peace_inthe_violence | For transfuge

An AU is born

[The late August sun was less intense than Nicky had expected, a cool Parisian breeze keeping the worst of the heat away. It was a wonderful break from the temperatures he'd left back in Genoa, and he took a moment to lean against the side of the half empty U-haul pod.

It was a good day to be moving Booker into his new dorm.]

You know, we could not have picked a better day for this. But it does look like it will rain later...

[His French was rusty and a little stilted, but it was getting better as he used it.]

[Goodbye always sucked. It had sucked when he'd flown out of O'Hare to start his last year of high school. It had sucked when he'd dropped off everyone but Booker at Cristoforo Colombo at the end of their summer road trip of the Mediterranean.

But most recently, it had sucked leaving Booker behind on the train platform in Paris.

It sucked more when he'd been home for all of three days when his dad had came bursting into his room, demanding to know why he'd withdrawn himself from Seminary. The resulting fight had been loud and long and....and the nightly calls between the three of them had been voice only and much shorter since then, Nicky staying quiet and mostly just listening to Joe and Booker's voices.

He hadn't made plans to be back in Paris for almost a month. Time to give Booker a chance to settle into his classes, time for him to think about the direction he wanted to take himself now. Time for Joe to get accepted into his art program and get there. The plan had been to talk every night and text every day and to suffer the distance until they could all meet again.

So Booker getting a text Friday afternoon after his last class of his first week was not part of the plan.]

Can I come up this weekend?

[ It was the end of another school day and Booker didn't have a shift at the University bookstore. That meant he got to go home which wasn't the dorm anymore. Home was a studio apartment in the student district between his University and Joe's. It was slightly bigger than his dorm room and felt especially crowded with the three of them living together.

Booker wouldn't have it any other way.

He was excited to go home and see his boys. Joe might still be in the studio at school though. Nicky shouldn't be working today but Booker wasn't sure of that. He was very good at his cafe job and they called him in whenever they needed someone reliable. And of course Nicky always went.

If they weren't home Booker would start on his homework and sit around like an excited pet waiting for his owners to come home.

He was out of breath after going up the five flights of stairs but he was so happy. This was the life he wanted. Well, with a bigger place, but this was good for now. ]

Hey, I'm home!

[ He took his shoes off by the door as he stepped inside the apartment. ]

Anyone home?

For transfuge

001

002