[hr][hr] [center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/ijylYJV.png[/img] [hr] [color=cde0e1]Location:[/color] School [color=cde0e1]Skills:[/color] [color=cde0e1]Magic Item:[/color] N/A [/center] [hr][hr] [center][h2]Jan. 13, evening[/h2][/center] [hr] Ben waved goodbye one last time and shut the door, locking it. He turned around and Matt was standing at the end of the entrance, arms crossed. [color=004d00]”Living room.”[/color] Matt’s voice was stern. Ben’s heart sank. Damn. They had not gotten away with it. He sighed heavily and followed Matt into the living room. Matt sat down in the chair and gestured for Ben to sit on the couch. [color=004d00]”Alright, how long have you and Chase been dating?”[/color] Ben sank into the couch. [color=cde0e1]”Uh, a couple of days.”[/color] Technically a lie, it had been basically ten days. Matt sighed heavily. Ben winced. [color=004d00]”Ground rules going forward. First, your bedroom door will be open if Chase is over. Second, please for the love of God don’t have sex. Third, he will be coming in through the front door. He will not be jumping through the shadows to sneak in. I was a teen once. I get it. I do. Though my experience was very different then yours, it is not so different that I don’t know exactly what you're thinking and feeling. I promised your mother the day you were born that I’d be there for you. That if anything happened I’d make sure you were okay. We knew you’d get powers eventually. And your father’s family is not equipped to deal with it.”[/color] [color=cde0e1]”Not that they even tried,”[/color] Ben said sullenly. [color=004d00]”I know that hurts. When we are rejected for something we cannot change about ourselves it hurts a lot. But you are my family. You are blood of my blood and I love you more than you’ll understand. Not until you have children of your own, which I hope is someday very far into the future.”[/color] Ben opened his mouth to interrupt, but Matt held up his hand. [color=004d00]”I know that it is not something that will happen in the type of relationship you are in. I just mean in general. You’re fourteen. You’re not ready for that sort of responsibility. I want you to be safe. I want you to have as normal a childhood as possible. That’s why your parents weren’t ready for you to go through Terrengensis. They wanted you to enjoy being a kid before anything like responsibility was put on your shoulders.” “You saw after the Contest all the things that your friend Danni and the others went through. Imagine if you had been there with them. The reporters would have dug into your past just as much, they would have found out about your parents and they would have asked. I need you to be aware that this kind of life is not fun or safe nor is it easy. God it isn’t easy.”[/color] Matt paused in his speech and rubbed at his face with his hands. [color=004d00]”Sorry, I’ve gotten off topic. You don’t need me on a soapbox. Just be honest with me. Don’t do something you’ll regret. He seems like a good kid, and he seems to like you a lot. That’ll get him far in my book. I know you’ll probably have to get hurt by a relationship. It happens, and it sucks even more when it is your first love. So please be careful. And if you need to talk, come to me, alright.”[/color] Ben nodded. He knew about Matt’s past, but maybe he didn’t know everything. Matt wasn’t in a relationship. Ben knew there had been some, but Matt didn’t talk about them. He chewed his lip. [color=cde0e1]”You’re not mad?”[/color] [color=004d00]”I’m furious. I feel like you lied to me. That you went on the trip and didn’t tell me the truth. I could tell that the two of you were interested in each other, but I didn’t think either of you would go that quickly into a relationship. I honestly thought you were a little too hurt. That’s on me. I should have insisted at least one of us adults went with you. But I also know what it is like to be a teen and feeling stifled. So I didn’t. I’m not going to take that out on you though. Instead, you’re going to promise you won’t do something like that again, and that you’ll follow the rules.”[/color] Ben winced. He could follow two of them. He’d have to text Chase and let him know they had not gotten away with it, and what the rules were. However, he had already failed at rule two. Matt saw the facial expression and rubbed at his face again. He stood up and paced for a moment. Ben pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees. [color=004d00]”Go to your room. Chase isn’t to come over tomorrow. I know you start school Monday and I can’t stop you two from hanging out there, but you’re going to have at least tomorrow apart.”[/color] Ben stood and hurried to his room. He carefully shut his door and flopped on to his bed. He grabbed his phone and texted Chase. [hider=@Chase]Wellllllp.... Cat’s out of the bag. He knows.[/hider] Ben didn’t know if he was shaking because he was freaked out, or if he was honestly just relieved he wouldn’t have to try to keep up the secret. Sometime later, before Ben fell asleep, there was a knock on his door. [color=cde0e1]”Come in.”[/color] [color=004d00]”Congratulations on your first relationship. Good night.”[/color] [color=cde0e1]”Thanks, and good night Uncle Matt.”[/color] [hr] [center][h2]The day before school[/h2][/center] [hr] Ben was packing. He didn’t really know what to take, other than his bugs. He was not leaving those behind. Some of them required special attention, like Titan. His door was open and Matt knocked on the door frame. [color=004d00]”Hey, kiddo, uh have you had the talk?”[/color] [color=cde0e1]”What?”[/color] [color=004d00]”You know the sex talk?”[/color] [color=cde0e1]”Oh my god, Uncle Matt, please do not. Yes. I’ve had the talk. It’s fine. I know how to be safe. Jesus.”[/color] [color=004d00]”Good, good, just checking. I’m not thrilled about you having sex this young. I’m pretty certain your mum would be pissed at me.”[/color] Matt left Ben alone. Ben lay face down on his bed. What the hell? He was going to die of embarrassment. [hr] [center][h2]The first day of school[/h2][/center] [hr] Matt drove Ben to school. Matt still had a motorcycle, and that was his preferred method of transportation when alone. However, he did have a car. For Matt those thoughts reminded him of other old co-workers. For Ben it just meant he hated everything. He felt sick to his stomach and desperately wanted to climb out the window. His uncle had allowed him to roll down his window, but that was the best he could do for now. Matt was considering what cars he could buy to replace this one. It had to be something with room. As he had that thought he came to the realization that if he got a van and if Ben joined a team he could be the sports dad. That sent a little thrill of parental joy through him. Matt knew most likely Ben would set up a skate club with Chase. At the school, Matt had collected paperwork and took Ben to his room. It was necessary to have his help since Ben had one of his terrariums. Ben was not thrilled about his room assignment. If only because it was not with Chase. He had had his hopes held too high. Or maybe Matt had called the school to specifically make sure they wouldn’t be roommates. That seemed like something he would do to discourage them. The student he did room with was his Uncle’s friend’s kid. Ben did not care if Percy didn’t like insects. He set up the terrarium on his side of the room, in a spot where they’d get natural light still. Matt helped him unpack and then after a quick hug left. Ben swung by the bathrooms, checking out the space. His heart sank when he saw the tiny shower space. He was not taking showers there. He’d have to use the gym showers, provided they had them. That would get annoying quick, but it would be better than trying to fight the coiling pit of fear that boiled over just looking at the tiny space. He felt like throwing up even knowing he wasn’t about to climb into the shower. Ben left the dorm hall and headed outside for the carnival. He looked for Danni and Chase.