-gives a small laugh as she links her arm with his own-

Everything in this town is expensive, dollface.

Especially the tuition. I had to bust ass to be here.

I make what little money I have work, which is why my home looked fancy, but I live in the area I live in. My interests are a bit of a splurge.

[slowly relaxes beside her]

Yeah, I gotcha.

I am going to a hoity toity school~

Do you have any idea how much WhoU costs?

-gives him a smirk-

Oh you didn’t care about my age before~

I’m 25, darling.

Er... can’t say I’ve ever looked into tuition, so uh... no.

And yeah, ‘cause I figured a woman with your... interests... was just incredibly young lookin’ for her age. I didn’t realize you were actually--

Oh.

Not too long. I figured I’d meet you down here whenever you were done. -raises a brow when the other mentions Erin-

I never thought it was an important detail. I didn’t realize you knew him.

-gives a shrug-

I figured you wouldn’t care to hear the names of the people I knew from school.

Well yeah, you’re right, I don’t really care, but--

You’re... I thought you were goin’ t’ some hoity toity culinary school, not WhoU.

[pauses again]

-Leans against the hospital as she waits; texting here and there to both Jack and others. Eventually when he came out, she perked up and offered him a smile-

Funny how everyone seems to have someone they visit here.

[exits; pauses once he sees her]

... How long have you been here?

[pauses; frowns]

Hey, so I--

... Oh.

I just feel bad venting when you’re already going through so much stress.

*nuzzles again*

How about... we just snuggle for a while. Yeah?

*smooch smooch*

I ordered some fancy French cuisine for dinner. It took some major bribing to get them to deliver, but they’re going to bring it.

So we could just lay here for a while till then. Okay?

I’m always here to listen if you need me, darling. I love you.

[slowly relaxes against him]

*nuzzles down into the other*

I just never understood why everyone was always acting that way.

No one actually understands how much I love him.

If it wasn’t for Judas, I wouldn’t have met you. I would have stayed in that farmhouse for the rest of my life. Graduating high school might not have made a difference. I’d probably have gotten roped into staying there to take care of the animals and do chores.

The only reason my Ma even let me go was because you were there.

He showed me a talent I never really thought much of. He... honestly made me start feeling better about myself.

And no one sees how important all of those things are.

All they see is that he’s grumpy and isn’t keen to instantly become friends.

*sighs, giving the other a gentle squeeze*

Sorry. I shouldn’t complain so much.

[goes quiet for a while, savoring their contact despite Erin’s unwavering loyalty and love for the brat]

*softens, biting his lower lip in guilt before reaching to pull the elder man into his arms*

I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t doubt you.

You’ve never lied to me.

I guess I’m just on edge after how everyone’s been acting lately and everything that’s happened.

*steals a few smooches*

[squeezes at his bedding again, trying to keep himself as composed as possible]

*feels a tight feeling in his chest*

So he really has been ganged up on his whole life.

Literally since birth. It’s no wonder he gets defensive and angry when people do it. It’s never, ever stopped.

And then they get even more mad at him for reacting that way when really it’s not his fault... It’s not.

You know everything abo–

*suddenly he stopped, grasping the sheets tightly*

Did you know where he was that whole time we were separated?

Did you have his contacts?

I wouldn’t say I know everything, dear, but I--

[pauses at the question; frowns and quickly switches gears, sweating a little]

The first... time?

*looks to the other once more, now laying beside him*

You mean he was there before?

I guess that explains why I didn’t see him before the year I met him.

But what do you mean he didn’t make it through? What happened?

[sighs]

I only know what the dean told me, but he had some sort of break just before midterms. The official story is that the stress from the workload was too much and he had an extreme panic attack that wound up with him in some sort of catatonic state, but...

[fiddles with bedding]

... I suppose it’s possible that the work did it, but now I have a suspicion that his classmates may have had a hand in it, too. It wouldn’t be terribly surprising--a bunch of rich boys living together, suddenly a formerly poor boy is thrown into the mix, and...

[shrinks slightly]

I don’t care if he’s huge. I just wanna–

*stops talking and grabs one of the extra pillows on the bed, starting to punch the crap out of it until he finally feels better; flopping back on the bed beside the other*

S-sorry.

So... when you promised not to tell... does Judas know any of this?

[watches him with a mixture of amusement and arousal--mostly the latter, though his body refuses to cooperate due to his illness]

Er, no. None of the boys are aware of this. The twins were passively taught to gang up on him by their parents, probably by just watching how they treated him.

Wh... but...

*stares, trying hard to comprehend everything he was just told*

So he was treated like trash because she made a mistake?

No wonder Peter and Paul get down on him so much. They were just following  the lead of their parents, who...

*gives a frustrated noise, reaching to grasp his own hair slightly*

I suddenly want to punch Rob’s lights out!

[nods]

Judas was at the end of his rope when I came into the picture. Margot was afraid he’d do something rash, so she had me drop by and make a deal with him, and well... Here we are.

[pauses at Erin’s surge of anger; flushes and smiles]

S-so... Judas looks nothing like any of them.

Why?

*stares, not getting the point*

[sighs]

... I promised Margot I’d never tell her sons about this, but, well... you’re not one of her sons, so...

[licks lips again]

Rob isn’t his dad. A couple of years after the twins were born, he and Margot’s marriage went sour and they, er... split for a while. Not officially, of course, but...

[shakes head]

... So she left the tots with her mom and returned to her former ways of being everything a good Christian woman isn’t. Rob somehow managed to patch things up, but nine months later...

[looks up at Erin]

I... no.

*He shook his head*

His Ma, Margot I guess, slammed the door in my face before Robert could come to the door. And then I met Paul.

[tiny smile]

It’s probably for the best. But to get an idea of him, just take one of the twins and imagine him on steroids. A lot of steroids. It’s honestly pretty clear where those boys got their looks.

Judas, er, not so much.

Well, it was a smack more than a punch but still…it was bruising even before he tried to leave.

I–

*pauses again, looking to Pryce in confusion*

What do you mean?

Conditioning?

Why would they do that?

[wrinkles nose]

... I guess it’s probably about time I told you about that, huh? Why I took Butt--Judas in to begin with, I mean.

O-Oh. Sorry…

*smiles sheepishly, reaching to switch out the flowers without having to get up.Though he pulled one of the fresh flowers out to slide it behind Pryce’s ear against his wig*

I’m just... really glad you’re here.

*leans in for a smooch before continuing*

Remember when I told you that Paul had hidden the fact that he had he had Judas’s number from me that whole time?

He apologized to me tonight and... I mean I’m still really mad at him, but I told him I forgave him.

Not ten minutes later he was saying mean things to Judas again and made him feel like he doesn’t deserve me and just...

*pauses to sigh*

I’m so sick and tired of everyone ganging up on him and I... kinda... sorta… hit Paul.

*droops in guilt*

[rests against him for his story, content with the contact until Erin finishes]

You... you hit him? Like... bam, to the moon and all that?

[licks his lips, trying to imagine Erin getting that worked up; has to shift in place a little out of mild excitement]

... But... so Paul was...

[eyebrowless brows furrow in mild confusion as he mulls over Paul’s actions]