Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The hospital lights in the hallway outside George's room flickered above Eli as he leaned against the wall, avoiding his guardian's gaze.

"Well, you already heard from Dave..." he mumbled.

"David wasn't directly involved. I want to hear the story from your side," Adam drawled, a hand on his hip as he interrogated Eli.

"We were just playing, that's all," Eli said, shrugging. "I didn't really mean to."

"So it was all in good fun, then? You didn't intend to put out his eye?" the man questioned.

"No." Eli tilted his head to the side. "Just happened."

"And what put out his eye? Was it an object?"

"Um...I think it was just my hand." The boy scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"Your hand, like your finger?"

"Yeah. I just...poked him a bit hard."

"So you actively went to poke him in the eye?"

"...I wasn't really thinking clearly."

"How hard did you intend to poke him?"

"I don't know!" Eli folded his arms. "I don't think about that when I do things."

"Don't get all worked up, now," Adam warned.

"I feel bad, okay?!" the boy exclaimed. "I fucked up..."

"Calm down," his guardian hushed him, holding his hands up in self-defense.

Eli sighed. "Can we go see him yet?"

"He's still waking up from the anaesthesia...plus, I'm not sure he'd be exactly thrilled to see his aggressor so soon," the man told him.

"Oh...fair enough." Eli yawned before continuing. "So, I'm in big trouble?"

Adam pondered his answer for a moment. "I still have to talk to your father about all this."

"Well, I'm guessing he's mad...though, George would look more like him with an eyepatch I suppose..." he replied, hiding a smirk.

Adam let out a huff through his nose.

"Quite. Though I'm not sure George nor your father would appreciate any snide remarks like that at the moment."

"Sorry...just thought laughter is the best medicine, right?"

"That applies mostly to the patient making jokes about themselves."

"Oh...well, how am I meant to know that?"

The man just shook his head and sighed.

The door to George's room opened and David poked his head out.

"He's asking for Dad..." the brunette said quietly.

Adam nodded and turned back to Eli.

"Keep out for now. We'll continue talking later."

"Fine..." He was getting rather hungry, so he scurried off to the nearest vending machine.

John had received the phone call from Adam. He rushed straight there, beginning to look around to see if he could find them in the maze of wards. He just hoped he didn't run into Eli, in fear of not being able to contain his anger. Luckily, he saw Adam at the slightly open door of the room and entered.

George was sitting up on the bed, bandages over his left eye (or what remained, which was just the eyelids and empty socket) and in a hospital gown. Adam was sitting at the foot of the bed and talking to him softly, and David was in a chair nearby, hands clasped together.

"Oh God, what did that idiot do to you?!" he groaned as he sped over to his youngest son.

George looked up at his father, though everything was still blurry. "I'm okay, Dad..." he murmured.

"Okay?! This is not okay! I've had it with Eli, this is too far."

John knew he shouldn't get too angry in front of the boys, but he couldn't help it.

"He's dangerous, like for real," David piped up, staring at the ground. "I saw everything. I tried to stop him. He could have killed George."

"I mean, what haven't we tried with him?!" the man growled, starting to pace back and forth. How could one boy be so stressful?

"He's in counseling, therapy, has a psychiatrist...discipline and punishment doesn't work, and neither does positive reinforcement," Adam sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "They wouldn't accept him into a juvenile detention center because he hasn't committed any crime or misdemeanour...that we know of. And we all know how you feel about boy's camps and group homes, not to mention foster care, so those are a no-go."

"Well...I mean...technically what he did to George is a crime...but he can testify for himself in court. He's good with words. He'd find some way to avoid a sentence..."

John looked at his two other sons. "You two got any ideas?"

"I'm not mad at him, but...I'm kinda scared," George said quietly.

"Right, that's definitely understandable after he just did that...Dave, what do you think seems fair?"

"If it were up to me, I wouldn't want him to live with us anymore, but it's not, so..." the boy sighed. "I'm just worried about George's safety."

"Well...what if...ah- what if he went to stay with Ahab and Kaz?" The man looked around to read everyone's reactions. "Maybe he just needs more space."

There was silence in the room as they all considered it.

"That's...certainly not the worst idea you've had," Adam spoke.

"If they agree to it, of course." John turned to the boys. "You can see him at school, and obviously visit when you want, I mean, they come over anyway."

George looked over at David, who seemed much more keen on the prospect than he did. He shrugged.

"It might be for the best..."

"Alright. I'll talk to Kaz and Ahab...Adam, you talk to Eli about it, if you see him first...not sure he wants to speak to me- the feeling is mutual right now."

Adam nodded and patted George on the head softly before getting up and exiting the room.

Conveniently, Eli was walking back towards the room already, half-eaten chocolate bar in hand.

As he exited the room, the man acknowledged him with a hum. "Hey. We've gotta talk again."

"About what?" he questioned, but it was somewhat slurred due to the caramel stuck in his teeth as he chewed.

"Lots of stuff. Take a seat," he said, gesturing to the chairs outside the door.

"Okay..." Eli gave a confused look, but sat down.

Adam leaned against the wall on the other side of the corridor, already preparing his words. "We've been talking, and your father suggested something that we all agreed would be worth a try."

"You're not sending me to an institution are you?!" the boy blurted out, eyes going wide.

"No, no," he reassured him, resisting the urge to chuckle. "That would do nothing but harm for everyone involved."

"Oh...so what then?" Eli sighed, feeling relief.

"Both George and David expressed that they feel unsafe with you living with us," he explained, watching his face and body language carefully. "We're going to see if you would do better staying with Uncle Ahab and Uncle Kaz."

Eli's expression turned sour. "But they hardly like me! What good would that do?!"

"That's not true and you know it. Your uncles love every one of you to death," he replied firmly.

"No, they love David to death." Eli laughed bitterly. "Makes sense that Dave wants his own room to himself."

"That has nothing to do with this," Adam huffed, shaking his head. "This is about George's safety, and everyone's comfort."

"What if I don't want to go?" The boy folded his arms petulantly.

"You don't really have a choice what happens to you in this case. You crossed the line, and you have to deal with the consequences," he replied.

Eli rolled his eyes. "Fine...but they won't have it easy. I'll make sure of it."

Adam chuckled lightly, giving him a small smile. "I would expect nothing less."

---

"You can't be serious about this."

Kaz couldn't believe what he was hearing. The pair stood outside the hospital after visiting George.

Ahab shrugged his broad shoulders. "I think it's worth a try, especially if it means more peace of mind for his brothers," he said. "Besides, weren't we thinking about getting a puppy, anyway? This is pretty much the same thing."

"Puppies are cute and innocent. Eli is not. There's a huge fucking difference!"

"You don't think he's cute-?" he asked, pulling a slight frown. "I mean, he's kind of like a puppy...we'll have to feed him, discipline him, give him a bed- plus he's already house trained! I think."

"Yeah? Well, let's see how cute of a puppy he is when he starts cussing at you, getting kicked out of school, and poking your eye out." Kaz folded his arms after saying his piece, standing his ground.

Ahab scoffed. "Please- I've dealt with way worse, from way uglier dogs- er, people."

"You aren't seeing this clearly. That kid's ending up in prison...only other option is sending him to FOXHOUND, and I don't want him there- not to mention he's way too young," the other man insisted.

"He's not a bad kid, Kaz. He's just..." Ahab struggled for words, then made some vague gestures with his hands. "...different. Troubled, even. I'm sure he just needs some good ol' TLC that John certainly isn't providing."

Kaz snorted. "Uh huh. Didn't they try that already?"

"Knowing my brother, probably not, or at least not in the proper way," the other man huffed. "Eli is aloof, but not like John is. John is distant because he thinks he can't trust anyone anymore, not after what he's been through. Eli is distant because he thinks it makes him cool and mysterious...he wants to be loved and doted on, but he's a 12-year-old boy, and that's just not hip for his age."

"You really think you understand that kid?" Kaz grumbled, then chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Alright. Fine. We'll take him on a trial basis- and I'll let you take the lead."

Ahab gave him a smile. "It'll be good for him to have some space, a change of scenery. I'm sure things will work out."

Kaz sighed heavily. "The things I do for you..."

The other man put a hand on Kaz' shoulder as they walked into the parking lot. "Correction- the things we do for Eli."

"God, you're really going for this whole 'perfect dad' thing, huh?" Kaz chuckled. "I thought I was the only one who was gonna call you 'daddy'," he added in a low whisper.

The hair on the back of Ahab's neck stood on end and his grip tightened slightly on Kaz' shoulder, looking away with an embarrassed flush on his cheeks. "Not in public, dear," he mumbled.

"Alright, alright...guess we can't be doing that when the kid is around either..." Kaz sighed again. "You'd really better hope this plan works..."

Chapter Text

Adam pulled into Ahab and Kaz' driveway, slowing to a stop and parking the car. Eli got to sit in the passenger seat today, mostly because the back seat was full of all his stuff that didn't fit in the trunk. He looked over at the boy who was pouting intensely and softened his gaze.

"It's not the end of the world, lyubimiy. If anything, it's only temporary, just to feel things out...everyone needs space every once in a while."

He reached over and caressed Eli's still-soft jaw, running his finger under it to lift his chin and have him turn to his direction. He gave him a smile.

"You're so much like your father- brave, strong, and smart. You just need a little work, that's all."

"Whatever." Eli turned his head to look out of the window.

He resisted the urge to chuckle and gave him a light pat on the head before unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car to help Ahab bring all Eli's stuff inside.

Eli decided to help a little bit by rolling in his suitcase. Maybe there were one or two things he'd taken from David without his knowledge.

"Hope they've done it up nicely for me, at least..."

The guest bedroom had gone unused for some while, so Kaz had deep-cleaned it and made sure everything was ready to be moved in. Freshly changed and washed bedding, empty closet and nightstand, wood floors swept and mopped with the rug taken out, beaten, and vacuumed for good measure, and absolutely no dust bunnies under the bed. They had to keep the door closed so DD wouldn't go inside and shed everywhere.

Eli rang the doorbell at least 10 times, unsatisfied with the lack of response. "Hello-o-o?"

Ahab came around from out back, taking off some muddied gardening gloves and putting them in the pocket of his faded denim cut-offs, which were equally as dirty.

"Didn't expect you for another hour. Leave it up to Adamska to show up ridiculously early, I guess."

"What are you doing? Actually, I don't care, just let me in," the boy demanded.

He gestured to the front door. "It's unlocked. Just let yourself in- and as always, leave your shoes by the door."

"Alright." Eli opened the door and dragged in his suitcase, leaving it in the hallway. He walked through the house, conveniently forgetting to take off his muddy beaten-up boots. "Uncle Kaz? I'm here now!"

"Take those damn shoes off now before I dunk your head into this boiling pot of water," he called from the kitchen, able to hear Eli clunking down the hall.

"Oops!" Eli hid a smirk as he kicked them off and went into the kitchen. "Making your famous burgers, Kaz?"

"What would I need to boil water for if I were making burgers?" he grumbled, focused on his work. "Go help your uncle bring in your stuff."

"Hmph..." He turned around sharply and did as he was told. He knew where the room was already, as he'd stayed over with his brothers countless times before. It was fairly spacious, but lacked the character that his old room had. Of course, David wasn't around either, but that meant he was alone, which he could get used to. After taking a deep breath and sighing it back out, he threw himself on the bed.

He had just a few moments of silence before there was a soft knock on the door, and Adam opened it just enough so that his voice was heard more clearly.

"Hey. I'm about to head out. Can I get a hug goodbye?"

"No." Eli didn't move from the bed.

"Okay, let me rephrase that. I'm going to come in and give you a hug, whether you want to or not."

"Hey-" Before he could protest, Adam had came inside and hugged him, with which he sighed again and hugged him back.

His parent squeezed moderately, but not enough to be uncomfortable. Gently, he pet his hair and pulled back a little to look him in the eye. Eli was tall enough already that he didn't have to kneel to comfortably hold a conversation with him.

"You'll be good, won't you? You'll be a good boy," he murmured, running his thumb over Eli's cheek. "Your father and I love you very much, and so do Ahab and Kaz. You'll be safe here."

"Mmh...okay. I'll try." Eli forced a smile and watched him leave.

He leaned over and gave him a kiss on the head, smiling softly at him before fully pulling away. "We'll be in touch, of course, and there will be visits periodically. You know the home phone number and my work number," he said, heading to stand in the threshold of the door with his hand on the knob. He turned to leave, but looked back a second. "Oh, and one of your suitcases fell open when we were taking it out of the trunk. The contents got a little muddy but were overall still salvageable...until DD grabbed some and ran off. Ahab's still looking for all the pieces, but don't expect much to come of it. You know how much DD likes to destroy paper."

"Wait, what fell out?" Eli stopped midway from getting back onto the bed.

"Just some comics or magazines or something like that- didn't get a good look," he said, shrugging and closing the door as he headed down the hall.

Eli acted like it was no big deal, but he knew what those were.

If Uncle Ahab finds those pieces... He gulped.

---

Ahab, Kaz, and Eli all sat around the table, eating the pasta meal that Kaz had made with minimal conversation.

Eli poked at the pasta, not feeling too hungry. It was annoyingly understimulating to not have George or David to kick under the table.

Kaz was first to finish, and cleared his throat to prepare to speak.

"So, Eli, we've got some ground rules to lay out since you'll be staying with us."

"Yeah? Like what?" he spoke with his mouth full.

He chose to ignore that, instead continuing with his instruction.

"First off, we have a schedule. Breakfast is at 8:00 AM on weekdays, 9:00 AM on weekends. So if you want a hot breakfast, be up by then. During the summer your bedtime will be no later than 10:30 PM, no negotiations. You're allowed to stay up later if you're out of the house, like if you're sleeping over somewhere- but still try not to be awake past midnight, if you can. When school starts up again, breakfast will be at 7:00 AM, because you have to be able to catch the bus to get there. Bedtime on school nights will be 9:00 PM, and 10:00 PM other days."

As Kaz went down the list, Ahab nodded along, still stuffing his face with dinner.

"You'll be in charge of some chores around the house, of course. Putting away clean dishes, taking out the trash, and keeping your room clean, to name a few. You can't blame the mess on your twin anymore since you'll be bunking alone. We'll even consider giving you a fixed allowance each week, if we feel you've earned it. There will be opportunities to earn a little extra here and there as well."

The tween chuckled. "Did you write all this down and rehearse it or something?"

Kaz shot him a glare, and Ahab cleared his throat to keep him from lashing out.

"We're going to go easy on you for the first week while you get acclimated, but we're not going to tolerate any rudeness or backtalk," the man continued firmly.

"What are you going to do about it?" Eli prodded cheekily.

He was about to retort, but his husband gave him a pleading look, and Kaz sighed softly before responding. "You will have certain privileges depending on your behaviour. If you're doing well, you will have more privileges, and if you're not, there will be less, as well as punishments and rewards for significantly outstanding behaviour, be it bad or good."

"What kinda privileges we talking?" He was paying proper attention now.

Ahab piped up this time, after wiping his mouth with a napkin. "We were thinking of letting you have a TV in your room, but that'll be further down the line."

"Hmm...I might be interested. Flat screen? HD? How big?"

"The details will come later- it's all speculation for now."

"Fine...maybe...trips out might be nice. I mean, Dad and Adam take us out, but it's never really my choice."

Kaz nodded. "Our budget is a little bit more flexible than your father's, so that's definitely on the table. Of course, we're not exactly the thrill-seeking type anymore, so don't expect anything crazy like skydiving or whatever. Bowling and the cinema is more our style."

"Well...I like the zoo. Dad sometimes says I belong in there," Eli chuckled.

Ahab smiled wide. "That can certainly be arranged. Due to certain circumstances, we have lifetime passes, including behind-the-scenes stuff."

"Alright. Maybe living here won't be horrible after all!"

The two adults smiled at each other. "You're gonna be just fine, kid," Kaz hummed, reaching over and ruffling Eli's hair with his left hand.

"Hey, watch the hair, I take a lot of time to make it a mess!" the blond boy squeaked indignantly.

Kaz chuckled, pulling his hands back in a defensive position jokingly.

The dog flap on the back door opened and in walked DD, head hung low. He whined softly and brushed against his master's leg.

"What's wrong, boy? You hungry?" Ahab cooed, reaching down to scratch behind his ears. He dodged the attempt and crawled under the table, hunched over in an odd way.

It didn't take long after some retching for him to bring up a mouthful of colourful, half-digested paper right at Eli's feet. Right in the middle was a torn piece of a photograph, ruined enough for it to be difficult to make it out at first glance, but upon closer inspection it unmistakably shown most of the torso of a woman in a particularly immodest set of lingerie.

Eli acted as if he hadn't realized what it was he was seeing. "Oh! Does...he do that often?"

"Must have gotten into the neighbor's garbage again," Kaz grumbled, getting up to grab cleaning supplies as Ahab was busy fussing over DD and rubbing his belly to soothe him.

"Right..." Eli glared at the dog. How dare he chew up his possessions!?

"Scoot back-" Kaz grunted to Eli as he got down to clean up DD's mess. He stopped a second, making a face, then laughed.

"Look at this, babe- ol' Skull Face tossed out some racy magazine."

Eli took a moment to remember who that was. "Oh? Your dickhead neighbour?"

He chuckled, pulling out the most intact part of the page with a paper towel and showing it to Ahab. "Yeah. Crotchety old coot that seems to have it out for everybody."

Eli leaned forward to look at the page. He'd grown emotionally attached to that magazine.

Kaz whipped it away from his view, frowning. "Not for 12-year-olds to look at- why don't you help clear the table instead?"

Eli did as he was told, but still put up a fuss in classic tween boy fashion. "Cmon, like you didn't look at all that when you were a kid."

"Not the point," he retorted firmly, cleaning up the rest of the contents and sanitizing the area.

"So you did, then?" The boy smirked, clearing away his plate.

"Eli, leave it," Ahab warned, grabbing dishes from the table.

"What? I can't help having a personality."

"That's certainly the truth," Kaz mumbled, heading off to put away the cleaning supplies.

"Well...what should I do now, then?" the blond boy asked his uncle once he had completed his task.

"Finish helping Ahab with the dishes, and then start unpacking."

"Fine."

Eli helped out with minimal grumbling and then stalked off to his new room. The wardrobe was empty, so he was able to fill it with his clothes accordingly.
Once he had been able to put away a good amount of his stuff, Ahab knocked on the door.

"Hey, champ. Can I come in-?" he called from outside the room.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Eli sat down on the bed and let him enter.

Ahab stepped inside and closed the door behind him, sitting on the bed next to him and making the mattress squeal and bend significantly. He looked down at Eli and gave him a warm smile.

"I'm glad you're here. Really, I am. Kaz is too- he's just...used to a certain lifestyle, you know?"

"Oh...yeah, I mean, I knew Uncle Kaz wouldn't want me around...it's fine. I'm used to that feeling," his nephew replied, a bitterness to his words.

"It's not because of you, it's his own problem," the man explained gently.

"He gets really paranoid sometimes when something significant in his life changes. He'll come around, though. You just have to show him that you're a good kid. I know you are."

Eli yawned, coming off as dismissive. "Yeah, maybe you're right. I'm kinda tired now..."

"I'll get out of your hair, then. Sleep well, Eli," Ahab hummed, leaning over and giving him a side-hug.

"Good night, Uncle Ahab," he responded quietly, with a rare genuine smile.

Ahab smiled back, his hand trailing down to give a light squeeze to one of Eli's knees before getting up from the bed and exiting the room.

Eli ignored that his uncle was a bit handsy; it wasn't much more than what Adam would do anyway. He figured they were just particularly affectionate people, which didn't bother him, unless they tried to hug on him in front of any of his friends and ruin his tough-kid reputation.

He could hardly dwell on it any longer though, as his thoughts were growing foggy with exhaustion. Kicking the made bedsheets into a comfortable bundle to sleep under, the boy switched off the lamp on the nightstand and rested his head on the pillow, curling up in the blankets. Slowly, he let his heavy eyelids close as sleep began to overtake him.

The first night of a new chapter in my life, huh? he thought to himself before properly drifting off.

Chapter Text

As Eli was starting to drift off, the calls of the summer crickets became interspersed with muffled noises coming from another room. No matter how much he tried, Eli just couldn't ignore the noises. He couldn't quite understand what they were saying either. As he sat up the noises continued, steadily increasing in volume and frequency.


The tween got out of bed, and walked towards his bedroom door, quietly opening it. He then went towards Ahab and Kaz’ room. The door to their bedroom was closed but not locked, and it became apparent what exactly they were getting up to the closer Eli got to their room.


Eli rolled his eyes. He had enough of all this with his father and Adam, but these two were closer to his room than at home. He wondered if there was some way he could bother them, just so he could get some sleep. If he strained his hearing enough, he could barely make out a couple words that weren't completely slurred to hell in their lust-ridden frenzy, particularly the repetition of "fuck" and "Daddy".


"Well...there's something new I've learned about Uncle Kaz..." he said to himself.


DD had noticed Eli had gotten out of bed and padded up to him, wagging his tail and wuffing quietly.


"Hey, go away!" Eli tried to shoo him away but the dog was in a playful mood.


He wuffed a little louder this time, nosing into Eli's hand to try and get him to play.


"No, no! Shh!!" Eli had to admit he was cute, but he couldn't risk being caught snooping around.


The noises had stopped by now, and the door opened just enough to let the low light of the hall shine on Ahab's single blue eye. "Eli," he mumbled, his voice significantly lower and gruffer than his usual cadence. "Is something wrong?"


"No, um, DD was just at my door!" he lied, and tried not to look through the door.


"Oh. Well, he might just want to check out the room, make sure you're okay."


"Right, well...he was um, barking pretty loudly. I prefer things to be quiet when I sleep, yknow?"


"Right." Kaz whined out something incomprehensible and Ahab grunted in response. "Well, just let him in the room for a bit. He might want to stay with you. Goodnight."


"Uh... okay. 'Night..." Eli decided to let DD in his room, and the dog got cozy at the foot of his bed. "That was weird..."


The noises picked up again after long, with more intensity than before.


"Oh for fuck's sake!" Eli turned around, muffling his ears with the pillow.


DD snuffled around in the blankets for a second, then rested his cold, wet nose between Eli's feet and let out a sigh before eventually falling asleep.


"How on earth does he put up with this?" Eli wondered aloud, but then realized that DD had been here for much longer, and it seemed to not bother him anymore. "Guess I'll have to get used to it too.."


The noises escalated in volume for a brief few moments before quieting down altogether, and finally it seemed that everyone else in the house was asleep.

---


It was morning, but Eli was still fast asleep. He hated being woken up early, especially when his dreams were just getting good. DD had long since left the room to relieve himself, and also to get his usual dry kibble breakfast along with anything he was offered (or stole) from Kaz' cooking. Eli was having a pretty pleasant dream about a cute girl with red hair who'd joined his class. He hadn't heard the sound of Kaz's voice calling him.


Ahab shuffled sleepily down the hall into the bathroom, yawning and scratching variously heavily-furred areas on his body.


"Nngh...you're pretty too...hehe..." Eli had a habit of talking in his sleep, something David had always teased him for.


After Ahab had done his business in the bathroom, he peered into Eli's open door and chuckled lightly. "Eli...planning to get up any time soon?"


Eli moved a little, still dreaming about this adorable girl.
"Yeah...I'm single…" he replied to this dream person.


A smile on his face, he approached the dreaming boy on the bed and leaned over, studying his expression as he rubbed his back soothingly. "Eliii..."

"Hnng..." Eli was still trying to cling on to his dream.


He pat his shoulder gently. "Wake up, champ. You don't wanna miss out on steak and eggs."


"Huh? Wha..." Eli slowly opened his eyes. "Oh..."


"Good morning, sleepyhead," he cooed.


"Ugh... I was having a good dream there!" Eli said, then yawned and stretched.


"Oh yeah? What about?" he asked, standing back up straight and putting his hands on his hips.


"Oh, uh…nothing really..." He slowly sat up and scratched his head.


"Kaz is making breakfast, so you'll want to get in there soon."


"Fine..." He hopped out of bed, went to the bathroom then went to the kitchen, still in his pajamas. DD went and greeted him, snuffling into Eli's hand. The boy petted him gently. He did have a soft spot for animals sometimes.

"You must have been tired after all that last night..." Eli said to Kaz. He wondered how far he could push it.


Kaz made a face. "You weren't too much to deal with...besides, Ahab did all the heavy lifting," he responded, not quite understanding.


"Oh yeah...he sure did a lot of things, huh? What was that you were telling him to do?" the boy smirked as he replied.


"Uh...unload Adam's car with your stuff?" He pushed some scrambled eggs around a pan and put a lid over it, turning to look at Eli.


"No...I don't think it was that...sounded more like 'please fuck me harder'?"


He stood and stared for a good while, unmoving. "...I'm going to choose not to comment on that because I know better than to encourage this sort of behaviour. Go set the table or I'll put double the hot sauce in your eggs."


"Jokes on you, I love hot sauce!" he giggled, but did as he was said anyway.


"What are you two getting up to in there?" Ahab chuckled, shuffling over and kissing Kaz on the cheek.

"Ew, you're so gross." Eli rolled his eyes as he saw Ahab kiss Kaz.

"What? You want a kiss too?" Ahab said with a grin.


"No way!" Eli set the table and sat down awaiting his breakfast


He chuckled again and helped Kaz with finishing breakfast, and soon they were all sat with their meal.


"So, what are we doing today?" Eli said, cutting into the food with his knife and fork.


"You're going to finish unpacking, and I'm going to be doing some yard work, which I could appreciate your help with," Kaz told him. "And then around 2:00 PM Ahab goes to his veteran's meet."


"What channels do you have on your TV?" Eli didn't really care for what they were doing, as long as he could keep himself occupied.


"News," he replied. "And a metric fuckton of video cassettes."


"What films? Anything good? Adam mostly has Westerns...there's only so many John Wayne films a kid can watch."


"Half of it is foreign cartoons, and about a fifth of the other stuff is all home video from different earlier years. The rest is random."


"Oh...great." Eli sighed. "Ain't much for a kid to do around here, then?"


Ahab grunted through a mouthful of his breakfast. "There's plenty to do- you just gotta get creative. Use that brilliant brain of yours."


"Creative? Well, I am an actor, you know." Eli sat up in his chair. "Remember me as Peter Pan in the School play?"


"You know, it's traditional that they have a woman play the lead role in Peter Pan- maybe they thought you were girly enough for the part," Kaz teased.


"Well, I believe in equality! I played it just as well as a girl ever could! I had that audience in tears!"


Ahab chuckled. "You've certainly got an air of theatrics about you."


"Yeah...well, I think I have more fun playing the villain. Me and David would play games all the time and I'd be the hero...Dad didn't always like our games...especially when I'd tied Meryl up for realism,” Eli chuckled. "Well, her uncle was even more pissed."


"I can't imagine why," Kaz huffed.


"It was only a bit of fun- she let me!!” Eli took a bite of the food and thought for a moment. "I think she rather enjoyed it...well...I won't judge."


Ahab's grizzled brows raised, but Kaz kicked him under the table before he could comment.


"Girls are so weird. No wonder you're gay." He looked over at the two men.


"We're not gay, Eli. We like women too," Kaz corrected.


"...still kinda gay though." He shrugged.


Kaz just sighed and kept eating his food.


"What? Is it something I said?" Eli innocently asked.


He shook his head and Ahab chuckled once more.


"Hmm...but all of this has got me thinking..." Eli leaned back into the chair. "I've never had a girlfriend before!"


"I'm not surprised- you don't strike me as the 'romantic' type," Ahab said.


"Why not?! I'm very romantic."


Kaz snorted. "Oh yeah? How do you woo a girl, then?"


"You...you ask her out! You politely ask and then when she accepts you pay for it. Then you do that again, then on the third date you can-"


Kaz cut him off before he could continue. "No, no, not like that! Going on dates is easy enough, but how do you make a girl really like you? How do you get her to fall in love?"


"You...buy her stuff. Like...make-up? They like that."


"How many girls do you personally know that like to get makeup as a gift?"


"...one." That wolf girl seemed to like it. She had some pretty lipstick.


"If you give a girl makeup, she's going to get the message that you think she isn't attractive enough for you without it. Same for perfume," Kaz instructed.


"Oh...well it would help if they were more straightforward! David hasn't even realized that Meryl has a huge crush on him because she's so indirect."


Ahab shrugged. "That's just how women are."


Eli sighed. "Guess I'll never be lucky in love...not that I really care!" He remembered his persona and put on his act.


Ahab and Kaz just looked at each other and chose not to comment.


"...what are we eating later?" Eli asked. He was just like his father, always motivated by food.


"Haven't decided yet. We usually sit down and do the meal plan Sunday evenings, so tonight. You can help, if you want."


"Can we have...burgers?" Eli asked. "Your special ones?"


"When we make the meal plan, you can add it," Kaz said.


"Meal plans sound boring. We eat whatever my dad or Adam can be bothered to make."


"It's better to plan ahead so you can prepare everything beforehand. No such thing as too careful," Ahab replied.


"You can really tell that you two aren't used to kids,” Eli scoffed.


Kaz shrugged. "We've never had to raise one."


"You can't really prepare all that well with kids, can you? I mean, I'm not really a kid, but sometimes George freaks out because something is out of order in his stupid book collection,” Eli said, then stood up and took his plate to the sink then returned.

The home phone rang, and Ahab got up to answer it, excusing himself from the table. He greeted the caller and chatted for a bit, then took his ear away from the receiver. "Eli, it's Adam. Do you want to talk to him?"


"I mean...fine, I guess." He got up and went to the phone.


"Hey, lyubimiy. How are you settling in?" Adam's voice purred from the other line.


"I'm alright. You guys must be struggling to live without me!" Eli smirked.


"Well, it's certainly much quieter," he chuckled. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"


“…uh, yeah,” he lied.


"Good, I'm glad. We're already starting to miss you back home."


"Really? I'm sure David was happy to have the room to himself."


"If he was, he didn't show it. I think he's lonely without his sparring buddy."


"Don't worry, tell him we can spar again in the garden here when he comes! Last time we fought, you stepped in, but I told him it wasn't over yet!" He was confident in his abilities.


Adam chuckled again. "He's looking a little rough this morning...I don't think he slept as soundly as you did. You know, there are some interesting studies about the mental bond between twins..."


"Hmm...well sometimes I think I can read his mind...though there's nothing in there usually."


"Well, he's always been clearheaded and stoic, like your father."


"Yeah, so a little bit stupid." Eli chuckled.


"Oh, like you're a child prodigy," he teased.


"I'm doing better than him!" Eli sighed. "Anything else you wanted to say?"


"Just wanted to check up on you, not that I had any doubts that you weren't getting along well," he cooed. "We love you, Eli."


"...loveyoutoo." He quickly mumbled and hung up the phone.


Ahab and Kaz had to hide their smiles as Eli turned back towards them.


"What are you staring at?!" Eli felt his cheeks burning from embarrassment.


Kaz coughed and wiped his mouth, and Ahab whistled nonchalantly as he gathered the breakfast dishes.


Eli went to the living room to turn on the TV, in the hopes that maybe something good was on.

Chapter Text

It had been well over a month since Eli had moved in with Ahab and Kaz, and things couldn't have been going smoother. He was still pretty bratty, sure, but that was just Eli being Eli- nothing anyone could really do about that, just nature versus nurture.

Today was his and David's birthday, and he was in the car with Ahab and Kaz, headed over to his old house where his brothers lived. The three would be lying if they said they weren't at least a little on edge, as Eli hadn't seen his brothers since he left, but that was overshadowed by the sheer childish excitement of a birthday party and presents.

"Do you think they got me good presents? They better had, I mean they've saved money from not having to look after me." Eli was understandably in a good mood, but there was a level of anxiety beneath that.

"I didn't even consider that, actually. Maybe they did have a bit extra to spend," Ahab chuckled, and Kaz just rolled his eyes. "Birthdays are about more than just presents, Eli.”

"Yeah, I know, it's about me getting old! I'm a teenager now, so I have more privileges." Eli grinned, thinking about how cool ‘thirteen’ sounded compared to ‘twelve’.

"It's also your brother's birthday, so you have to make sure he gets just as much time in the spotlight as you, alright?" Ahab reminded him.

"Well...I mean that's always been the problem. Remember my 7th birthday and I blew out all the candles early? Hmm...well, maybe I kinda deserved it..." He paused. "Well, I just got bored of waiting! I hate all the pictures, just let me eat my bloody cake!”

"We'll work on that," Ahab hummed, pulling into the driveway of John and Adamska's house.

Eli was dressed in his favourite outfit, boots, shorts and jacket. He was forced to wear a shirt by Uncle Kaz, though. He got out of the car and raced to the door. He'd almost missed the sound of the bell.

Adamska was busy in the kitchen, so John answered the door. He looked down disapprovingly at his son for a good moment before giving him a smirk. "There's the other birthday boy," he chuckled.

"God, looks like you've aged without me!" ELI said, deciding to make up for the cheekiness his father must have missed.

John tilted his head back and laughed, grabbing Eli's shoulder and shaking it playfully. "Missed ya, kid. Get inside, we've still got to set everything up before the others get here."

Eli looked around his old home. There were the pictures on the walls, the engraved revolvers in their locked case, everything was how it used to be before he left. "Daaaaave? George?" He called for them from the living room.

George was sweeping the dining room best to his ability, and he looked up at Eli and smiled. He had lost one of his teeth since Eli left.

"Did you get hit in the mouth or something?" Eli asked as he came closer to his little brother.

He shook his head, grinning wider. "Nope! It was loose and came out, see?" He touched the empty gum with his tongue.

"Did Adamska- I mean the tooth fairy give you some money?" He smiled but was trying not to stare at the eyepatch

He made a face. "No, but the Tooth Mouse left me a pack of Fruit Stripes gum!"
"Oh! Well...that's great...um..." He didn't know whether to ask if his eye hurt or not.

George seemed to pick up on this, and his expression softened. "It's okay- it doesn't even hardly hurt. Just itches sometimes," he said quietly, fiddling with the straps on his eyepatch. "Wanna see it?”

"Hell yeah!" Like all boys, Eli was a sucker for gross things.

George slid the eyepatch up to his forehead and showed off the empty socket. "They had to take everything out and put in this circle thing where it was so the hole doesn't get infected. See?" He pried open the limp lids, behind which was a curved piece of plastic that fit into the socket.

"Woah... I mean... does it hurt?" Eli asked, with a hint of guilt in his voice.

He put the patch back on and shrugged. "Eh- not really. Only if I mess with it a bunch. Felt really weird for a while, but I got used to it.”

"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

George shook his head and hugged Eli lightly around the middle. "It's okay. I forgive you..."

Eli held him for a moment, since they were alone, so he had no need to act all embarrassed by it. "Right...where's Dave?" He said as he let go.

"He's in the shower," he said, picking the broom back up to finish sweeping.

“Makes sense. He's stinky." Eli joked. "Want me to do anything?”
"Most of the cleaning is already done, so...maybe ask Adamska if he needs any help.”

"Sure thing." Eli went to see Adamska in the kitchen.

"Hope you're making lots of chips for me." Eli said as he entered.

Adamska chuckled, looking up from his work steadily stirring a saucepan over the stove. "I'm melting the butter with the cocoa powder right now for the frosting on your cake.”

"Remember that time you forgot about a cake and it basically turned to ashes?" Eli smiled recalling it.

Adamska rolled his eyes, taking the saucepan off the heat. "Your father distracted me- it wasn't my fault.”

"Distracted you? Ohhhhh...it was that kind of distraction,” the teen giggled.

The man reached over and flicked Eli on the ear playfully, smiling at him. “Cheeky."

"Can't help it." He shrugged. "Think I got it more from my mother...is...she coming today?"

Adamska’s expression softened. "I don't think so, lyubimiy. We haven't heard from her in a while.”

"Oh..." He tried to hide his disappointment. "I miss her sometimes, y'know... wish she'd call at least.”

"We don't get international service, unfortunately," he hummed, giving Eli a soft look and tucking some of the boy's hair behind his ear. "I'm sure she would be proud to see how far you've come.”

"Yeah...guess so." He untucked the hair from his ear. "Well, guess now you've got to deal with me and David being teenagers now.”

"Joy," Adamska said, rolling his eyes and pretending to be exasperated.

"Well, I mean it's pretty exciting being a teenager. I'll go to parties and stuff, and the mall with my friends, with no annoying adults!" Eli counted everything he listed on his fingers.

"Oh, yeah? And what makes you so sure of that?" the man chuckled, continuing to prepare the cake.

"Because that's what they do in movies! I mean, what was it like for you when you were a teenager? I mean, of course I know for you that was back in the Dark Ages."

Adamska just grinned and shook his head. "My youth was vastly different. For one, I didn't grow up in America, and I was a military brat...well, more so than you. My parents were active duty.”

“Oh...sounds a bit boring." Eli leaned against the counter and listened.

"Not so much boring as it was difficult- I mean, I was constantly doing something so I didn't have time to be bored." Adamska shrugged.

"Mega lame. That why you left?" The boy had never really been interested in the lives of others, he'd never thought to ask this before.

Adamska shook his head. "I actually followed in their footsteps for a while…until I met your father. It was a 'love at first sight' sort of deal. Made me change sides and everything...something out of a romance novel," he mused.

"Shame he loved my mother first...well, maybe not, because that means you've got us kids...for better or for worse." Eli added.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Adamska hummed.

"God, you're so icky sometimes, Uncle Adamska." He smiled, then decided to leave to find David now that he couldn't hear the water running.

David had since gotten out of the shower and moved to his room, which had since been fitted with a lock now that he didn't have to share it anymore.

"Daaaave?" Eli knocked and looked through the keyhole. "You're not naked in there are you?”

"Nothing you haven't seen before, weirdo," his brother called back, currently in the process of brushing out his still-damp hair.

"Well, not for a while I guess...well, open the door, dummy!" Eli knocked again.

"It's unlocked- open it yourself!"

"Oh..." Eli opened the door. "Happy birthday, Dave!" His twin didn't turn to look at him, only kept brushing his hair in the mirror. "Yeah. Happy birthday.”

"What's up? You're in a mood, aren't you?" Eli looked at himself in the mirror as he rested his head on Dave's shoulder, fixing his own hair.

Dave glanced over at him for a second before setting aside his hairbrush and pulling away from Eli. "What mood?”

"You just don't seem like you're happy...and I mean it is our birthday so…"

"I am happy. This is just me when I'm happy," he insisted. David always did have a sort of flatness to his personality…

"I don't know...you're just brushing your hair rather aggressively...is something up?" Eli said, half serious, half playful.

Dave shrugged. "I think you're just looking too much into it.”

"Hmm...okay." He threw himself onto Dave's bed. "Did you miss me then?”

"No," His brother lied, looking closer in the mirror to fuss his hair just the way he liked it.

"Yeah...you must have enjoyed some...alone time" Eli said, with a wide grin.

Dave rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You're always saying that gross crap," he grumbled.

"Well... I bet I'm right!" Eli stretched out his limbs, getting very comfy. "Reckon you'll get a girlfriend this year?”

He shot his brother a glare. "I don't want one.”

"What? Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Eli sat up.

"When have I ever been interested in getting a girlfriend?"

"Well...I mean, I just assumed you did. I do. Might be fun~" Eli sang, sitting up to read his brother’s reactions.

"Don't just assume stuff about people, especially me. We're not as alike as you think," Dave huffed.

"Yeah, but I mean... I think we're similar!”

"In some ways," Dave replied.

"In a lot of ways! I'm just more...hmm..." Eli scratched his head.

"British?" Dave teased.

"I guess so." Eli shrugged. "So...any ideas on what presents we're getting?"

"I heard Dad and Adamska talking the other night, but I'm not gonna spoil it," Dave said.

"Hmph...fine. When's everyone coming?" Eli yawned.

"At 1:00. There's still some stuff to set up.”

"That's ages away!” Eli groaned dramatically. "What should we do until then?”

David shrugged, going to his sock drawer and putting on a pair. "Just help out and wait around, I guess.”

"Ugh...boring. I mean...guess life is gonna get boring. We're not kids anymore." Eli sighed.

"What do you mean? Life only gets better when you stop being a kid, don't you know that?" Dave closed the drawer.

"Mmh... yeah but like…then we can't watch cartoons or play games anymore." Eli explained.

"Who says? It's not like anyone is gonna take away all our comics or video games the second we turn 18," Dave pointed out.

"Yeah, but...I don't know. Just feels like we've got so much growing up to do, and studying and exams and figuring out what the fuck we're gonna do after." He was tired just thinking about it all.

Dave raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean-? We already know what we're gonna do when we grow up.”

"Yeah..." Eli sighed. "But still…"

"All we have to do is graduate from school and then we're gonna join the military just like Dad, then we'll be set for life- it's not that complicated.”

"Um...don't tell Dad, but...David, I don't think I'm sure about that anymore,” he admitted.

The brunette twin went silent, then squinted at him. "Oh. For a second, I thought you were serious.”

"I'm being serious! I'm not sure what I'll do...but...I don't know, I kinda like being an actor.”

David crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. "That's stupid. Besides, Dad's not gonna let you- he wants us to be in the military.”

"Yeah, well he's never asked what we want!" Eli sighed. "All he wants is for us to carry on his stupid legacy. George wants to become a politician too, you know?”

"Well that's cause George is gonna be rich and famous and he's not built for army life," David argued. "Being an actor is dumb and gay.”

"You're dumb and gay!”

David got fed up and gave Eli a shove, not too hard, but enough to make him wobble. Eli shoved him back harder. David grit his teeth and kicked him in the shin.

"Ow! You cunt!" He punched his arm.

David hissed and reeled back, slugging Eli in the cheek.

"That's it!" Eli was ready for a full on fight now.

Dave took up a stance, a deep crease in his brow from his frown. "If you mess up my hair or get me all sweaty after I just washed, you're gonna regret it.”

"You're the one worried about your hair, if anything you're the fag!”

"Fuck you!" he growled, grabbing Eli by the wrist and attempting to flip him to the ground.

Eli countered and kicked his brother to the floor. David grunted and grabbed his brother by the ankle, getting him unstable enough to fall over. Eli screamed, falling onto the ground, but he recovered and tried to hit David on the floor. David pinned him on the floor and straddled his hips, grabbing a fistful of Eli's hair and pulling it painfully. Eli moaned unexpectedly, then covered his mouth.

His brother pulled back with a bewildered expression, about to comment when the bedroom door swung open. George stood in the threshold, wide eye brimmed with tears.

Eli’s and David's heads both quickly turned to look at their brother.

"Oh...um, what's up?”

"W-why are you two fighting?! It's your birthdays!!" George wailed. Dave's face burned and he got off of Eli, sitting on the ground and not looking George in the eye.

"We're okay, it was just a little disagreement!" Eli smiled at him trying to be comforting.

George shook his head, trying not to cry. "Nuh uh! I heard everything!”

"E-Everything..." Eli hoped he didn't notice the moan. "Well...it's all okay now!”

"Georgie-" Dave began, but George refused to be swayed. "Don't 'Georgie' me- ever since the accident, you two have been mad at each other!!”

"I...no! It's not like that, we just haven't been able to talk because I went to live with Uncle Ahab and Kaz.”

David didn't retort, as it wasn't entirely untrue, something George picked up on. Hot tears rolled down the youngest brother’s reddened cheek, still round with baby fat. He couldn't cry from his other eye anymore.

"Hey, hey, come here!" Eli got up to comfort him.

He turned away from Eli, puffing his quivering lip out in a pout. "Why can't you two just get along-?"

"I mean...we do try! It's just...well, you know me. Always taking things too far.”

"For once you're right," Dave grumbled.

"I promise, I'll be good for the rest of the day, okay? If not, you can have all my presents and cake, George.”

"...I don't want presents and cake. I just want my brothers to be nice," he sniffled.

"We'll be nice! We love you, don't forget that, dummy…"

"Not just nice to me, but to each other," George insisted, and Dave looked off to the side.
"Alright, alright...but I'd beat him up if you told me to, just saying."
He wiped his eye and looked back at them both. “Dave…?"

The aforementioned teen sighed and got up from the floor. "Fine. But I'm only doing it for you, Georgie.”

"Alright then!" Eli clapped his hands together. "Let's fix up the decorations, George,” Eli suggested, letting his brother leave before him. He turned back and looked at David momentarily. It wasn't over yet.

David glared at his brother, a steely and serious expression on his face unlike anything Eli had seen him wear before. You're dead meat he seemed to say, but just turned away and went back to fixing his hair.

"C'mon, George!" Eli shook it off and went downstairs to help him

---

The party was in full swing, and the twins were hanging out with their respective groups. David was in the living room playing board games with George, Meryl, and Mei Ling, and Eli was roughhousing outside with Victoria, Tulugaak (though most knew him as Thomas), and Hector. Most of the adults were gathered inside, with John, Adamska, and Frank chatting in the kitchen, while Tixij was on the sofa watching the board games. Ahab and Kaz were on the back porch in the shade, making sure the outside kids didn't get out of hand.

Eli was pretty hyper due to the sugary snacks he'd already eaten. He was having fun showing off his football skills. "And the crowd goes wild!" He did a victorious pose after scoring a goal, which Thomas, or Raven to him, was defending.

Raven wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled at the victor. "That was a good play," he congratulated, and the other kids agreed. Ahab whistled from the sidelines, clapping his hands together. "That's my little athlete! Backyard superstar today, World Cup champion tomorrow!" he bellowed, and Eli's friends giggled at how red the boy turned in embarrassment.

Eli rolled his eyes, but inside he remembered how he still had to tell his father that perhaps he didn't want to be a soldier. "Raven, swap with me, I'll show you how to be a good goalie!”

"I already know how, I was just going easy on you because it's your birthday," the larger boy replied teasingly.
"Yeah, right! I don't need you to go easy because it's my birthday, I'm not a kid, y’know?" Eli said back, getting in front of the goal.

"Well, do you want to win on your birthday, or do you want to throw a fit because you'll lose?" he chuckled.

"...shut up and kick the ball!" Eli exclaimed, keeping his eye on it so he could prevent him from scoring.

Raven rolled his eyes and kicked the ball as hard as he could.

Eli tried to jump to block it, but the ball collided with his face. "Ow! F-" He remembered adults were around. “Damn!"

Victoria (or Wolf, as Eli called her) rushed over once Eli got hurt, checking over his face to make sure he didn't break his nose or chip a tooth. "You alright, Boss?”

"Yeah, yeah..." Eli got up. His gaze was fixated on her low-cut shirt for a moment. Since when had she been built like that?

"Doesn't look too bad," she murmured, licking her thumb and wiping some dirt off his chin. "Might bruise, but didn't break.”

"Yeah...well, uh, you know I've had my fair share of bruises." Eli acted tough, like he always did, but it did hurt.

"You're clumsy sometimes, but tough," she chuckled, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

Eli smiled at that notion of being tough. "Guess you're right.”

Hector, known to the little gang as Octopus, had since collected the ball and was inspecting it for any blood, seemingly disappointed when he found it was clean. Raven went up to Wolf and Eli, bowing his head apologetically. "Sorry, Boss. Tried to warn you.”

"It's alright...well, football was getting boring anyway. What else can we do?" Eli thought for a moment. All he wanted was his cake and presents!

"Pizza guy is here," Octopus called, looking through the wooden slats of the fence towards the front yard.

"Dibs on first slice!" Eli said, running in. The rest of the kids were considerate
enough to wipe their shoes before they went inside, and Kaz and Ahab followed in as well.

There was an array of different pizzas, and some boxes with chips in them, golden and glistening. Eli quickly put handfuls of chips in his plate, despite them being hot and then he decided to take a slice of every pizza.

The kids demolished the pizzas quickly, some more polite eaters than others. The adults picked on whatever was left, though they didn't mind so much.

"So, what about the cake? Or presents first?" Eli said, then burped making everyone laugh.

"Presents before cake," Adamska told him. "Everyone needs to wash their hands before then, though.”

"Ugh... fine." Eli got up to wash his hands first, but everyone else followed. "Okay, who wants to go first?" Eli sat ready and waiting for his gifts.

One by one, the kids proudly presented their gifts to the twins, some more exciting than others, but appreciated all the same. Then came the big bucks- the larger boxes from the adults. Finally, the two brothers exchanged gifts with each other. David managed a smile to Eli, trying to maintain appearances for George. "Happy birthday, Eli," he hummed thoughtfully after all the gifts had been opened.

"Cheers, Dave." He opened up Eli's gift. The comics were sufficient (though of course, nothing on his racy magazines) and the bracelet was pretty nice. "I'd say this year's haul was one of our best”

The brunette boy rolled his eyes, about to hiss something about how superficial his brother was before Adamska interrupted, calling everyone over to cut into the cake.

"Oh, finally! I've been eyeing up that cake all day!" Eli rubbed his hands deviously before racing over. "C’mon, hurry up, get the song over with!" All of the other kids stood on the opposite side of the table. "Dave, come here before I blow out both our candles!”

David had half a mind to roll up his sleeves and uppercut Eli in the jaw for being so rude, but he caught George's eye and sighed. Anything for their little brother, right? He'd stay calm, for now. They both relished awkwardly as the song came and went, then blew out their candles on the homemade cake to raucous applause.

"I'm having the first piece!" Eli called out as his uncle cut into the cake. "See, if I don't live here anymore, that means I'm an honoured guest, right?”

George could practically smell the tension between the two, so he interrupted best he could to break it up. "Maybe I should get the first piece 'cause I'm the youngest!" he joked, making Dave smile a little.

"Hmmm..." Eli folded his arms. "Alright then..." He watched with clenched teeth as Adamska handed that big slice meant for him to George, but couldn't help the grin creeping up on his face when watching his little brother get cake crumbs all over his face, after picking up the hefty slice and shoving it into his mouth. "Oi, there's a spoon here, you know?" Eli reached over the table to give him a spoon. "What would you do without me, eh?”

George didn't respond, since his mouth was so full of cake and frosting, only smiling at him with chubby cheeks. Adamska finished doling out the rest of the cake and everyone ate their fill, enjoying the homemade dessert with minimal conversation.

"That was-" Eli burped. “-pretty good!" He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand to get rid of any lingering crumbs. He was about to ask what he should do next, but his eyes caught sight of the clock. It was rather late. Uncle Ahab and Kaz would probably want to go home soon.

"C'mon, birthday boy. Say goodbye to your friends, alright? We'll get all your stuff in the car," Ahab announced, patting Eli on the back and rubbing his shoulder.

"Yeah...alright..." Eli was about to go over and tell his friends that he was sick of them and heading off (which of course, was all part of his act), when George (still with a messy face) jumped up from the sofa and grabbed his arm. “Nooo-!!” George whined. "I want Eli to stay for longer!”

Ahab gave Kaz a look, which he reciprocated to John and Adamska, who shrugged. "I don't see the harm in it. He could sleep over for one night.”

"A-are you really sure, George?" Eli glanced at David, then back at his youngest sibling. "I mean, it's not like we sleep in the same room anyway!”

"We can all get our sleeping bags in the living room!" George said with a smile, looking over at David, who took a second to think it over. "...anything for you, Georgie," he finally said, wiping some crumbs off his face.

"Right...Okay then." Eli shrugged. "Makes no difference to me.”

As the adults talked about these arrangements in the kitchen, Eli said goodbye to his friends who were heading home. After he was done with that, George was excitedly telling him about all the movies they could watch on his new TV and VCR, even though Eli knew that George would fall asleep soon, considering the time.

---

Later that night, George was already sound asleep between the two twins, the glowing light of the television set playing Pokemon: The Movie illuminating their faces.
David had his new vintage bandanna wrapped over his head, fondling the customized dog tags on the chain around his neck as he listened to Mewtwo talk about destiny.

"Hey...David?" Eli whispered. "Do you believe in all that destiny malarkey?" He fiddled with the bracelet his brother gifted him, the beads and thread sliding around his wrist.

"Mm...kind of. I mean, if it wasn't destiny that we would be soldiers, why would Dad give us his old military stuff?" David murmured, eyed glued to the screen.

"I don't know...I mean...I know Father says how important the military was for him. But...giving us these, it's not like we have to be tied to who he is and what he did!" He tried to be as quiet as he could, as George was resting against him.

"You don't want to be a part of his legacy? He's a hero," David whispered to him, frowning at his brother.
"Why would you not want to live up to that?"

"He's a hero, but maybe I'm not." Eli sighed. "I want him to just understand for once that we have our own free will! Just because I'm his son, doesn't mean I have to follow in his footsteps! Haven't you ever thought about...a life beyond the military?"

"So you don't want to defend our country? Or kill bad guys? Or go on cool sneaking missions at all?" his brother retorted, poking him square in the chest.

"No!" Eli shook his head. "Well- I'm not completely sure, anyway..." Eli avoided his brother's piercing gaze. What did it matter if he decided he had better things to do with his life?

David frowned, hard. He crossed his arms and let out a huff.
"No wonder Dad isn't proud of you. First George's eye, and now this..."

Eli gasped. "Father...did he say that to you? He said he wasn't proud of me?"

"Isn't it obvious? The way he talks to you...he has no respect for you. Not like he does for me," David huffed.

"Yeah?" Eli scoffed. "That's only because you kiss his arse everyday, saying how much you want to be like him. Can't you see that's all he wants from us? He only likes you and George because you inflate his ego!" Eli said, beginning to raise his voice.

"Shut the fuck up or I'll punch your nose in," David hissed, pointing to their sleeping little brother between them.

"Why? If you're so upset, that only proves that I'm right!" Eli smirked. "And besides, you know I'd only win anyway!"

"I've been training with Dad since you left- none of that play-fighting bullshit we used to do," David boasted.

"Can't you do anything without dad helping you? God, if that man told you to jump off a bridge, I bet you would!" Eli sat forward.

David had enough. He stood up on his sleeping bag and shoved Eli hard as he could.

"Agh!" Eli fell to his side, but quickly sprang up. "Oh, so you're serious then?" Eli could feel his heart pounding, but he loved it. He loved staring at David's pissed off face which mirrored his own. His face told it all- brows furrowed hard enough to crease his bandanna. He readied a fighting stance, his fists clenched and shaking.

Eli smiled, then lunged at him, launching his fist straight into David's jaw. David stumbled backwards a bit before countering with a knee to Eli's gut, letting out a puff of air. Eli clutched his stomach and groaned. That was a good counter, he had to admit, and it left him winded. “Fuck-" David rubbed his jaw where he was struck; not enough to leave a bruise, but it would be sore for a bit. He watched his twin carefully, anticipating his next move. Eli recovered, stepping to the side to be further away from his sleeping brother, who stirred slightly, but settled back into sleep, then went to punch David again, aiming to get the other side of his face. He was able to dodge, ducking his head and karate-chopping Eli in the throat.

"You're sloppy- i can predict your moves from miles away."

"Ack--!" Eli coughed. If he was honest, he had been sloppy. He was out of practice. That was one of the positives to living with his brothers, he always had sparring partners. "Fuck you!"

David's eyes widened as he saw his twin reach for his pocket, bringing out the old combat knife that their father had gifted him earlier that day.
"W-wait-! Time out!!"

"What's wrong? I thought you were so confident?" Eli chuckled, clutching the blade in his hand and stepping slowly towards David.

George suddenly sat up and let out a loud shriek, alerting the two adults in the house who rushed downstairs to check.

"Eli!!" John barked, stomping over and disarming him.

"Let go of me!" Eli thrashed in his father's grip. "He started it!"

"And I'm finishing it," he growled, folding the knife and letting go of his son's wrist.

Eli grunted, pulling away sharply from John. He kept his gaze fixed at the floor, and folded his arms. He could hear George sobbing gently, and bit his lip. Adamska rubbed his eyes and sighed.
"Eli, pack up your things. I'm taking you back to Kaz and Ahab's at once," he said sternly.

"What?! But David's the one who hit me first! Why aren't you punishing him!?" Eli yelled. This wasn't fair. He wasn't really going to hurt David with it, it was just to get him to admit defeat! "I wasn't going to do anything, I swear!"

"You pulled a fucking knife on him, Eli!" John roared, making the three boys shrink into themselves.

"I..." Eli could only be rendered quiet when his father spoke like that. He clenched his fists and tried his best to not let tears form in his eyes. He wanted to explain himself, but knew no one would see beyond the angry little boy he had always been.

"Pack your things, Eli," Adamska reiterated, helping George roll up his sleeping bag and bringing him upstairs.

Eli sighed. He got to work packing up all his things, the pounding in his heart fading away, as nausea took over. What would Ahab and Kaz say? He'd have all his presents confiscated, for sure.
"Fuck..." He mumbled to himself, wiping his eyes.

David gave him a longing glance before shaking his head, rolling up his own sleeping bag and following his brother upstairs.

John was still beside himself in anger. He kept his large arms folded as he watched Eli like a hawk. Eli felt his father's burning gaze even when his back was turned away from him. His throat was dry, but he opened his mouth to speak. "Dad?"

"What?" he responded gruffly, his single blue eye shining in the dark.

"Um...I..." Eli swallowed both his spit and his pride. "I'm sorry."

"Sure," he huffed, turning away and going to sit on the couch, still eyeing him with disdain.

"I am!" Eli walked over to him. "I am, I promise..." Eli still couldn't meet his gaze.

"Shut up. Shut the fuck up. What would have happened to David had I not come down? Would you have taken his eye out, too?" he yelled, standing up again.

"I...I already said I didn't mean it..." Eli fiddled with the bracelet David gave him again.

"'Sorry' doesn't un-make scars, or regrow limbs. You think you can just apologize and have your way out of everything, right?"

"I know that!" Eli exclaimed. "But you can't hate me forever because of it..."

He let out a heavy huff, his yellowed teeth showing in a grimace.
"It baffles me just how forgiving your brothers are to you. Especially George...you permanently disfigured him, for Christ's sake. And he still wants you around for some fuckin' reason..."

"I...I don't know why he wants me around either, to be honest." Eli admitted. "But... if he forgave me, then why won't you?!"

"Because you're not worth forgiving, Eli,” John said with a growl.

Adamska descended the stairs, the jingling of the car keys announcing his arrival.
"Put your shoes on," he sighed to the boy.

"So, David was right..." Eli said as he grabbed his boots. "You really aren't proud of me at all..."

"Not one bit. Get the fuck out of my house," the man snapped as Adamska ushered his son out the door.

"I said I was sorry!" Eli turned back and yelled, but he knew nothing could ever fix this in the eyes of his father.

Adamska turned on the car and sat silently, his head in his hands.
"...why, Eli? Why did you have to fight with your brother?" he murmured.

"I didn't mean for it to happen!" He sighed. "David really did hit me first...you believe me, don't you?"

"Frankly, I don't know what to believe. All I saw when I came down was you advancing on him with that knife," he sighed, rubbing his temples.

"I just don't understand how David thinks the world of our father. I know you do too, but that's different...that's why it started. Because of him." Eli rested his head back against the seat.

"John...is complicated. He just wants you to be better, you know? He does love you," he said, looking at Eli in the rearview mirror as he backed out of the driveway.

"Oh, so you didn't just hear him say he wasn't proud of me at all, just then?!" Eli scoffed. "Yeah. He definitely loves me."

"It's a tough love, malen'kiy, but it's love nonetheless," he murmured.

Eli realised that Adamska would never understand unless he was on the receiving end of his father's cold words, so instead shifted the topic. "Is George alright?"

"George was scared, but he's okay," he responded.
"There's something we need to discuss, though."

"...Yeah? What is it?" Eli gulped.

"We're going to put you into therapy. I've already been discussing it with Kaz and Ahab," he told the boy.
"We think it's important that you find a good outlet for these negative outbursts."

"Therapy?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "I doubt they can fix me."

"It's not about fixing so much as it is about coping," the man explained as he pulled into the driveway.
"Helping you through tough times, not getting over them, you see?"

"I...I guess that makes sense." Eli looked out the window at the dark sky. He couldn't see any stars. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Good boy," he hummed, turning off the car and exiting it before leading Eli up to the house with his hand on his shoulder.
"You be good for Ahab and Kaz, okay? School will start soon. You'll be taking the bus- an opportunity to make new friends, hm?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Eli wasn't looking forward to facing the music, but it had to be done.
"Sorry again..." He said to Adamska. At least he was sort of nice about it.

"You're a good kid, Eli. I truly believe that. Don't prove me wrong."

"...Thanks, Uncle Adam." Eli waited for the door to open, feeling as if he was awaiting an execution.

Chapter Text

Eli leaned against the pole of the bus stop, his pin and patch adorned green backpack weighed down by the lunchbox Kaz had packed for him. It was some cutesy bento box, which Eli supposed was meant to be a kind gesture for his first day. No kid liked their first day at school and Eli was no exception, hoping and praying that perhaps the school bus would crash somewhere before it got to him and therefore he didn't have to go to school and would be attending a funeral instead. Unfortunately for him, this did not happen, and the school bus was perfectly on time. He hopped on and headed to the back of the bus to get a seat. He was at one of the earliest stops, so none of his friends had gotten on yet.

There wasn't anyone else on the bus besides the driver and one kid at the very back, someone with messy red hair covered up by a black beanie. The red-haired kid was scrunched up in the left corner of the back of the bus, looking aimlessly out the window. Eli didn't recognise them. This bus was for the 8th graders only, wasn't it? He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, to try and think if he'd seen them anywhere before, but Eli couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl.

The bus driver didn't wait for Eli to sit down, so he scrambled to find a seat as the vehicle started moving. The kid in the hat seemed to ignore the other boy completely.
"Agh!" Eli had to grab onto the top of one of the seats to keep his balance, then quickly sat down on the opposite side of the back row, muttering some curses under his breath.

The other kid eyed him from across the aisle, a medical mask over half their face. They had piercing silver eyes that seemed to see into Eli's very soul. Eli gave a very polite, British smile, his thin lips pulling up into a slight curve, as he gave a curt nod.
The kid's eyes widened further, and they turned over on their side, staring out the window in a shy way. Eli decided to turn away too, believing he had made the other teen (though they did look a little small) uncomfortable. He couldn't wait until someone else got on the bus, and he might have a familiar face to speak to.

The other stops were all for the high school kids, so no one Eli knew. The driver dropped him and the redhead kid off first at the middle school anyway. The redhead walked quickly in front of Eli.
He jogged to catch up to him.
"Hi, uh, I haven't seen you before! Do you know what class you're in? Maybe we're in the same one?"

The other kid tried to speedwalk away, but Eli was faster.

"Hey!" Eli called out again. "Hey, wait up!" Eli was pretty speedy (he held the record for short distance races in his year group, though David held ones for long distance), and so was able to catch up again.

The red-haired kid almost tripped over their untied laces, so they stopped, silently wishing for Eli to leave them alone if they just didn't speak at all.

"Hi..." Eli said again. "Um...are you going to Room 101 too?"

They looked up at the blond boy from tying their shoe, silver eyes wide with anxiety.
"I, uh...I know where it is, if you were wondering...you're new, right?" Eli folded his arms and looked at him carefully. "I don't think I ever saw you last year...though, me and my friends are a pretty tight group, so..."

Digging into their pocket, they handed Eli a little notecard, on which was written 'My name is Jarek. I am a transfer student. I don't speak much English.'

Eli read it and then handed it back. "Oh..." Eli decided to do what the British always did when encountering a foreigner: Speak very loudly and very slowly! "Hellooo, my name is Eli."

Jarek didn't respond, only reached for the card back and stuffed it in their pocket.

"Oh... Maybe you didn't understand that..." Eli nervously laughed. "Um..." He pointed at a sign in the corridor. "This way?"

They shook their head and pointed in a different direction. "Nyet," they rasped, having taken a tour of the school and where he was supposed to go before the year had started.

"Wait-" Eli gasped. "You're Russian?"

Their eyes widened and he nodded, freezing up slightly.

"Oh! Well, uh, I can speak Russian...kinda..." Eli shrugged. "Not, like, super fluently, but..."

They tilted their head to the side a little. "I need to meet my tutor. Will I see you again for lunch?"

"Hey, didn't you just hear me say I wasn't fluent?" Eli sighed. "Well... Okay, you heard me, but didn't understand."
He cleared his throat and said in Russian, "Hi, I'm Eli. How are you?"

"I have to go now..." The smaller child responded, stepping back a little and eyeing their exit route.

"Oh, uh, yeah! Okay! Bye..." Eli watched the child walk away, and headed for Room 101 alone, where at least some of his friends would be.

---

Later that day, Jarek was alone in the courtyard, away from the crowded lunchroom. It was quieter out here and they could hear the birds and the wind in clear harmony.

Eli was walking around with his friends, all complaining about how fast that summer felt. "Honestly, this past week my uncles have been treating me as if I was going to school anyway! I mean, who gives a teenager a bedtime!?" They all agreed and laughed. "Y'know, I--" Eli stopped and caught sight of Jarek.

Jarek was eating their lunch in silence, enjoying having only themself as company.

Octopus nudged Eli and whispered to him. "Look at that weird kid, eating all by herself!"

"Hey, don't forget that you had to eat alone, before I took you in!" Eli reminded Octopus with a nudge. "I spoke with them earlier..."

"What did they say?" asked Wolf, twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers.

"I didn't learn much. They're Russian, I know that much." Eli tilted his head, watching curiously as Jarek ate alone.

"An exchange student maybe?" piped up Raven, scratching his buzzed head.

"Yeah, he, uh, said he was a transfer student I think." Eli smiled as a bird swooped down and startled Jarek. "Maybe I should say hi again..."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Octopus wondered aloud, before being slapped in the back of the head by Raven for being rude.

"Well, let's find out!" Eli went over without the approval of his friends, since he was the leader of the gang anyway, waving at Jarek.

The new student looked up from their lunchbox and shrunk in on themself as they saw Eli approaching, frightened of the other children following behind him.

"Hi!" Eli began. "Umm..." He remembered that Jarek's English was poor, and mustered up his best Russian, channeling his inner Uncle Adamska. "These are...my friends!"

Jarek blinked at the , before raising a hand and giving a shy wave. "Hello..."

Eli turned around to his friends and told them "That means hello!"

The other children said hello back, all in different languages. This made Jarek giggle softly.

"...Right...well... um...mind if we sit down with you?" Eli asked.

Jarek dug through his lunchbox, bringing out a packet of fruit gummies and opening them. "Would you like some?"

"Oh, sure, I'll have one!" Eli said, excited at the sight of sweets, as he plonked himself down on the bench beside the redheaded child.

"I don't really like American snacks - too many preservatives," he said softly as he handed out the gummies to everyone but himself, choosing instead to eat an apple.

"Fair enough." Eli nodded after taking a moment to translate in his head. "Thanks." He said, before eating a gummy. "Oh, you didn't eat one?" Eli still had two left in his hand.

Jarek shook his head, pointing to his apple as he took a bite. The other children were all left out of the conversation, but they didn't care that much, given that they were just handed some gummies to eat.

"Picking the healthy option? I see." Eli ate the rest of his gummies, then decided to start with some questions now that Jarek seemed comfortable. "So...did your family come over here too?" he asked, crossing one leg over the other, eager to find out more about his new friend.

They paused between bites, becoming shy again and messing with a loose thread on their jacket.

Eli realised he might have struck a nerve, so changed the conversation topic, "Your classes are okay so far?"

Nodding gently, they continued to eat the apple, eyeing the other children surrounding him in a way that seemed like they would be attacked at any minute.

"Ah, well, that's good." Eli nodded back, then turned to his friends. "See? I told you guys they're alright! Maybe...they can become part of our gang!" Eli suggested.

"But is it a BOY or a GIRL?! We already have our token girl!!" Octopus blurted out, pointing to Wolf, who growled at him animalistically.

"Oh...I'm not too bothered." He shrugged. "But, okay, I'll ask." Eli cleared his throat and asked his new friend "Are you a girl?"

Jarek's eyes widened and they tittered in an amused way, holding a hand over their mouth. "Wouldn't you like to know?~"

"N-no, like, I-I'm just making sure! So...you're a boy, right? 'Cause we already, uh, have a girl in our group!" He gestured towards Wolf.

Jarek shrugged and continued eating his apple. It seems he never really gave it thought, and it didn't matter much to him.

"...Okay!" Eli clapped his hands together and addressed his friends again. "Well, uh, Jarek is...a boy!" He said to placate Octopus. "So, should we let him join us?"

The other children all looked amongst each other, as if trying to gauge everyone's response and base their own off of theirs. "I guess, yeah." "Let him in." "He seems nice."

"Alright! Let me just ask him." He extended his hand to Jarek. "Would you like to enjoy our elite group?"

"I promised my foster parents I wouldn't join any gangs..." he responded, scratching his chin.

"Oh, no, no-" Eli laughed. "I mean, we're not like...bad or anything! We might steal from the shops every now and again, but...I'm sure your parents won't care if you just say you've made a few friends!"

He considered it for a moment, finishing his apple and putting away the core before taking Eli's hand and nodding at him.

"You made the right decision!" Eli smiled. "Hey, do you wanna ditch the next class and come hang with us today?"

Jarek smiled back before pulling his mask back up, nodding his head again.

"Cool!" Eli stood up and let Jarek follow them.

Eli and his friends began to walk towards the field, where they could hide behind the side of the building. It was their usual haunt, and leaning against the wall as the bell rang, he wondered if this school year might just be a little bit better than the last. His other friends talked amongst themselves about the summer, but Eli was curious about Jarek. He was being fostered? He wanted to know more. "So, uh..." He turned to Jarek. "What's your mum and dad like?"

Jarek didn't respond, though it was unclear whether he actively chose not to or he was just too distracted with an isopod he found crawling on the ground.

"Hey!" Eli snapped his fingers. "What are you looking at over there?"

"Woodlouse..." he responded, picking it up gently between two fingers and watching it roll into a protective ball.

"Oh...you like bugs, huh?" Eli smiled. "I like snakes, personally."

Jarek smiled at the other boy with his eyes, holding his palm flat so the isopod could crawl around.

"It likes you...you should name it something. It can be our mascot!" Eli suggested, half-serious.

Jarek giggled softly and placed the insect on Eli's nose.

"Oh...maybe it likes me too!" The little creature was tickly on his nose. "Achoo!"

The isopod fell off of Eli's face onto the ground and Jarek squealed excitedly.

"Whoops!" Eli wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "Sorry little guy!" He said, bending down.

Octopus butted in, stepping on the bug with a crunch. "Yuck!" Jarek's eyes went wide.

"What the fuck was that for?!" Eli shoved Octopus.

"It was gross, Boss!!" he retorted, adjusting himself and scraping his shoe on the grass.

"Oi!" He grasped Octopus by his shirt collar. "I don't like people who disrespect nature! If you do that again, I'll step on you and see how you like it!"

"Alright, alright- geez Louise!!" He wriggled free of his grasp and fixed his shirt. Jarek stood there, frozen.

"Hey...um, it's okay. I'm sure there'll be other bugs." Eli said to try and cheer Jarek up.

The redhead's eyes were brimming with tears and he sniffled quietly, staring down at the stain on the concrete.

"Oh! Um..." Eli wasn't very good at helping people when they were crying. "I'm...sorry?" That's what people usually said when they were grieving, right?

He leaned against Eli, wiping his eyes and looking up at him. "Poor bug..."

"Oh...there, there..." Eli cautiously put an arm around him, his friends watching. This was so unlike him...it was just a bug, and yet Jarek's watery eyes made him feel his pain. Wolf gave Octopus a glare, and Raven flicked him in the ear. Soon though, Jarek recovered and stopped leaning on the other boy.

"So, um..." Eli remembered his curiosity. "Whereabouts do you live, Jarek?"

Jarek shrugged. "I don't know this area very well," he responded, swaying back and forth.

"Oh, I guess you only moved recently...makes sense...I guess it must be kinda close to me, considering the bus route." Eli yawned. Being at school was exhausting, whether he was in a lesson or not. "Maybe...I can come over someday? I mean, if that's okay with your mum and dad, of course!"

Jarek just shrugged again, still swaying and rubbing the toe of his boot on the concrete absentmindedly.

"And, um, my Uncle is Russian, so I'm sure he can help you guys out with understanding stuff...but, um, I don't live with him and my dad anymore..." Eli said, his words spilling out quickly.

Jarek seemed to perk up at the idea of meeting Eli's uncle, spinning in place once before smiling.

"Good! Well...I think it's the end of the day soon...So, um...are you getting the bus with me?" Eli asked, hoping he'd say yes.

The redhead nodded, nudging Eli in the shoulder with a closed fist and a bright smile.

Eli was glad that Jarek was opening up to him. The group of kids went back to the front of the school and left as soon as the gates opened, with Eli's other friends going the other way, whilst he and Jarek went to the bus stop and waited.

Jarek hummed to himself as he rocked back and forth on his heels, holding his backpack straps tightly.

When the bus finally came, the two of them sat at the back again, this time side by side. "Not a bad first day then, eh?"

Jarek grunted a response, tracing the edges of the window with his index finger.

"Yeah...get used to it." Eli yawned. "I'm not sure they really care much about education standards out here. Just as long as we attend enough to stay above the radar," he said, cynically. Last year, Eli's attendance was around 60%, and his father received phone call after phone call...

Jarek turned to look at Eli, smiling behind his mask. "My tutor is going to be really upset that I skipped class," he giggled.

"Ah, who cares!" Eli confidently smiled. "Trust me, they won't be bothered in a few weeks' time. Maybe they'll tell your parents if they can be arsed."

Jarek shrugged. "My foster parents will be upset too."

"Oh, right... you're being fostered." Eli remembered. "How's that going?"

"They never punish me, but they get upset a lot. Even when they say they aren't upset, I can still tell," he explained.

"Oh! That's good..." Eli said, then sighed, "My dad kinda sucks, but...I guess I'm like you. I've been living with my uncle and his...partner for a while now."

Jarek picked up on the vague wording. "They're homosexual, aren't they?" he asked quietly.

"W-what?" Eli scoffed. "Ew...n-no. That's weird."

Jarek let out a sigh. "My foster parents are homosexuals...I'm so ashamed of them."

"Oh...uh...wow. I didn't expect that. I thought it's illegal in Russia..." Eli gulped. What would his new friend think if he found out about his family?

Jarek nodded, kicking his feet absentmindedly. "Mhm. That's why they fled to America..."

"Right...makes sense." Eli nervously laughed. "So...um...you like girls, right?"

Jarek thought about it for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Well...not really. I don't like much of anyone. I like animals and insects."

"Oh." Eli wasn't sure what to think of that. "...you don't like me yet?"

Jarek giggled. "You're funny, you know that?"

"Funny?" Eli raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling me stupid?"

Jarek collapsed into a giggle fit, holding his stomach and squirming.

"W-what!?" Eli's face flushed red. "What's so funny?! D-don't laugh at me!"

"You used the wrong 'like'!" Jarek explained, wiping a tear from his eye.

"...huh?" Eli scratched his head. "What do you mean?"

"In Russian...well, let's just say you need more practice," Jarek cooed.

"Oh...w-well, it's not like you're any good at English, so...shut up!" Eli crossed his arms and looked out the window.

Jarek giggled a little once more, then looked out the window with him. "Ah...we're getting close to my stop."

"Oh, already? Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Eli said, now forgetting to be annoyed with Jarek.

"Yeah, tomorrow," he said, getting up from his seat once the bus stopped.

"Cool. See ya!" Eli watched as he got off the bus and began to walk away.

---

"Fuck, baby- you're so tight," hissed Ahab, pumping slowly in and out of his lover with careful hips. It was the afternoon; Eli had not yet come home, so they figured they had some extra time to mess around beforehand.

"C'mon...you know I can handle it faster!" Kaz moaned, his hands clutching the bedsheets. "E-Eli will be home soon...so...go faster, please!"

Something sparked deep within the man, making him furrow his brow and speed up his movements, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the bedroom.

"Yes!" Kaz cried. "T-that's- ngh- so good~! Fuck!" Thank goodness that damn kid wasn't around to hear this obscenity.

"Who's your daddy?~" he cooed, leaning up close to Kaz' ear from behind as he fucked him good.

"Y-you! You are!" Kaz whined. "Please, daddy, please I've needed this so bad!!" He pleaded, knowing Ahab would always oblige with his fantasies. This daddy kink was a classic.

In the hallway, the home phone was ringing on its hook. John was calling them. The school hadn't yet heard wind of Eli's living situation changing, so they still contacted his father should anything come up- which it had, given he skipped the first day of half of his classes.

"Fuck-!" Kaz gripped the sheets tighter. "Who the fuck is calling that damn phone?!"

"Urgh- I'll get it," Ahab grumbled, pulling out and getting up from the bed to slip on a bathrobe before heading out of the bedroom.

"Better be important..." Kaz mumbled as Ahab left.

Ahab picked up the phone, and was immediately bombarded by John's voice. "It's about time you picked up! What were you doing!?"

"Calm down- just tell me the situation," he grumbled, holding the receiver to his ear.

"That school's been ringing me up, saying Eli skipped half his classes on the first day!" John yelled. "The nerve of that brat, after I go to such lengths to-"

"John-! Calm yourself, okay? He's done this before, I imagine...just call the school back to make me and Kaz priority contact, and we'll handle it when he comes home," Ahab responded.

"No, no, I don't want the school to know about all this business...I told George's school his eye thing was from something else, not that little bastard. You'd better make sure you deal with it!" John said sternly.

Eli, unknowingly, was walking home from the bus stop, whistling a jolly tune, excited to kick back and relax at home.

"We'll deal with it, but I'm saying if you don't want to get any more calls you should go ahead and have them take our number," he replied.

Eli opened the door, his bag slung over one shoulder and entered the hallway, where his Uncle Ahab was standing in his robe on the phone to someone. "...I'll consider it." John simply said, then hung up.

Ahab sighed and put the phone back on the hook, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I never get through to him..."

"Uncle Ahab?" Eli raised an eyebrow, looking the man up and down. "Why are you still in your robe? It's the afternoon."

"Ah- hey kiddo. Er...I just got out of the shower," he lied. "Give me one second to change- we have something to discuss."

"...Oh." Eli made sure to look away from the man's crotch, certain he was naked underneath. "Um...I'll just...sit in the living room then." Eli dashed off into the living room, throwing his bag on the sofa, before plonking himself down.

Ahab made his way back to the bedroom, giving Kaz a look. "Eli's home. John called- said he was playing hooky. We gotta discipline him."

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Kaz sat up. "That was just getting good." He sighed, watching Ahab get dressed, figuring he should do the same.

Once the two adults were presentable, they joined Eli in the living room. "So-" Ahab started, clapping his hands together. "You decided to skip class today? On the first day?"

Damn. Eli should have known. He was already on the school's radar. He bit the inside of his cheek, then smiled. "Well, I had a good reason, actually." He rested comfortably on the sofa, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head.

"And what could possibly be more important than being present for first-day orientation?" Kaz grumbled.

"...there was a new student." He wasn't technically lying. "I...wanted to show him around."

"He has teachers to do that for him," he continued to scold.

"I-I know!" Eli leaned forward. "But he doesn't speak much English, he's Russian. So who better than to help?"

"He's a foreign exchange student?" asked Ahab, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

"Yeah, well, his parents moved here. He's adopted, he's got two dads...so makes sense why they had to get out of Russia." Eli added. "So, I felt bad for him, and didn't want him to be alone, and made sure he had friends!" He beamed, seeming as innocent as possible.

"Well Eli, that was very nice of you," he hummed, catching a glimpse of Kaz' frown. "-but you're still in trouble for skipping class either way."

"What?!" Eli jumped up. "B-but I was being good, and helping someone else!"

"Yes, but that doesn't cancel it out. Your father was furious, and I told him we would see to it that you're dealt with."

"Ugh! He's always mad at me for something!" Eli picked up his bag from the floor, preparing a dramatic storming off. Now he was a teenager, he had the right to some dramatic door slamming surely. "The old man needs to be watching his bloody heart pressure with how mad he gets!"

"Eli-" Ahab warned, trying to get him to calm down. "He's still your father. And you're still in trouble."

"I don't care!!" Eli stormed off to his room and slammed the door. He kicked off his shoes, leaving them haphazardly on the floor, dropped his school bag, then lay on his bed.

Kaz grumbled under his breath, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Just let him stew for a while. We need to think of a proper punishment anyway."

Ahab nodded silently, taking a seat on the sofa and waiting for Kaz to join him to discuss Eli's punishment.

In his room, Eli remembered how mad his father would get when school rang home, but for once he had good intentions! He really didn't want Jarek to feel lonely. No one ever saw his side of things.

After a bit of time alone, Eli received a knock on the door. "Eli, it's me," came Ahab's voice. "May I come in?"

Eli sat up. "...is it just you?" He didn't want to hear it from either of them, but he supposed that if he had to pick who he got a telling off from, it would be Uncle Ahab.

"Yes, it's just me," he responded, opening the door a crack to peer inside.

"...alright then." Eli hugged his knees close to his chest, waiting to be yelled at.

The older man closed the door behind him as he walked inside, sitting beside Eli on the bed. "...how are you feeling?" he started off by asking.

Eli stared at him silently. "Um...I...I don't know." He mumbled.

"Okay. I won't push then," he responded. "Kaz and I decided on your punishment."

"Fine." Eli rolled his eyes. "Go on. I don't really care anyway."

"You're going to help him weed the garden this weekend. That's it. Just a few hours of manual labour is all."

Eli raised an eyebrow. "...That's it?" He scoffed. "You're not gonna like...take stuff out of my room, or..."

He shook his head, adjusting his position slightly. "We trust you not to keep making the same bad decision over and over. If you do then, well, you'll know what to expect."

"Oh... Um... alright then." Eli relaxed his legs again. "So, um...how come your hair is dry if you just got out of the shower when you found about about me missing class?"

His demeanor changed and he quickly brushed it off, patting Eli on the knee. "Good talk," he said, getting up and heading out of the room.

"Hey! You didn't answer my question!" Eli called out to him.

"See you at dinner!" he called back, shutting the door as he left.

"Wait so--" Eli thought about it long and hard. Why was he in his robe in the middle of the day if he wasn't in the shower? "EWWW!!!" Eli exclaimed.

Chapter Text

"Boys- dinner time!" called Adam up the stairs, having finished setting the table with dishes. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes was for supper today.

David left his homework on the table.

"Coming!" he called back, and left the room, making sure George had heard Adam too (sometimes he got a little too caught up in his reading). The two brothers came downstairs and sat at the dinner table.

"I've nearly done my homework." David said proudly. "Man, I can't believe I got homework on the first day, though."

"Homework keeps you smart- it's important," Adam cooed, patting David's head as he started to serve them.

John got up from his spot on the couch with a groan and sat at the head of the table.

"Thanks for making dinner," he murmured to Adam, who gave him a smile.

"Do you want me to put it in for you?" David asked his little brother, who shook his head.

"No, I can do it!" George filled up his plate, leaning over the table to reach things.

They all began digging in to the food with relative silence aside from their munching, until Adam spoke up.

"How was the first day of school, you two?"

"Oh, yeah, it was fine." David shrugged. "There's a new kid in my class. I haven't spoken to him yet."

"Well, my new teacher is really different to my last one." George said. "But I'm looking forward to this year, because we get to learn about the Civil War soon!"

"History is important to learn," John grunted through a mouthful of mashed potato, to which Adam nodded.

"Oh, I saw Eli at school too...but only in the morning." David suddenly remembered.

John growled.

"That little brat is in trouble. He skipped half his classes today."

"Huh...makes sense why I didn't see him now." David chuckled. "Probably hanging out with his little gang."

"I adore those kids- they're all so unique," Adam piped up, interrupting his husband from saying anything mean.

"I think they're weird..." George said. "But, it's okay, because Eli is weird, and we love him!"

"We're all weird in our own ways," Adam chuckled.

"Yeah, like Eli wants to be an actor when he grows up," David grumbled.

John stopped chewing. He eyed his son across the table before speaking up.

"Does he, now?"

"Well...yeah, that's...that's what he told me when we fought last time." David poked the meatloaf with his fork, suddenly feeling queasy. "I mean, I-I don't know, maybe he was just saying it..."

"Did you tell him off?" his father continued, feeling rage bubbling beneath his skin.

"Of course I did!" David scoffed. "Maybe this is just another one of his phases, you know how he is!"

"Yeah!" George chimed in. "Like when he got obsessed with those choose-your-own-adventure books, and wanted to write them!"

John huffed and scratched his beard for a moment, mumbling to himself as he shoveled more dinner into his mouth angrily. Adam gently placed a hand on John's wide back to soothe him.

"Well...maybe you can change his mind when we go on our camping trip soon!" David suggested. "You said you're gonna treat us like we're proper military recruits, remember?"

"Yeah...yeah, that'll knock some sense into him," John murmured, wiping his mouth of crumbs.

"But, Daddy, just the other day you were saying you didn't want Eli to go!" George reminded him.

"What, am I not allowed to change my mind?" the man grunted, standing up from his seat and popping his back.

"Adam, call Ahab and Kaz- tell them the plan."

"Can't it wait until after dinner?" Adam rolled his eyes.

"Wait, Dad, you didn't want Eli to come?" David raised an eyebrow at his father.

"Originally, I didn't. But now I realize just how much he needs it," he explained.

"It'll be fun, right?" David smiled, his mouth half-full of mashed potatoes. "Like, it's been a long time since it was the three of us..."

John huffed. "It's not gonna be fun. It's going to be educational."

"Pffft! Things can be fun and educational, y'know? Like Sesame Street!" David retorted, then poured himself some water.

"You actually like that kiddie crap?" his father questioned, raising a grizzled brow.

"N-no! I was, uh, just using it as an example!" David quickly defended himself.

George made a face "But, David, you were watching it this morn-"

"I was only watching it because you put the TV on, George!" David gave his little brother a harsh glare to silence him. Eli probably would have kicked him under the table instead, he thought.

John grunted and shook his head.

"Either way, you'll be growing out of that soon. You're 13 now- I was doing training drills in the mud at your age."

"Yeah, and well, soon me and Eli will!" David reminded him.  "And...maybe...Eli will be okay to come home soon."

Silence fell over the table. Everything felt tense for a moment, until Adam cleared his throat.

"George, will you help me clear the table so we can have dessert?" he asked quietly, getting up from his seat.

"Okay." George knew when not to argue back, and did as he was told, taking his plate, as well as David's to the kitchen.

John was left with David at the table, staring him down before letting out a huff.

"You better help me knock some sense into that boy," he told his son before leaving the table.

"Eli's already super tough, dad," David mumbled back, missing the point. He had a sip of water, feeling his throat get a little dry from his father's harsh glare.

George and Adam came back with bowls and chocolate pudding, respectively. John had enough of the conversation and retired to the couch.

"What's wrong, daddy?" George called over to him. "Don't you want chocolate pudding?"

He let out a grunt in response, turning the TV onto college football.

Adam patted George's head.

"He just needs a little time to cool off, darling. We'll set a bowl out for him, just in case."

"I'll have some." David sure felt like he needed it after his father's attitude.

"Here." George gave him the bowl, and leaned in to whisper, "Dave, is Dad angry at us?"

The brunette twin thought for a moment before shrugging.

"I dunno. Maybe. He seemed upset when I said that Eli might come back. Maybe...maybe he doesn't want Eli back...?"

"What?!" George gasped, a little too loudly. "Is...is it because of what he did to me?"

"I think it's more than that," he murmured, looking at George's eyepatch and feeling...strange. Empty. Without his other half. He couldn't stay mad at Eli for too long. Sure, they bickered constantly, but that's just how siblings are. Without his twin, he felt...without purpose.

"Hmm... Well... why don't we ask Dad about Uncle Ahab? They're close in age just like you and Eli...maybe we can convince him!" George put in a bowl of chocolate pudding for himself, and a larger one for their father, and went over to the sofa.

"Hi, Daddy!" George liked to play into his cute side to ask for things, so surely it would work. "I brought you some pudding!"

George's batting eyelashes and high-pitched voice tore John away from the screen, and he gave a small smile to his youngest son.

"Thank you, Georgie..." he mumbled, taking the bowl of pudding.

George sat next to his dad. He shuffled backwards to rest his head against the sofa, his legs dangling off the edge, which he kicked back and forth innocently.

"Daddy?"

"Mhmm?" the man hummed, taking the spoon out of his mouth.

"Um...so, when you were little, like...um...did you used to fight with Uncle Ahab?" He glanced up at his father.

"Oh, lots of times. We got into so much trouble. Little brothers- they just have this way of getting on your nerves perfectly," his father chuckled.

"Yeah...Eli says that about me." George giggled. "Did...did you do anything really naughty?" He asked, then ate some pudding.

"Well..." John started, stroking his beard as he set his bowl of pudding aside.

"There was this...one thing- ah, but I should probably wait until you're older to explain."

"Oh...okay." He would have to change tactic, but George knew he was clever.

"So, you were the naughty one out of you and Uncle, right?"

"Oh, definitely. Ahab was such a goody two-shoes, it made me sick. He had that perfectly punchable face every time he smiled at me," John laughed.

"Mhm..." George had another spoonful of pudding. "I guess you're like Eli!"

His father sighed.

"That's just the trouble, Georgie. We're so much alike- I don't want him turning out like me. I want him to be more like David," he explained, letting his guard down.

George sat forward a little. David was just outside in the hall, listening in, and it was up to George to make sure that both of them knew what was going on in their father's mind.

George put down the bowl of pudding on the coffee table and then flung his arms around his father to hug him.

"But...we love you the way you are, Daddy!"

"I know you do, kiddo. I love you too," John hummed, blinking slowly down at his son as he patted his back.

"So...can Eli come home soon?" George asked, still clinging into his father.

He gently rocked him back and forth, shaking his head.

"Not for a bit. He has a lot to work on before he can come back."

"But...but you will let him, right?" George stared at the man's face, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Eventually. It depends. We need to see him making progress," he explained.

"Hmm...okay." George nodded. "But you have to promise that you'll be nice to him on your camping trip with Dave!"

"If he behaves, kiddo," John hummed, picking back up his bowl of pudding to continue eating.

"Well...sometimes you do start it..." George muttered.

"Mmph. Go give your empty bowl to Adam so he can wash it," the man grunted.

"Okay." George hopped down from the sofa and went to the kitchen, where David caught up to him.

"It went well." George said before his brother could ask. David let out a sigh of relief.

"I assumed as much. I didn't hear any yelling- he never yells at you, Georgie," he responded.

"'Cause I'm the cute one!" George teased, rocking on his heels.

David grinned and rolled his eyes, ruffling his little brother's ash-brown hair.

"Are you excited to go on your trip with Eli and Dad?" George asked. "Does Eli know he's going? Should we call and tell him?!" he suggested, full of excitement.

David looked out into the hallway, where Adam was on the phone.

"Looks like Uncle Adam has that covered," he said, setting up the footstool next to the sink.

"Help me wash the dishes..."

"Okay!" George helped, standing up on the stool to dry the dishes that David washed. Once they were finished (which didn't take too long, given their teamwork) Adam called to them from the hall.

"Boys- come to the phone! Eli wants to talk to you."

David went to the hall, and George followed, both eager to hear their brother's voice.

Adam handed the phone to David, who held it between himself and George to hear.

"Hi, Eli!"

"Just when I thought I'd gotten away from you lot!" Eli teased, pretending like he hadn't asked Uncle Adam if they were around to talk.

George giggled, and David smiled as he rolled his eyes for the second time that evening.

"How are you doing, dork?"

"I'm alright, loser." Eli replied. "Dad been driving you mad?"

"Maybe a little, but that's par for the course," he replied.

"How are Uncle Ahab and Uncle Kaz doing?"

"Well...they're themselves." Eli leaned in to whisper to the phone. "Honestly the stuff they get up to!"

George made a puzzled expression, making David giggle.

"Shh, shh- Georgie is too young!"

"Oh, right!" Eli realised his little brother was there. "How've you been, then, George?"

"Good! My tooth is growing in!" he replied excitedly.

"Cool!" Eli smiled at the sound of his voice. "How was school? No one made fun of you, did they? 'Cause if they do I'll-"

"Eli," warned Kaz, not wanting him to make any threats.

Eli sighed. "Yeah, well...I'll...have some words with anyone who is mean about your eyepatch!"

"No, they thought it was cool! They said I look like a pirate!!" George insisted.

"Oh...well, okay." Eli nervously chuckled. "So, um...guess I'll see you guys soon, right? I mean, obviously I see Dave at school."

"Well, it'll just be me and you and Dad on the trip- Georgie is too young to go," David explained.

"Oh, right, fair enough. Sorry, George." Eli said, even though he thought George was the lucky one.

"It's okay! I get to eat whatever you guys bring home anyway," George replied cheerily.

"Yeah...that's if we even catch anything." Eli added. "Might just have to take some crisps with us just in case."

"Dad'll probably only let us take granola bars and water bottles with us," David pointed out.

"Oh, how joyous." Eli sarcastically said. "Can't wait."

Kaz chimed in again. "Eli, come help clear the table. Say goodbye."

"Fine." Eli says to Kaz, then puts the phone close to him again. "I have to go now."

"Bye-bye! We love you!" George chimed, making David huff.

"Come on Dave~" Eli teased. "Say you love me. And that you miss me."

He rolled his eyes once more.

"We love you and miss you a lot. There. Are you happy?"

"Yep. Delighted!" Eli giggled.

"Okay, bye-!" the brothers said in unison before they hung up.

Eli put the phone down, and went to help Kaz clear the table, dreading the idea of his father's boot camp.

---

The clock was ticking loudly as Eli bounced his leg restlessly. He denied Uncle Ahab's suggestion of reading a magazine to keep entertained. He doubted there was anything interesting enough (not like his special magazines) anyway. There was a heavy feeling in his stomach, but he didn't think it was nerves. What did he have to be nervous about? He tapped a rhythm on his thigh with his fingers and continued to wait.

The door deeper into the clinic opened and Jarek stepped out into the waiting room, eyes going wide when he spotted Eli. He hurried over, smiling behind his medical mask.

" What are you doing here? "

" Me? I could say the same about you! " Eli crossed one leg over the other.

" Well...guess we're both problem children, then, eh? "

Jarek shook his head, sitting beside him in the next chair over.

" I don't get into trouble often. My foster parents just want me to have a smooth transition into living in the States ."

" Oh, right. So...the therapist speaks Russian? " Eli asked, feeling a little disappointed almost that quiet little Jarek didn't have a troublesome side like he did.

The other boy nodded, kicking his skinny legs absentmindedly.

" Mhm. She has a funny accent with it, but it's decent enough ."

" Ah. Good ." Eli said, then yawned. " I've been waiting a while...guess I'll be next up. Are you getting picked up? "

Jarek nodded again, then got up from his seat. " My foster parents are waiting for me outside, probably ."

"Oh..." Eli realised what that meant. " Well, you'd better be off then. Um...maybe...let's not mention this to the others at school ..."

Jarek blinked a couple times.

" Okay. If you say so ," he responded, giving a curt wave goodbye before going out the exit.

Eli leaned back in the chair again. At least he knew another kid who was coming here, though not for the same reasons. He realised he should have asked more about the therapist while he had the chance, but Jarek was already gone. He'd have to find out for himself.

The door opened again and out popped the head of Dr. Clark, smiling pleasantly at the boy.

"Come on back, Eli. Let's talk."

"Wait...aren't you the school nurse?" Eli recognised her immediately. She had patched him up several times after some mishaps at school.

"I'm only there on Wednesdays and Fridays. Therapy is my main gig," she explained, opening the door for him wider.

"Oh...right." Eli walked into the room. It was fairly decorated, with some posters on the wall and a large window at the side.

There were shelves filled with books and a large toybox to the side of the room, and several fun chairs like beanbags and rocking horses along with a regular couch and a desk.

"Have a seat wherever you like- except the desk. That's mine," she joked lightly.

Eli decided to sit on the normal couch for now. He wanted to try and act as normal as possible. He smiled at the green frog figure on her desk.

"Don't you have one of those in the nurse's office? The weird frog?"

"Oh, this is Kerotan! I do have another at the school, yes," Dr. Clark responded.

"He's a mascot from Japan."

"He's a long way from home, then." Eli said, running his hand down the arm of the couch to feel the smooth red leather.

She chuckled at this and got out a notepad, ready to take down their conversation.

"So, I've heard you recently had a big change in your life, moving in with your uncles and all. How is that going for you?"

"It's...fine." Eli shrugged. "I have a room all to myself, so that's good." He picked at some dead skin at the side of his thumb. "Yeah."

"Do you like the privacy of your own room?" she questioned, folding her hands together and resting her chin on them.

"Well, yeah. Who wouldn't?" Eli glanced at the clock. God, this was going to be a boring hour, or however long it was meant to be.

"Can you think of all the things you prefer about it, as opposed to sharing with your brother?"

"Um..." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "I can do what I like most of the time. Like, I can read, uh, comics!" He couldn't give her all the details. "Yeah, 'cause sometimes David would be mad if I had the torch on late at night when he wanted to sleep."

"Hopefully you're not staying up too late past your bedtime now," she chided.

"Do you miss your brothers at all?"

"Course I do!" Eli scoffed. "What kinda dumb question is that?"

"What most do you miss about them?" she continued, ignoring his attitude.

"Hmm...I think for George I miss making him do things." Eli chuckled. "He's little, so he's gullible. For David..." It took him a moment. "Um...well, we did a lot together."

"A lot? Like what? Besides the fighting- I know all about that."

"Yeah, you've had to patch us up after a few fights at school." Eli sighed. "I...I guess people just expect brothers to be in tune with each other, especially twins, but that's not true. But David and I used to do loads of stuff, like read each other's books and comics, and lend each other clothes, and do each other's homework. But...David's really different to me. Uncle Ahab says that he's really different to my dad, so...I guess it's not that bad."

"What are some differences between you two that you can point out?" she asked, scribbling down some notes.

"Um...David has brown hair. Oh, and he has a beauty mark on his arse! On the left!" Eli answered.

Dr. Clark suppressed a giggle.

"That's a good start. Can you tell me more? Maybe less superficial?"

"Oh!" Eli realised what she meant. "In terms of personality...um...David is more...quiet. Yeah. He doesn't like to make a fuss of things. He just gets on with them."

"He accepts what life gives him, huh? But you don't settle," she pointed out.

"Everything has to go your way, or else."

"Well, if you don't ask, you don't get." Eli folded his arms. "That's how I see it. I fight for myself, but David...he...he's not like that."

"Why do you think that is?" she questioned, tapping her pen on the paper rhythmically.

"I don't know... I think he likes to stick up for others, but not himself. That's not good." Eli explained. "You can't stand up for others and not yourself."

She nodded along to his words.

"Do you ever stand up for him, then?"

"...Sometimes. Not that he'd do it back for me. I stood up to Dad for him before."

"And how did that turn out?"

"I got into trouble." Eli sighed. "I mean...I should have expected it, really."

She shook her head.

"That's the thing with parents- it's always like you're talking back to them, isn't it?"

Eli raised an eyebrow. Adults were meant to agree with other adults, not naughty kids like him.

"Uh...yeah."

"How about your mother? Have you heard from her lately?" she asked.

"No," he replied curtly. "She gave us a postcard before my birthday. She said she'd come."

"And she didn't show up? I'm sorry about that."

"...I mean, I guess she was just busy." Eli convinced himself. "She's really cool, honest. She told me that when she comes back, that we'll go to the theatre and she'll buy me lots of stuff. She even promised to take me with her one day." He smiled at the thought.

"A trip with your mother would be very nice, wouldn't it?" she mused, smiling back at him.

"I bet David misses her too."

"Yeah...I mean, I think David's always liked our dad more. And George was too little to really remember when Mum went."

"How is George now? Is he healing up?"

"Yeah. He's...he's alright." Eli stared down at his shoes that were in desperate need of cleaning.

"He forgives me, at least."

"He does? Well, that's good then. No hard feelings, right?"

"Yeah... but, it doesn't make it go away. He has to live like that because of what I did." Eli sniffled. "And dad was so, so angry with me... and David..."

"You feel deep remorse for what you did," she replied, looking into his eyes.

"I...yeah. I haven't really thought about how to describe it." The thought of George's pain hadn't left Eli's mind, no matter how much he wished it did.

"As long as you apologized, and George forgives you, you've done all that you can do, haven't you?"

"Yeah... unless I can like... make a time machine and stop myself or something." He let out an awkward chuckle.

"Don't we all wish," she cooed.

"And it was an accident, wasn't it?"

"..." Eli thought back to that fateful moment. "Yeah. I mean, I didn't mean to properly hurt him."

Dr. Clark gave him a nod.

"Then you're all set. No bad karma."

"Guess so." Eli leaned back into the sofa. "So, um...any other questions?"

"Tell me more about your home life now, living with your uncles," she continued.

Eli didn't think the topic was particularly interesting, but divulged all that he could (without telling her a few details, such as her uncles' interesting bedroom activities he'd heard).

"-and I guess that's it really. Yeah. I...haven't been back home in a while..."

"Well, that's time, then. We can talk more next week, okay Eli?" she said, looking at her watch.

"Yeah, sounds good." Eli said, as if he was accepting an offer and not like he was expected to come here now. It wasn't as dreadful as he imagined, but it was going to be quite awkward at school knowing she was the nurse and his therapist. He stood up and walked towards the door, glancing back at the clock and at her. At least he hadn't missed too much of his Friday evening before he had to leave for this trip the next morning.

She waved him goodbye, and off he went out the door. Kaz was waiting for him in the lobby.

"Hey, kid. Ready to go back?"

"Yeah, let's go." Eli was thankful that Kaz was right on time to get him out of there, since he'd had his fill of staring at obnoxious posters.

"What do you want for dinner? We'll get it along the way," he grunted, patting Eli on the back.

"Chips." Eli gave his usual answer. "I think I deserve some. And ice cream."

"Dairy Queen it is, then," he responded, leading the boy out to the parking lot.

They got into the car, and Eli looked forward to the prospects of a cheap fast-food meal. Being emotionally vulnerable made him work up an appetite.