Chapter 30

"Shinza?"

"Richard?"

"Is that really you?"

The two men ran forward and embraced each other. A seemingly innocent action, if it hadn't been for the fact Sir's hands then started to undo Shinza's belt. "Well well well Shinza," Sir smiled, "I haven't seen you in years."

Shinza laughed, "Well well well richard...I haven't fucked you in years."

"Uh, um, ah," Art stuttered, "You guys know each other?"

Sir turned around, "Yeah, didn't you know?"

"Uh, more importantly," Art frowned slightly, "You have a name?"

Sir laughed, "Yes, I do. You didn't think I was christened "Sir" did you? I'm called Richard."

Shinza laughed, "Sir Richard...the sexy."

Sir grinned, his arm snaking around Shinza's waist. He turned to Art, "Do you want to hear the story of how I came be called Richard."

Shinza started to frantically shake his head "Just say no" he mouthed at Art.

"uh, no?"

The rest of Monday passed relatively smoothly, although things were very akward between Ally and Charlie. Tuesday and Wednesday passed much the same, with that easy feel that always appears when camping. On wednesday evening, they were all gathered, although slightly more subdued than earlier in the week, around the campfire.

"Soo..." Ally grinned, "What d'ya think of the economy?"

"Boooooooooming!" Mikey said, and they both collapsed with laughter.

"O........k................." Everyone, jokingly, started to edge away with them.

"Old joke," said Charlie, who was staring intently at his nails, trying not to feel left out, "Very old and unfunny joke."

brrrrrrng-brrrrrrrrng brrrrrrng-brrrrrrrrng

"Oh fuck." Fergie swore, digging in his pocket for his phone, "I really don't feel like dealing with him at the moment." Hitting the answer button, he started to wander off to the edge of the clearing.

"Who is it?" Mara asked Tor, mouthing as people always do when someone is on the phone.

Tor shrugged, "Probably David, he's one of the few people who have Fergie's number."

Art raised his eyebrows, "Your step-dad?"

Tor nodded, but continued staring at his feet, all good humour gone, echoing his brother's suddenly downcast mood.

"Hello Fergie."

"Hi."

"How are you?"

Even from across the irish sea, Fergie could see David's malicious smile in his minds eye.

"What do you want?"

David laughed, "So blunt Fergal," his oh-so-english accent twisting the vowels in Fergie's name.

"Yes." came Fergie's blunt reply.

"I wan't to come and see you."

Fergie froze, fear chilling his heart. "Why?"

Again, David's haunting laughter, "Didn't you know? It's parent visiting day on Friday. I rang up so you could tell that freak of a teacher that your mother and I can come."

"Art isn't a freak!" Fergie snapped, defensivly.

David sniggered, "No, you probably want to fuck him, don't you?"

Defiantly, Fergie didn't answer. Walking back to the others were sat, he held the photne to his chest, "Art? What the fuck is this about Friday?"

"Shit!" Art's hand flew to his mouth, "I didn't tell you, did I?"

"Well, David and Mam are coming. Wait there." He put the phone to his ear again, "Are Frankie and Kath coming?"

"Oh. Want to see your darling little sister ey?" David's sneering voice answered.

"And?"

"Yes, they're coming."

Fergie turned back to Art, "And my sister, and step-sister. Is that ok?"

Art nodded

"Is that all?" Fergie snapped to David.

David laughed, "If you were here, I'd ask a lot more of you."

Silence from Fergie

"Well," David sniggered, "I must be off, give Tor a kiss from me."

"I will do."

David laughed, "Do it now, before you hang up. And make sure you do it properly, toungues and all."

Fergie scowled, but knelt down infront of Tor anway. "From David." he muttered, before kissing his twin.

David's cackle of laughter came across, clear as ice, before he hung up.

Tor leant forward, Fergie kneeling, hanging his head in shame, before him. Tor wrapped his arms around his brother, "It's alright Caley, I'm here."

Almost immediatly Fergie's phone began to ring again. He picked it up and looked at the display screen. His gorgeous face lit up with a smile, "It's Uncle Sean." he said, before answering. He slipped into Irish, like putting on a favourite winter coat.

"Hey sexy." He laughed.

"Caley! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine."

"I heard about David coming on Friday, your mam just rang me."

"Yeah." Fergie laughed, "That sucks, doesn't it."

"I thought I might try and pop along. I'll be in england anway. I have to pick John up from the airport though, so I wont be able to stay for long."

"That's alright. It'd be great to see you. Let me just check with my teacher, who," he laughed, confidant that only Tor could understand him, "is absolutly gorgeous."

"Oooh," Sean laughed, "I'll defininately have to come."

"Art." Fergie switched back to english, "Can my Uncle Sean come aswell?"

Art shrugged, "Sure, don't see why not."

"Did you catch that?" Fergie asked Sean, in Irish again.

"Mmmm, sounds sexy."

Fergie laughed, "He is."

"So, how's Tor?"

Fergie shrugged, and then realised his uncle couldn't see him over the phone, "He's good. Screwing an English bint."

"She's not a bint." Tor called out.

Sean tutted, "Screwing girls ey? Whatever will we do with him."

Fergie laughed, "He says you shouldn't screw girls." he told Tor.

Tor laughed, and, jumping up, grabbed the phone. "What my brother omitted to mention, was that he has also screwed her."

"Really? Wait, is that Tor, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Not anymore." Fergie grabbed the phone back,

"You slept with a girl."

"Yeah, wasn't so much fun."

Sean laughed, "Why did you do it?"

Fergie shrugged again, and again, it took him a while to realise that phones only transmitt sound. "Uh, cause I was angry at Torin, and, well, it was less of a why, and more of a why not?"

"Oh Jesus," Sean swore, "I've got to go. I've got an incoming call and it might be John."

Fergie grinned, "Give him my love."

"And give Tor mine."

"See you friday, yeah?"

"Yeah. Love you Caley."

Fergie laughed, "Love you too." He hung up, cheered up infinately. He flung his arms around his brother, kissing him roughly on the side of the head, "From Uncle Sean."

On Thursday morning, they all awoke slowley. Revelling in their last morning camping. Eagle woke up, to find Matt snuggled up next to him. He grinned, and shut his eyes again, pretending to be asleep, just so they could stay close.

Matt woke up, and, opening his eyes, glanced up into Eagle's apparantly sleeping face. Smiling softly to himself, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Eventually, around twoish, they were all up.

"Right," Art clapped his hands together. "We need to get all this stuff packed away. And that will involve all of you helping, not just Eagle ending up doing it all by himself."

"But Eagle likes tidying." Matt laughed.

"Oi!" Eagle yelled, before rugby tackling him to the ground. Stronger by far, he pinned matts by the shoulders. Leaning over him, he grinned. "Aha! I have you in my clutches now!"

"Oh God!" Matt started to struggle.

Laughing, Eagle released him, rolling over to be lying by his side. "Hey Matty?" He smiled, and reached out a gentle hand to touch Matt's cheek, "Will you go out with me?"

"You know," Matt laughed, "It's suprisingly reassuring to hear you say that. But the answer's still no."

"Oh well. Eagle grinned, "Can't blame a guy for trying." He leant over and kissed Matt on the cheek, only to be furiously batted away by Matt saying,

"Oh fuck off Eagle."

"Guys?" Art tapped his foot impatiently, "I do actually want to be back at school before it gets dark."

"Right." Fergie grinned, pulling Tor to his feet. "We're going to pack up our tent."

"Thank-you Fergie." Art smiled, tring not to notice how Fergie glowed with pleasure at his praise. He turned to his sister, "Am? In case you hadn't noticed, Raven has already started on your tent. Go help her."

"Fine." Amber sighed, as she stood up to go and help Raven.

Eventually, everyone got up, and started to back away their tents. Everyone that is, except Art, who hypocritically stood there, letting Seiji pack up their tent by himself, saying "Its good for him,"

It took a while, but in the end, there was, once again. A pile of stuff in the middle of the clearing, just as they had found it.

"I think we ought to wait 'till Andi turns up before we go."

"Great." Amber scowled at Art, "So we have to sit here for ages."

As soon as she had finished speaking, they heard the rattle of the minibus in the distance.

Art smirked at his sister, "Ages ey?"

"Oh shut up."

"You're just being crabby 'cause you're going today."

"Amber's going?" Ash squealed.

"Yeah." Art smirked, "And good riddence."

"Oi." Seiji elbowed him in the ribs. "You should start being mature and teacherlike now." he said as the minibus rolled to a stop before them.

"Andi doesn't mind." Art sniggered.

"What don't I mind?" Asked Andi as she swung out of the drivers seat.

"Me, being immature." Art grinned as he hugged her, "Hello beautiful. Have a good week?"

"Ish. You?"

"No." Art laughed, "It was hell." he joked, grinning round at the L6, "A week with this lot? It's like eternal torture...only not for eternity."

"Aww come on." Andi laughed, "Eagle's alright, he's one of my year, making him perfect. Come to think of it, you're fairly lucky, I had to look after the little shits that make up the rest of my year for a whole week."

"Awww baby." Art hugged her

"Mmmm, I know."

The kids had, obediently started to load everything into the minibus. "Shall we carry our rucksacks?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, that'd be good." Andi smiled. "You guys have a good week?"

"No." Seiji scowled, "Amber and Art bullied me."

"Oh yeah!" Ally laughed, "I'd forgotton the peircing episode. Does it still hurt?"

"No." Seiji lied.

"Awww, my poor Seiji." Art wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "Does look mighty hot though."

"Can I go then?" Andi asked, seeing as the minubus was fully loaded.

"Sure." Art shrugged, "See you back at school."

She climbed back into the cab of the minibus, and drove off into the distance.

"Right everyone!" Art grinned, "Let's go."

They picked up their rucksacks, and, swinging them over their shoulders started to walk out of the forest.

"La, la, la, la" Ash started to sing, "I'm so happy, I'm so glad," he paused, to think of a rhyme, "I'm so delerious, I could mad."

"What the hell?" Seiji scowled

"It's my happy song, I just made it up." Ash grinned, "We should all sing it."

"Oh God," Satu growled, "Must we?"

"Yeah!" Ash giggled, "La la la la, I'm so happy, I'm so glad. I'm so delerious I could be mad!"

Ash's singing however, failed to keep spirits up for the whole walk, and before long people's feet were starting to drag.

Seiji glanced across and noticed Amber trailing at the back, he shook his head and wandered up to Art. "Art baby?"

"Yeah?"

"How much do you love me?"

"Loads, why? What do you want?" Asked Art, always suspicious.

"Can you carry my rucksack?"

"Fine, whatever." Art shrugged, "I don't know what you're up to, but I'm guessing I probably wouldn't aprove."

"No, probably not. But I'm doing it anyway." He laughed, and ran over to Amber. "Am?"

"Yeah?"

"Want a piggy back?"

Amber sagged with visible releif, "I love you Seij, you know that?"

"Yeah, sure you do." Laughed Seiji as she climbed onto his back.

Art turned back, and watched Amber lean forward and whisper something in Seiji's ear, and Seiji almost fall over with laughter, and felt the cold hand of jealousy closing round his heart. He hated the way they were so much closer in age than he and Seiji were, and how they always looked so happy together.

It was dark by the time they got back, (much to Art's dismay) and they piled into the common room, collapsing on sofa's and chairs.

"Where are the upper sixth?" Satu asked.

Art shrugged, "I think most of them have gone home actually. They'll be back on monday."

"Great." Eagle scowled, "Just when I thought my life was getting better."

"Aww EAGLE!" Matt hugged him, "We love you...but not like that" he added hurriedly.

Eagle laughed, "I'll screw you some day Matty, and you know it."

Smiling, Matt shook his head.

Tor glanced across the room to where his brother sat. Empathically reading his twin's emotions, he got up and walked across the room. "Fergie, get up a sec will you?"

Fergie shrugged, unsmiling, and stood up.

"Thanks." Said Tor, and sitting down in his chair, pulled Fergie to sit on his lap. Wrapping his arms around his brother, he kissed him on the cheek, "It's ok, I'm here." He whispered in his ear.

Fergie turned to look at Tor, "I'm scared," he mouthed.

Tor smiled faintly "I know baby." he muttered, stroking Fergie's hair.

Tor lay in his room, alone, his ears straining. Finally he heard the footsteps he was longing for, the door creaked open and Fergie crept in. He was carrying his t-shirt in one hand, his bare skin covered in bruises. The other hand was clenched tight in a fist, the only sign that Fergie was feeling any emotion at all, and only Tor knew how angry he was, angry at himself.

Fergie dropped his t-shirt on his bed, stapping out of his jeans and pulling on his pajama bottoms. Climbing into bed he flicked out his bedside lamp, and only then, in the secrecy of darkness, did his tears begin to flow.

Silently, Tor climbed out of his bed, his bare feet padding across the carpet. As he neared to Fergie's bed, Fergie rolled over to face the wall, trying to hide his tears. Gently, Tor lifted back the covers and climbed into bed beside him, his arms wrapping around his brother's broken frame, his lips pressing softly against Fergie's skin. "I'm here now," he muttered, knowing the words would bring no comfort.

"I know!" Ash squealed, "We could make hot chocolate!"

Art looked up, glad that someone was happy, even though Ash never seemed to be anything but, "Yeah Ash, that's a great idea."

"Who wants hot chocolate?" He asked, and pretty much everyone put their hands up. "Uh ok? Who doesn't want hot chocolate?"

Mara, Seiji and Amber put their hands up.

"Okies, well, I might need a hand then."

"I'll help you." Raven offered.

Charlie shrugged "I don't mind helping." Together, the three of them went of on a 'hot chocolate making expedition' (Ash's words, not mine).

"Art?" Amber asked, "What time did mum say she'd be coming?"

"Uh," Art glanced at his watch, "Shit, about now. Are you ready?"

Amber nodded, glancing at Seiji.

Seiji grinned at her, "I might come and say hi to your mum," he said, although they both knew it was so he could say goodbye to her properly.

In the distance they heard a car pulling up the drive.

"That sounds like her." Art said, standing up, "Ready?"

Amber nodded, grabbing her bag as she stood up, and pulling Seiji to his feet. "Mum'd love to see you."

The three of them walked outside, into the weather that was beginning to turn cold, in time to see the red fiesta pull to a halt. As a woman, in her early 50's stepped out of it, Art went and hugged her. "Hello." He grinned.

"Hello Art my dear." She smiled, a hand reaching up to his face, "How are you?"

"I'm good." Art lied,

"Of course you are dear." She muttered, knowing he was lying. "And Seiji!" She turned to the younger boy, "Come and give your Auntie Mindel a hug."

Seiji grinned, and hugged the woman, "How are you?"

"I'm ok thank you? And you're self?"

Seiji shrugged, "Yeah, I'm fine." He grinned.

She reached out and touched a scar on his face, "Is that a new one?"

Another shrug, "Probably."

Mindel turned to Amber, "Did you have a good week Amber love?"

Amber nodded, "Don't want to go home."

"Well I'm afraid you have to. Now, say good-bye nicely to the boys."

"I know how to say goodbye mum." She turned and gave Art a hug, "Thanks for letting me come." She grinned up at him, "Sorry for, well, yeah, kinda sorry?"

Art rolled his eyes, "S'ok. I'll see you at christmas yeah?"

Amber nodded.

"And don't get expelled from your school again."

She laughed, "I'll try not to." Hugging him again, she turned to Seiji. "Um," she said, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Bye?"

"Mum?" Art smiled, "Can you come with me, just a sec, I've got something I want to show you."

"Sure." Mindel smiled, "But we must be off soon."

"Won't be a second." Art said as he lead her off, looking back to see both kids grinning gratefully at him.

Amber slipped her arms around Seiji's waist, feeling his strong arms wrap around her, his lips burying in her hair. For a while, they stayed, frozen like that, neither one of them wanting to break the spell.

"He loves you, you know." Amber looked up at Seiji.

"He loves us both, a hell of a lot." Seiji smiled wryly, "And look what we do to him."

Amber nodded, "It ends here, yeah?"

Seiji smiled, "For the most part."

Amber raised one eyebrow, in a perfect imitation of Seiji, making him laugh. "For the most part?"

"Well" Seiji ran his fingers through her hair, "You are gorgeous, so I won't ever touch you again." He laughed, "Unless you're being really hot one day, which is most days, but yeah."

"So basically, morrally, and hypothetically, it's over, but we're never actually gonna stop."

Seiji laughed, "Not for a while anyway." He muttered as he kissed her.

Ash, Raven and Charlie came back into the common room, carrying trays of hot chocolate. "Here you go!" Ash smiled brightly, "Bedtime hot chocolate."

"That is a point," Art smiled as he and Seiji walked back into the common room, "It's well past your bedtime. Perhaps we ought to take these up to your dorms."

Outside the dorm, Art was just about to walk through the door, when Seiji caught his arm. "Can we sleep in your room?" He asked.

Art frowned slightly, "Course. Any particular reason?"

"Yeah." Seiji smiled, wrapping his arms around Art's waist and burying his face in his chest, "You are the most gorgeous guy on this planet." He grinned up at his lover, "Need there be any more reason?"

Art laughed, and shook his head. "Love you too my sweet one." He said, kissing the top of Seiji's head, "But let me just turn the lights out for these guys." He leant his head around the door, "Can I turn the light out now?" he asked

"Sure."

As Art flicked out the light, everyone sat, sipping their hot chocolates, bathed in moonlight. No-one spoke, after the magic of their week camping, the return to school, and the dull of real life was depressing.

Tor put his drink down beside his bed, and crept across to where Mara lay. Gently kissing her forehead, he whispered, "Fergie needs me tonight, you don't mind, do you?"

Mara smiled, and shook her head.

Tor walked back to his bed, and, reaching up, took the hot chocolate out of Fergie's hands. "Come here." he whispered.

Smiling gratefully, Fergie got out of his bed, and climbed down the ladder, into Tor's. Letting his twin slip his arms around him, he relaxed for the first time that day. "Tor?" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow.......afterwards..........I mean.......after all the parents have gone home and everything........."

"Yeah?"

"Look after me, please."

Tor smiled, and kissed Fergie's forehead, "Of course."

Seiji lay, naked, on the bed, letting Art run his hands over his slender body. He winced slightly as one of Art's fingers caught the bar going through his nipple, it was still really painful.

"She's right you know." Art smiled, gently kissing his boyfriend, "It does look really hot."

"You think?" Asked Seiji, as always looking to Art for approval.

"You look hot, I know that much."

Seiji rolled onto his side, and let his finger's trail down the side of Art's face. "You are hot."

Art smiled, and kissed the boy, "My special Seiji." he grinned.

Seiji shook his head, "You and your alliteration."

Art laughed, and wrapped his arms around Seiji, "My beautiful boyfriend, my gorgeous guy, my" he paused, trying to think, "My lovable lover."

Seiji laughed, "That's cheating."

"Don't care." Art smiled, kissing Seiji tenderly, "You are lovable." He smiled, feeling Seiji relax into sleep against his body, he whispered " and I do love you."