Aiden returned to their room late, and threw himself down on the bed, still in his clothes. His mouth ached as though the guy had bitten it a little too hard. He glanced over at the pillow beside his to see Harvard curved toward him as usual, crisp white bedsheet slipping down one strong shoulder. Aiden propped his arm behind his head, glaring up at the darkened ceiling, feeling taut all over as though he might snap.
Harvard blinked, not even half-awake. Maybe a tenth. “You back?”
“Yes,” Aiden answered, his voice clear in the shadowed room. “I’m back.”
“Tha’s good,” mumbled Harvard into his pillow. He reached out blindly, eyes shut again, and patted Aiden’s arm. Aiden saw the moment where Harvard, sweet even in his sleep, noticed the tension in Aiden’s arm and frowned. “Dun’ worry,” Harvard murmured, even as he fell back into slumber. “It okay.”
Harvard rolled away under his blanket, burrowing his head into the pillow. Aiden looked at the line of his back, the gray material of Harvard’s sleeveless T-shirt stretched tight across it.
Now let me go, Harvard’s remembered voice said in his mind.
He’d always known he would have to, one day. He’d always told himself, maybe tomorrow.
Aiden reached out and carefully secured a hold on the back of Harvard’s shirt. Just a pinch of gray fabric, held tight between Aiden’s finger and thumb.
Maybe tomorrow Aiden would let go.
6: NICHOLAS
On Friday, Seiji caused a sensation at breakfast.
Before he did, it was a morning like any other, though Eugene seemed uncharacteristically glum.
“’M not looking forward to being eaten by bears tonight, bro,” he said as Nicholas patted him on the back and stole some of his bacon. Eugene didn’t seem in the mood to appreciate it.
Eugene often ate with his weight-lifting bros, but this morning he’d slumped down beside Nicholas to seek comfort in these hard times. Nicholas always sat with Bobby, his first friend at Kings Row, and Bobby’s roommate, Dante. Bobby and Dante were an odd pair, Bobby teeny and bubbly and fond of sparkly barrettes, while Dante was huge and quiet and not fond of sparkly anything except Bobby. Right now Bobby was nodding sympathetically about Eugene’s problems, and Dante was staring at Eugene as if he thought Eugene was deranged.
“What if you just say you won’t put a steak around your neck and run around the forest?” Bobby suggested. “Coach can’t really want to endanger the fencing team. You guys are doing so well. Just tell her you won’t do it.”
“I’m not going to say no to the coach!” said Eugene. “Not after I already almost gave the captain a concussion! I don’t wanna let anybody down! I’m happy to do whatever the coach wants!” Eugene paused and softened his outburst by adding: “Bro.”
Dante shook his head slowly and copied Nicholas by stealing a piece of Eugene’s bacon.
Eugene, who was still fretting, didn’t notice. “Also, I’m pretty sure Aiden hates me now.”
“Don’t even worry about him. Aiden doesn’t like anybody except Harvard,” said Nicholas. “Aiden’s kind of mean.”
This point of view seemed to shock Eugene to his core. “Oh no. You have Aiden all wrong. He’s an amazing fencer—”
“Nah.” Nicholas shrugged. “I beat him easy.”
Actually, Aiden was better than he had any right to be, given how little he practiced. Harvard must be dragging Aiden to the salle all the time and giving him tips. Their captain was the best that way. Still, Nicholas couldn’t figure out how Aiden had managed to win against Seiji.
“—really smart, always knows what to—”
The captain said that Aiden was always able to predict people’s moves, but he sure hadn’t been able to predict Nicholas’s in their match. From what Nicholas had observed, Aiden was able to say stuff that made people falter during matches, but Nicholas couldn’t imagine Seiji caring about anything Aiden had to say. The whole thing was a total mystery, though one that Nicholas felt great about—Aiden had beat Seiji, and Nicholas had beat Aiden, so in a way, Nicholas had already won a match against Seiji! It would be better to actually win a match against Seiji, but that’d happen soon.
“—the best-looking guy in school, everyone agrees—”
Nicholas, who found his attention wandering when people discussed the supremely uninteresting subject of Aiden, focused. “Wait, why are we suddenly talking about Seiji?”
Eugene and Dante blinked at him. While Nicholas wasn’t paying attention, they seemed to have learned how to synchronize blinking.
“I agree with Nicholas!” said Bobby.
It was Nicholas’s turn to blink. “About what?”
Then he realized why they were suddenly talking about Seiji. It was because Seiji was here. Nicholas had never seen Seiji at breakfast before. He didn’t seem at ease in the dining hall. At first Nicholas hadn’t been at ease here, either, since the room looked more like a museum hall than a cafeteria. There was art on the walls and multiple chandeliers, though at least the cafeteria chandeliers were the type that resembled fake candelabras and hung on chains. They weren’t the glittery real ones to be found in other rooms at Kings Row. Nicholas knew with awful cold certainty the glittery chandeliers were actual crystal.
Seiji probably wasn’t freaked out by chandeliers or smooth walls, but nonetheless he didn’t seem at ease. He stood tall among the benches and tables, shirt and hair neat even though they didn’t have class for more than twenty minutes, staring vaguely around as if he might be lost.
Nicholas stuck a hand in the air and waved it energetically around.
“Hey, Seiji!”
When Seiji spotted him, Nicholas thought he glimpsed a faint hint of relief on his face. Seiji came over right away, too. Nicholas grinned, feeling a warm spot in the center of his chest.
Eugene perked up as well. “Abroha! What brings you here?”
“Hello,” said Seiji, sitting down. “I came here to bond with my teammates. You know… share a meal and a conversation.”
They nodded, because they did know. Seiji nodded, too, a moment after the rest of them.
“Wow,” said Bobby happily. “This is so cool! I can’t believe you cut your training short to have breakfast with us.”
Seiji looked shocked. “I didn’t cut my training short. I just got up at three thirty in the morning instead of four so I could do this as well.”
“Three thirty… in the morning…,” Eugene murmured. “Always grinding. You’re an inspiration, bro.”
Nicholas made a horrible face around his mouthful of bacon. He didn’t feel inspired by three thirty in the morning at all.
“What are we conversing about?” Seiji inquired.
Eugene put his head down on the table. “I’m not having a chill time lately. Could use a lift from my bros.”
“Totally. We are here for you!” said Nicholas, and nodded encouragement at Seiji.
Seiji stared at him blankly.
Nicholas mouthed: Team bonding. Then he gestured from himself to Seiji, and back again.
Seiji cleared his throat. “Of course, Eugene. I will… provide you with emotional support, as requested.”