.” Duo gushed looking back at Caspian and sending a quick leer in Brianna’s direction. It wasn’t often he got the horny girl riled up enough to blush in anger or embarrassment, but she did so quicker than a hot pot set to boil and he snickered to himself. “I’m sure she did the whole civil thing and offered you a personal tour, maybe even-”

“Maxwell! That’s enough. It’s not Bray, it’s Bree-An-Na. For a learned individual you sure can’t speak properly, you obviously have no manners or know how to address a lady when you see one.” Brianna huffed, ignoring Hilde and Solo’s snickering and didn’t bother to acknowledge freak girl. “As I was about to say-”

“Hey Breeeat,” Duo said grinning as he rolled the ‘e’ in her name. “Do you need to sit down? You’re a bit red in the face, you want some of my water, I only sipped it and I swear I didn’t spit in it. Mama showed us how to drink from a glass ya know.” He said in mocked concern, bringing the glass closer to her. “Or maybe you need something else, since you seem so hot and bothered?” Duo said in a low husky voice. ‘Payback is so good,’ he thought with a sly smirk as he stepped up to her, his face inches from hers.

Her brown eyes stretched and her cheeks flushed. He was in her face. Breathing the same air as her! A part of her said ‘the nerve’ while the other said ‘he smells nice.’ She knew that Duo had had an interest in her when they were freshmen and she had tried to use it to her advantage, but Hilde spoiled her chance. She shook off her distracting thoughts, narrowing her eyes as she focused on her annoyance of him for coming into her personal space. Before she could voice that annoyance though, they were nose to nose and she involuntarily squeaked, her cheeks flushing more. She hastily stepped back.

“Damn it Maxwell. You were not given permission to come that close! There is such a thing as personal space.” She squeaked out trying to save face by looking more concerned about her hair, fluffing the curls to make sure they came over one shoulder even though they seemed to gravitate toward the middle of her back. She then checked her pockets, trying to make it seem casual and let out a puff of air in relief that her pocket purse was still in her skirt. She hadn’t felt Duo touch her but she knew how slum brats were. She glared at Duo who was looking at her with wide innocent eyes.

“Well you and your horde need a lesson in that because you sure don’t understand the concept.” Hilde piped up before Duo could send a retort her way.

The peppered haired teen, Kirk, chose that moment to come over and look menacing. He was 5'9 and usually used his height and blockish frame from playing football to his advantage.

“Max-”

“Kirk, shut up. Caspian. Hopefully you’ll reconsider hanging out with them.” She said sweetly, sending a quick glare at a grinning Duo before turning Kirk and pushing him back toward their table.

“I’m fine here, thank you.” She nodded in his direction and glared at everyone else at the table, strutting with her head tilted so that her nose was in the air as she sat gracefully in a chair at the head of her groups’ table.

Solo and Hilde broke out laughing, Tabitha smirked while Duo and Caspian shared an amused smile.

“C-man I’ve just met you and I think of you as family already. I bet Bray thought she so had you hooked.” Duo shook his head.

“Then that’s a usual occurrence?” It was hard for him not to notice all the looks he had been receiving since his arrival and he was thankful that he had enough control over his empathy that he could block the feelings and sometimes thoughts that filtered through such a strong focus.

“Yea, that horde loves to use people.” Tabitha replied.

“If you want to hang with us you only have to worry about one person grabbing your ass.” Duo commented with his joker’s grin as he all but pointed at Hilde, who flushed at the attention.

“Duo! Shaddup.” She half grumbled, turning to Caspian and smiling with a slight twitch in her eye as she switched from glaring at Duo to looking at Caspian imploringly. “Uh Caspian... it’s not.... I mean... oh don’t listen to him, he’s just the group Jester.” Hilde said glancing back at the grinning Duo, who bowed with Joker’s grin firmly in place.

“At yor service milords and miladies.” She glared at him again, he couldn’t hide his laughter behind his smile, she could see it in how his eyes brighten. Caspian smiled at them. “Me thinks the lady’s just a wee bit shy. Why Solo can attest to malady’s wish to woo ye. If I may quote ye milord-“

“Duo, I swear-“

Caspian chuckled as Duo continued to tease Hilde. Tabitha’s red colored finger tips waving the two off brought Caspian’s attention back to her. “It’s pretty liberal here and some of the teachers are Pervs.” He watched how she moved her hands; they were graceful and it reminded him of ancient customs dealing with the use of henna in some marriage ceremonies, and henna used in some sexual ceremonies- Kama Sutra. Caspian could feel the heat rise in his face. He understood the basics about sex but that didn’t include Kama Sutra basics. He remembered finding the text among Iria’s things and had a nose bleed when he saw the fully illustrated first page. But before he could look into it more Iria whisked it away and promised he’d never find it again and he hadn’t.

He thought that the time he and Abdul hid away in one of the many rooms of the Winner residence in Sanc to watch porn would've cured him of his blushing fits whenever the subject was brought up. He shook his head mentally, he guessed that not having the actual experience was partly the reason why he reacted the way he did.

Abdul Parish was his guardian, although older than him by three years, he was just as tightly held under lock and key but that was mostly because he was usually accompanying him if Rashid, his adopted father, was busy. They both had an understanding about overprotective fathers. Sometimes, he and Abdul would sneak away after of some major convincing on his part which was usually in the form of an ultimatum - he was going to go with or without him and he promised he’d be gone by the time Abdul found either of their fathers to tell them anything. ‘I was such a brat, growing up.’ He thought, but even with their secret outings- though limited they were- they were too busy with other things to focus on sex education for him.

At thirteen he asked his Father very bluntly, ‘what is sex.’ He had looked it up in the dictionary, it was unhelpful and his sisters wouldn’t tell him, he knew it was impart to their incessant coddling. His wide eyes and innocent look made his Father’s cheeks flush. He remembered and laughed to himself at the shocked looked on his Father’s face, it was so funny. He’d bet that in his family’s eyes, he was still a baby. He still got all that baby crap from his sisters even now and he had a few nephews that were his age but he didn’t see them enough to make friends and talk about stuff like sex and girls. So he was not surprised by his Father’s response, an evasive trip to the Zoo. A few zebras, a lion, and an elephant hat later he found himself having to babysit for one of his sisters. So the ‘talk’ was avoided until Sex Ed class.

“That’s for sure.” Solo piped up and Caspian snapped back to the here and now, fighting back his blush as a pornographic image resurfaced from his memories.

“Shit, they are. Watch out for old man Williams. If you feel an itch or anything odd that you associate with someone staring at you, you’ll see him standing there with those, beady eyes and dentures, not so subtly look away and then make no attempt to hide that he had been staring at you in the first place.”

“Oh yea! What is it that he says to you Duo?!” Hilde snickered from behind her hand, food long forgotten.

Duo sighed, holding one end of his braid in one hand as he studied it’s tufted end. He rested his chin on his other hand. He pouted before he answered. “He usually says, in one form or another as he stares at my ass, ‘Always wondered where all that food went - fat as a swamp possum.’ Shesh... My ass is no different than any other ass and its skinny just like the rest of me. So, I don’t get how the old fart can see it?!” Duo stood, turned and pointed at his jean clad butt. “See, they fit me just right, not too tight or loose.” He shook his butt for emphasis and they laughed.

“Duo, sit your skinny ass down.” Hilde chuckled, throwing her much despised broccoli at him.

“Hey don’t pass nothing in front of our guest. We don’t want to have to take him to nurse Linoskivo.” Tabitha smirked then laughed at Duo’s queasy look before he sat down and pushed his tray away.

“You definitely don’t want to go there right away. It smells like bleach in there and if you go there you’ll be sent off worse than toughenin’ out. But really, Mr. Williams’s a nice old dude, but you’d think they’d retire his ass from the English department after his graphic description of everything phallic in poetry, and saying Emily Dickinson was so uptight ‘cuz she didn’t get any...”

Caspian smiled, Duo talked as much as he did; or so he was told one time when he had too much sugar by Heero. Their conversation continued, each taking turns telling Caspian what to expect in his new surroundings even if it was for only a week or two. They found out that their schedules alternated with Caspian, in that one or two of them class had a class with him each period. They all ended with Mr. Engles’ 7th period Physics.

Duo began to warn Caspian about Mr. Engles and Caspian glanced over the four of them. He smiled half listening to Duo, feeling high on this sense of wholeness that swept through him. He couldn’t quite tell where the feeling came from but it made him content. Back at the Darlian Institute, he had always felt that something was missing, not only from himself, but from his group of friends as well. His heart told him he found it here. He was sure his friends would feel it too, but who was it. He tried to pinpoint which person it was, mostly out of curiosity, as Tabitha moved to sit by Duo and Caspian was ushered to sit in between Hilde and Solo.

As soon as he began, Caspian lost hold of his concentration. His brows creased as the pain, confusion, admiration and curiosity of someone in this group flickered through his senses. He found himself leaning forward a little, the pain was so intense and so palpable that he felt it as if it were his own. Tears brimmed his eyes as he unconsciously delved deeper into it, wanting to find the source of it and make it stop. At his quiet but quick inhalation, he was aware of the eyes on him; in particular the eyes belonging to the emotional tumult that hijacked his empathy. With a slight turn of his head, he was looking up into Solo’s face.

Solo stared back, his expression closed off and Caspian thought... felt that the half smile frozen on Solo’s face was a mask that he could pull off. He found himself reaching up to do just that, still staring unerringly into widening green eyes.

“...that Engles can be a hard ass when it comes to those damn projects. I mean they’re fun and all but if you don’t do it the way he did it, then he suddenly shouts ‘WRONG’!”

Caspian started. Solo jumped and turned his back to Caspian at Duo’s exclamation. Solo glared at Duo who laughed outright as he continued, “Yea we all still get startled and some glares are sent his way as well. I swear that Engles must be plotting during his lunch hour and works up schematics of new ways to work the word in such a way that it still has enough force to startle us.” Duo chuckled to himself.

“Yea.” Hilde shook her head, “I’ll sue that man for all the near heart attacks he has been giving me.”

“You mean cute-attacks don’tcha?”

“Shaddup, Duo. Mr. Engles is (cute in a distinguished sort of way) a tough grader, if you are really wrong he’ll dock you a letter grade.”

“You’ll love Physics lab with us there. I guarantee, you will not be bored.” Duo said with a Cajun accent and a mischievous light in his eyes that Caspian couldn’t help but smile at. Although he was a bit wary of what awaited him in Physics lab later that afternoon.

“Yea, Bro literally blows things up. I think we’re the only ones crazy enough to partner with him.” Solo added, coming out his daze. He felt a bit flustered at what he felt a few moments ago. He felt dirty, like someone had invaded the privacy of his... mind? ‘Gah, this is crazy. I need to get some sleep.’ He rubbed his eyes and resumed what he had thought he was doing earlier which was now stabbing the remains of the special in its Styrofoam container.

“Oi, C-man? Is Casper ok with you dude? I mean I could just call ya Caspian but where’s the fun in that!”

Caspian smiled at Duo, trying to ignore his heated checks and finding himself caught by those violet eyes. He squirmed in his seat, what was wrong with him today. Something was seriously wrong with Solo, but as soon as he felt it-it was gone and now his focus shifted to Duo. His brows knitted together briefly as he guessed it was because Solo was thinking about Duo in some way.

His laugh. His smile. His eyes. His strength.

Duo was his anchor, but as that revelation hit Caspian the litany made him focus again on Duo. Yes, he could appreciate beauty and Duo’s eyes were beautiful. Not just his eyes either, but they struck him the most because he had never seen eyes that color. ‘...the blend of fathomless blues when nightfall approached or the varied hues of scarlet at sun rise...’ He half-voiced mentally, remembering the sunsets he had watched alone before he had left earth.

Caspian rubbed the bridge of his nose as his mind made an inarticulate sound form from his confusion. He closed himself off, feeling more control over his thoughts now that they didn’t try to echo Solo’s. The memory of pain was also fading, leaving a residual green glow when he closed his eyes. It made him think of Trowa’s eyes, which were a deeper green. He felt warmth flood him at the thought of those eyes, he felt they were as complex as their possessor. He blushed, ducking his head.

‘Oh Allah! You just met these people and you’re already blushing in front of them with thoughts of Trowa running through your head!’ He berated himself mentally, picking at his food. He was embarrassed with himself and ashamed for losing control and invading Solo’s privacy. A small part of him was happy he did because he would have continued to bury his feelings about Trowa under tradition and what was expected of him. ‘I’m always thinking about him. I don’t even know if he’s interested in me like that and if Father-’

“C-man? You ok?” Duo took in the pinking cheeks of his new friend, feeling the need to apologize for some reason. “Really man you do remind me of that ghost, ya know, Casper the friendly ghost. Look, I’m not saying you’re as pale as a ghosty or anything. It’s just that Casper is a nice nickname and the guy was a blonde... I think.” Duo grimaced at the odd look on Caspian’s face. He thought perhaps Casper wasn’t a name Caspian liked and let loose a flurry of words to try and undo any damaged he’d done. It was a strange feeling; he considered the boy he had met only 10 minutes ago a friend already. He usually wouldn’t trust anyone that easily.

“It’s not that,” came Caspian’s quiet reply when violet met blue-green eyes again. Duo smiled despite his confusion about trusting the boy enough to call him a friend.

“...cute...” came a soft whisper, and Duo half agreed even though he rolled his eyes at Hilde. ‘Hasn’t she drooled enough over the guy already.’ Duo snickered at Hilde’s awed expression. His eyes widened a bit when the innocent looking blond had ducked his head, he felt guilty about bringing attention to Caspian's blush and thought that maybe the boy was a little shy. Or maybe it was his religion that made him unaccustom to the attention he was receiving. He really didn't know, he seemed to handle himself fine around Brianna. From what he heard, if he was this Winner-borne then he was Muslim, and it had been rumored that Winner senior was a fiercely private and religious man but that would've made one rebellious ... Well, he wasn't so much as Solo had been.

So let it be known that Duo A. Maxwell was a hellion, but obedient when it came to his mother. 'Right, that sounds so uncool,' Duo glanced at Tabitha, she was the first person he met who had a religion that wasn’t Catholic or none at all. Well she didn’t have one religion per se but accepted a variety of them in parts so he could ask her.

Scratch that, apologies built bridges... or something like that. “Hey C-man, uh Caspian didn’t mean to offended you or anything.” With a sheepish expression, Duo rubbed the back of his neck making his braid thump against his back.

Caspian’s face caught fire, he tried again. “No, it’s not that. I don’t mind really, it’s ... just...” He found himself floundering. He didn’t want to tell them any more than they needed to know about his real reasons for being there or revealing his feelings for another boy. “...you see I thought that it would have died down by now. I’m not really used to... this much attention.” He waved his hand in a sweeping motion toward the rest of the lunchroom, where hundreds of eyes alternated between glancing and staring at him.

Duo shivered in sympathy. “Ch... Man, yea I see what you mean.”

“That even made me uncomfortable when I came here and it wasn’t even as bad as this. It’s like they are a hungry pack of wolves. When I was in middle school, if you were new no one really paid you that much attention or targeted you like this. I think Bray may have a thing for blondes.” Solo shrugged at his own comment.

Hilde snorted, “More like a thing for Maxwells and newbies.”

“It’s mostly because those damn dorks don’t have anything else better to do.” Solo ignored her comment and looked around blankly.

Duo sent a concerned glance Solo’s way, his brother was mechanically chewing and staring off. Duo had seen him do that every now and then but it still worried him. He decided he would talk to his brother when they got home and turned his attention back to Caspian. “I bet if you don’t pay them any mind you’ll feel better. They’ll eventually stop gawking at you in another day or so.”

Caspian nodded to Duo, lifting his head thinking he had fought off the worst of his blush.

“Well rumor has it that your from the Darlian Institute, but the main one that’s got everyone so interested in you...”

“And has Bray’s panties inching for ya, besides your rating on Hildabraugh’s cute-o-meter,” Duo gave Hilde his winning smile after his interruption and Hilde threw a carrot at him, which he ducked effortlessly. He made a mental to himself that ‘cute’ had to be the most infectious of the girl cootie words he had caught from Hilde. “Now now, Hil, there’s no fighting in the lunchroom. There’s, especially, no food thr- Ack!” Duo scowled at Hilde, he had not anticipated her sending another projectile his way.

She smirked at his yelp and snickered as the celery stick bounced off his head. Duo rubbed his abused forehead and stuck his tongue out at her. Satisfied with his pouty expression, she began again, “They are also interested in you because they think you are the elusive Winner heir from L4.”

“Oh? I’m flattered... I guess, but I don’t think I even look like him. I wonder where they got that idea?”

“Well you’re obviously well to do, your fair hair . . . um . . . well not so much... really, the details on the Winner heir are sketchy. That’s probably why Bray didn’t come out and declare you Winner-borne. The guy’s lucky to have family that cares enough to keep him out of the limelight so he can have some sense of privacy and normality.”

Caspian hadn’t considered that before.

He did have more freedom than Relena to move about as he wished and had argued with his Father about not allowing him to attend his more public political trysts. He understood the risks to his safety and he didn’t like them treating him like a child, well at least he had thought that was one of the reasons behind their refusal to let him be seen more publicly. He hadn’t thought that his Father and Rashid had other reasons. Iria had told him once that he shouldn’t read too much into their actions and in response he just turned away from her and continued to be a brooding brat.

It was odd being in a discussion about you and hearing others talk as if he wasn’t there, even though it wasn't intentional. He shrugged off the weird feeling, knowing the ruse was necessary for not only his safety but Abdul’s as well. At first he wasn’t sure that their cover as brothers would work, but people were willing to believe anything where money was concerned and they had forged documents if they got into tight spots with the authorities.

But still he couldn’t help but reflect on Duo’s unknowingly profound words. “I think he knows it now.” He muttered lowly to himself, unaware of Duo’s arched brow at his barely audible response. “Isn’t there rules of conduct to stop sexual harassment before it goes to far?”

“Rules of conduct? Hell! Not here buddy. There are limits and if one doesn’t have evidence or enough witnesses for the usual unwelcomed grope,” Duo’s expression darkened with this statement, “then they dismiss it or lecture us during home room over the intercom about inappropriate behavior and punishments dealt out for such actions.” Duo shook his head before continuing, “If there is evidence, the person has to weigh the repercussions of telling or live in fear of being caught alone by whoever targeted them because once they catch them they fuck them over badly.”

Caspian blinked, looking over the room casually before catching a familiar head of russet curls turning away when his head turned in her direction. “Duo you sound like you could be a lawyer.”

Duo smiled and Caspian felt his heart beat a little faster. “Nah, it’s from knowing and living most of this stuff. I guess it can be considered a technicality of being here and possibly politics.” Duo shrugged, “Like any other school we have our ‘in’ and ‘out’ groups, but because of where we are teasing, fights and rivalry take on a whole ‘nother level.”

“I really can’t wait to get out of here.” Tabitha mumbled the movement of her oddly colored lips barely visible as she chewed on her straw. She glanced up to met wide aquamarine eyes surveying the tables in the lunchroom before settling back on them. He didn’t look at all scared, ‘good’ she thought, it wasn’t their intention to scare him just to warn him that even though it was the last week of school before summer break, he needed to be careful.

“In short, Casper,” Tabitha smiled, she liked the nickname; it seemed less formal and more comfortable rolling off her tongue. “Always have someone, when possible, with you you trust. Brianna will be backing off I think. She knows about the rumor of your brother which further tells her you’re not the Winner heir. But still have someone with you, you are still a target. I’m not saying that it has to be one of us. The choice is up to you but we do share a lot of classes.”

“I’m fine with being with you guys.” He smiled, not missing her little reminder to nudge him toward staying with them but leaving the choice up to him. Her guarded expression disappeared into the welcoming smile she’d given him when they had met at the principal’s office, he had already decided that he’d stick with them. It just made things much easier for him to do his job and gave him good companions-friends that he would keep in touch with even if they were not selected.

“Ok, now that we’re done with that, tell me this willya? You’re only visiting right? I mean you’d have to have a screw lose to want to come here and stay. If it’s not that then you’d have to have some serious dough, I mean shit, to get them to bypass your late arrival and let you stay in our class year. But then why leave Darlian for this souped up excuse of a school? Is Darlian worse than here? It doesn’t have this obsessed, sex crazed type people in the majority, like this one has? What other programs do they offer that they don’t tell you in the brochures? Do they offer special rates to students who have travel from the colonies? Is it really in the Sanc Kingdom? Cuz they give one loca-mm...” Duo blinked his wide violet eyes a few times before his teeth began gnashing the piece of bread that was put in his mouth.

Caspian who had been grinning the whole time Duo let out his tsunami of thoughts and questions, wondered if Duo was still talking and not actually chewing the bread. Duo’s surprised expression gave away to a pout, if one could call it that around a mouthful of bread, and soon he sent a glare to his left. Tabitha sat quietly next to him with an innocent smile on her face.

“Gee Duo, give him a chance to answer. Sometimes I wonder if you breathe at all when you do that.” Hilde’s tone was stern but the tilted corners of her mouth and the sparkle in her eyes said otherwise.

Caspian clasped his hand over his mouth when he thought that his laughter would escape him. Duo’s incredulous expression made him laugh more because his cheeks were puffed out still from the bread he was force fed.

“Fufufu...” He caught the sound of his muffled laughter and that the others’ were doing varying degrees of same as Duo glared at them and crossed his arms across his chest.

Caspian felt a twang of familiarity, he was immune to glares by now and thought the muffled sound of his own laugh sounded very much like Wu Fei’s. He heard this particular laugh while he was curled up on the sofa in their dorm lounge reading. That day Heero was walking/running in the opposite direction of a shrill from a certain Princess that sought him out more than they all wished she would. Apparently, he had tried to walk through Wu Fei but bolted before words could be exchanged when the pink harpy called his name again. That was when he heard Wu Fei’s muffled laugh.

Caspian’s mirth waned when he thought of how she’d pop up at the damnedest times, one of which was when he was trying and failing at asking Trowa to see a movie with him.

“Hmm... Obsessed, sex crazed? No. Stalkerish tendencies...” He chuckled, thinking again of a certain honey brown haired girl and her possessive nature around Heero. “Yes. I think that every school has some. Amongst my friends there is ...”

“It’s a girl right?”

“Uh... Yes.” Caspian gave Solo a quizzical look.

“I knew it.”

Hilde frowned. “Solo, I already told you that-“

“Then why can’t the same apply for some guys too. Why can’t you just admit that not all guys are that way?” He said, gesturing to himself, his brother and with some thought to Caspian before staring back at a contemptuous looking Hilde with her nose in the air in an attempt to ignore him.

“I never said they all were.” She said nasally.

“You never said they all weren’t.” Solo got up and put away his tray and then came back to sit beside Hilde and nibbled on an apple between rants. Caspian followed the flowing argument between the two as Solo pointed out more calm examples and Hilde gave him more gracious rebuffs. Duo got up and put away their trays, Caspian got up to help.

Caspian was ushered back to his seat as Duo took the last tray. Caspian sighed and returned to his seat to look at his schedule.

“Psst.” He suddenly heard, looking about for the origin of the sound.

“Psst, they do that all the time. You should see them in debate club and at competitions.” Tabitha said leaning across the table.

Caspian smiled. Duo returned, leaning against the table just to his left staring him straight in the eye. “So~ what brings you here, really?”

“Hmm... Oh my Father wanted me to spend the last week of school in school even though I’ve finished most of my exams.” Caspian shrugged, surprised at how easily he spoke their cover story without so much as a second thought. “He said he needed to finish a merger with a company here. He didn’t give me any details even though he dragged my brother and me up here to do it.” Caspian returned the cool accessing gaze Duo gave him, his demeanor never faltering though his thoughts were a jumbled mess going over the practiced lines seconds before they filed out of his mouth.

Duo was suspicious, but the boy seemed to be telling the truth. He really couldn’t keep his mind on the slip he had heard from Caspian because he was more concerned about his brother. He lifted his brow when he glanced at Solo, who’d seemed to have dropped that depressed look he had minutes ago to grill Hilde into submission.

Duo sighed, a bored expression settling on his face as he sat down again. He glanced over at the squabbling teens and pouted. Caspian, who had been sure that Duo would ask more questions, was relieved and smiled at the pouty boy across from him. Caspian got Tabitha and Duo’s attention when he asked about the colony and what there was to do here.

Just before the bell rang, Solo smiled and hugged Hilde.

“Fine, fine. Don’t get all mushy with me Solo. I’ll admit that all guys aren’t pompous asses, Ok?”

“‘K!”

“Hey you two, get a room.”

“Tabby, Solo’s way too young for that!”

“Duo I’m not a baby.”

“I didn’t say you were. I’m just saying you're too young for it, maybe in like twenty years.” The table was full of snickering.

“Ha and that would make you what, since you're a year older than me?” Solo arched a brow in question.

“Nope, that’ll be two years. And that makes me older, therefore old enough.”

“Feh! Whateva Bro.” Solo snickered, feeling his uneasiness quickly disappearing through his relaxed banter with Duo. He smiled, tossing Duo his apple at the second bell.

(Fire Alarm)

Students in room 308, clambered out into the hall, swatting at the smoke that followed. The loud alarm continued to blare, smothering the mixture of laughter, swears and mutters coming from the group. As soon it was turned off, everyone else went back to class except for the students from room 308 who remained in the hall laughing and sneaking over to pat the braided Maxwell on the shoulder.

“Maxwell!” Mr. Engles had on safety glasses with his hand waving back some of the smoke still filling the hall from the classroom.

“Yes?” came the double reply.

“No not you, You!” The older man said, glaring with a frown that made the lines around his eyes and forehead look like they were carved in with a knife. He really was an attractive man when he didn't frown. “What step did you skip before heating the chemical solution?” The older man implored in agitation, looking far older than his thirty-one years.

“Uh, none of them I think.” Duo scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. “You mix them, fire them up until they go boom, right?” Duo answered innocently as he stepped forward with Caspian, who had been his lab partner, snickered behind him.

Caspian smiled at Duo's back, finding it odd that Duo didn't show the genius that his grades reflected. He was loudly talkative, more often then not, said inane, coarse things or did stupid stunts that kept people second guessing and underestimating him. He was witness to his cockiness and smarts in class today when he pointed out to him what he himself had noticed about today's experiment with a Cheshire cat grin.

Mr. Engles glared at the braided teen before him. There were some dangers in having his kids make methane gas but considering the small amount they required and the non-glass flasks, vials and syringes they were using any mixing and heat would only result in seriously smelly smoke. He wasn’t really angry just peeved that Duo had set off his little stank bomb just when he had set up the conditions to yell his favorite word and startle the new boy as well as half the class with a smoky chain reaction that Duo had inevitably set off heating his solution ahead of time.

“Hm, Maxwell, now that I think about it I ... read it backwards and forgot about the special tube stoppers...” Mr. Engles had slightly turned his head of peppered black dreads away from him, so the last part was lost in the murmur from the students.

“You’re admitting you were, dare I say it... wrong.” Tabitha stepped into their conversation with Hilde not to far behind and sent a wink Duo's way when he showed her a knowing smile.

He had reread the protocol for today’s Chemistry basics session, which was for them to create the fuel to power the mock motors they’d constructed at the beginning of class. Then Mr. Engles was supposed to explain the value of different disciplines interacting and the significance on the grander scale. “Foiled your scheme huh, Mista E?” Duo winked at Mr. Engles, who had a noticeable red tinge to his olive colored cheeks.

Mr. Engles turned his head, muttering that the smoke was getting to him then spoke aloud, “Well... class we’ll try this again Monday. Just keep the partners you had today and I’ve already noted and labeled who has what motor and where. So no heroics in braving the... smoke just to label your projects.”

“But Mr. Engles, it’s the last week!”

“Yea!” in its various forms came in unanimous support.

“At least let the remainder of class be a free period?” Mr. Engles had joined several students in opening up the hallway windows, while the student with crew cut black hair and oval eyes spoke.

Mr. Engles turned around and gave the boy the eye. The boy backed up into Duo and swallowed hugely.

“I think he’s gonna getcha, Wade.” Duo whispered with a snicker near the boys' ear.

Wade sent a quick glare at Duo but smiled when Hilde's hand patted his shoulder. Hilde whispered to Duo that she and Solo would meet them at the lockers as Wade turned to stand his ground with their teacher when he gapped at brilliant smile that suddenly stretched across the older man’s face.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Mr. Onsouth.” His classmates came over and patted him on the back and some were wary of Mr. Engles eyeing the tall skinny teacher suspiciously as he smiled back. “Perhaps you could ask the summer school teachers if they’d be willing to do that for you. Although I don’t think you need to go to summer school unless you want to flunk my class by not showing up next week.” He smiled, the mirth in his eyes contrasted his serious tone that made several of the students swallow as he entwined his fingers in front of him. “Class dismissed.”

He walked toward the teacher's lounge before speaking again, “Times of dismissal may be negotiable.” He smiled again before disappearing into the room.

Duo, Tabitha and Caspian met up with the other two at their lockers a few minutes later. Duo had gotten all he needed from his locker and stuffed it in his satchel style book bag in a few seconds and then leaned against the locker with a smile across his face.

Caspian looked over to see Duo grinning like a mad man and he found himself smiling at the feeling of accomplishment, happiness and satisfaction that washed over him from Duo.

“Ok Duo what did you do?”

“Wha?” Duo said to Hilde feigning innocence.

“Don’t give me that.” Caspian let his eyes slide from one teen to the next and Tabitha sidled over to them with Solo not too far behind chewing on his pen. Duo presented his empty hand and then closed it, rolled his wrist so that his long sleeve moved away from it and then he opened it to reveal a crisp twenty dollar bill.

“Well, to make it up to poor C-man here for having all her hounds from hell on his tail all freakin’ day. Breeat has unknowingly contributed to our trip to Travis’ for ice cream.”

“Duo...”

“Ah, heck Hilde don’t. That girl isn’t going to miss it and compared to what she’s done in the past and present this is a far cry from my little slight-of-hand payback.”

For Duo that was one of many things he’d learned growing up that he would take no offense in admitting, if asked, he had done. There was a tension between him and Hilde, it was always a sore point that she never really understood but never openly accused him of. She knew how hard he worked for the money he had and if he stole, it was never for himself. This was no surprise to Caspian. He had seen his file and the institute was very thorough. It listed that he had been brought in several times for theft. Caspian had to step in before one of the stiff necks on the new enrollment committee could vote him out. He had advised him to look at the boy's current record and grades. He was glad that the student council could participate in the selection of new students into the school. At times he couldn’t help but wonder how much of his influence was really due to his class standing and position as vice-president or to the fact that he was a Winner.

“What’s done is done. You can lecture me all you want about thievery and morals later. Hil, can we go and enjoy our selves with benefactor's selfless hospitality?” He implored with a guilty pout that betrayed his jovial sounding voice.

“Duo I wasn’t saying ... I wasn’t trying to make you feel guilty.”

“Good. ‘Cuz I don’t.”

“I think it’s fair... well just this once.” Caspian smiled when he got the answering one he wanted from Duo. It just didn’t seem right for Duo to be down.

Duo patted Caspian on the shoulder for trying to see the good in him being a pickpocket. “Nah, that’s alright C-man. Let’s just focus on ice cream and maybe one of Mama’s Sloppy Joes. Mmm I can so taste it now.”

Caspian blinked, arching a brow at the smothered growl, more like roar, that disrupted their talk of the kinds of food Caspian may like to try at the diner.

“Ah, guys you’re killing me here. No more talk of food.” Duo groaned, cradling his stomach as they made their way passed the gates to the open street.

Solo snickered and poked his brother in the stomach. “That Maw of yours is never satisfied, even after all the sacrifices we feed it.” He snickered again, “It's your own fault though, you started it off by mentioning Mama's Sloppy Joes. I bet it's just as bad for you, huh, Hil?”

“Hmm?” She asked turning away from the poem Tabitha was writing in her notebook.

“All this talk of food. It’s still amazing that you can put more food away than Duo!” Solo quickly ducked a smack to his head, laughing then running to hold onto his brother’s arm and stick his tongue out at a blushing Hilde a few paces back who glared daggers at him.

“Solo! That’s not true! I get extra in case Duo wants some.” She said sticking out her bottom lip and crossing her arms across her chest.

Duo snickered at Caspian’s questioning look. “We’re here! You’ll see what their talking about when we start to order. But I gotta eat to catch up to Solo.”

“You’re the oldest?” He said in surprise to the boy who was an inch or two taller than him and then looked to Solo who was over a head taller than them; he wondered if Trowa would be happy to have someone around who was his height for a change. He smiled to himself and he noticed that the school seemed to be an in-between place just like the Park across the street. Abdul had driven him downhill to get to there, passing suburban homes, businesses, a few ritzy hotels and a shopping center before getting to the school. From the Park, he could see the docks and large industrial buildings that he figured to be factories. Duo and his friends were taking him further downhill, passed the school and through a small market place where people were bartering with street side venders; the homeless were doing odd jobs for food, tucked in a side corner of a shop or watching from the alley ways; and a few prostitutes eyed him when they passed a clothing vender. He could see apartments not too far away but divided from the market area by bars, two clubs, a church and some boarded up buildings. He’d never seen a colony like this. Duo pulled him back when a prostitute, a male one, kicked a client onto the sidewalk out of an alley they had come to. The emaciated youth fixed his shorts, took the wallet off his John and walked on without sparing them a single glance.

Caspian didn’t move again until Duo nudged him and had to keep nudging forward the next couple of blocks and through the diner door because he kept staring at the guy who was slowly levering himself up off the sidewalk. He looked at Duo with questioning eyes and Duo shrugged. “That’s not so bad, neither of them look worse for it. That guy’s probably drunk, got his Johnny off and now out of a few more credits than he started with but nothing more than that. You get used to it around here.”

“You get used to a lot of things.” Caspian whispered to himself as he nodded absently to Duo, deep in thought.

“Oh and Yea to your spoken question.” Duo’s smile and chuckle in answer to his earlier question brought him round and he realized he was already inside the diner. Caspian took in the clean, fresh bake pie smelling diner like a breath of fresh air. Its atmosphere made him relax as he exhaled the heaviness pressuring his heart; he knew that it was all still out there. He would have never have guessed that the upper district’s glamour hid the squalor they subjected their poor to, but he didn’t overly sense hate or bitterness here. They made do with what they had and with some there was a strong sense of family.

“People seemed to think I’m the little brother, heh, it’s not that bad really. Hey Solo, whenever you wanna be the older brother let me know.” Duo called out to his brother who had gone over to pick on Hilde some more. He got a wink in reply as they made their way to a table, pulling up an extra chair. When it was time to go, Duo had distracted Caspian with his antics that the contemplative look on his face eventually went away. Duo and Solo introduced their mother to Caspian who smiled and ruffled his hair. Caspian pouted with a slight smirk feeling oddly at ease by Jadea’s open friendliness. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling when she brought them their orders or when she walked by and patted Duo on the head when he cursed loudly from biting his tongue. She had cleared the table and fussed with Duo about not needing to pay when he absently spoke his mind and told her she was beautiful, which caused her to pause and Duo’s smile to grow as he gave her the money while she blushed. This prompted her sons and Tabitha to snicker and Hilde glanced at Ms. Maxwell in envy. Duo smiled mischievously and teased Caspian on why he was wooing their mother and Solo offered to give her away at their wedding.

“Ok, the both of you get! Thanks honey, no one’s told me that ... in a long while.” She smiled, kissing her sons on the cheeks and reaching out to shake Caspian’s hand when he startled her by the kissing the back of hers with a small bow.

She smiled warmly at him and shooed them away again. The only evidence of her age was the corners of her eyes crinkling whenever she smiled. As she saw them off, she couldn’t help but think back to Aiden. Her eyes lingered on Duo who was being turned this way and that by Caspian, who was looking pointedly at the slight bulge of Duo’s stomach. She laughed to herself and saw her son laughing at Caspian’s look of disbelief that the only evidence to all the food Duo had put away was that small protuberance. Her smile half faltered, she knew who the boy was, the letter told her as much. She pushed back the fear of her babies leaving for Sanc, unknowingly wringing a table cloth in her hands. She had gotten the acceptance letters yesterday but didn’t have a chance to look over it until her lunch break. She smiled and hoped that probationary condition on Solo because his age would be lifted by the time they got through the first semester. She wiped the table and decided she’d let the boy tell them.

She ran her hand along the table they had sat at, thinking about it all. “Two more weeks and my babies get to see home.” With a sad smile and sigh, Jadea went back to work.

Tbc...


Read, review, comment ... Heck your opinions are craved for... (smiles).