Here,We Are At Home

"May I know how I ended up in your bed?" Aike grumbled in a groggy voice before jerking awake when he realised where he really was.

Since Aike had fallen asleep like a log in H's arms last night, he didn't wake up until the early morning and didn't even remember falling asleep, let alone crawling shamelessly into H's bed.

When he woke up next to H this morning, he almost had a heart attack. He panicked for a while, froze and almost ran out of the room like a thief. But he braved his fear and stayed to ask for a proper explanation. It was about time he stopped running, too, and faced Howie and his spikes.

His hair strewn across his pillow, his arms folded under his head, Howie looked more like a sculpture carved to perfection by the gods themselves on Mount Olympus than a human being. His features are more refined, sharp and relaxed than ever, and this soft light projected onto his face makes him look almost more unreal than he already is.

Aike has this knot that forms in his stomach when he looks at him, he feels that if he speaks or tries to touch him, Howie will vanish into thin air as if he never existed. So he sat there for a while without making any noise or moving, staring at Howie like he usually did. However, this time he did it openly, without breathing for fear of waking him up.

Howie seemed so vulnerable and sweet in his sleep that Aike wanted to touch him. For once, the bestial desire to strangle him had left his mind.

Who would have thought that this troubled boy had a soft and vulnerable side that almost made one want to protect him, to be his shield. On the other hand, when he is awake and in full possession of his faculties, and some unfortunate soul has allowed him to open his big mouth, no one can help but want to close it with their fist.

But now the image he sends back in his sleep will melt any heart of stone, diamond, ice or whatever metal or stone it is made of.

But what about the heart of the one who has a front row seat to this fabulous spectacle? Never mind that he's just a sixteen-year-old kid who's spent his whole life hiding from others, standing under their noses without them being aware of his presence, his needs and so on.

A child in search of his identity, a child without the love of his parents, a child without experience, a child who knows nothing about life except working hard at school to please and meet his parents' will.

Aike holds his breath, lost in his thoughts or fantasies, while the object of his admiration, which is at the same time the biggest thorn he has ever had to deal with in his entire life, which can destabilised him with a mere look, coming to life under his eyes without him noticing.

He hasn't even noticed that a few seconds ago, Howie was staring at him with a hint of concern in his icy green eyes. He's been watching Aike for at least a few seconds now without saying a word, both curious and worried about his friend.

Howie doesn't know why, but every time he finds Aike in these distracted states, he feels a kind of need to reassure him, to take him in his arms and tell him that everything is going to be alright. But how can he do that when he can't even calm himself down?

Normally Aike avoids his gaze when Howie catches him staring discreetly, but here he is elsewhere, absent, lost ten thousand leagues away from H, with an idiotic smile on his face, as if he was travelling alone in the world on a little pink cloud.

But H, being H, can no longer bear to see this ridiculous image on Aike's face, he is not used to this Aike at all, so he decides to break the spell and bring him back to earth.

"When you said it like that, it seemed like I was taking advantage of you, my ray of sunshine," he grumbled, his voice a little hoarse with a heavy bass undertone.

It wasn't until Aike heard H's voice, both hoarse and sweet, that he suddenly snapped out of his torpor with an absurd leap backwards. If he only knew that Howie had been watching him for some time now, he would definitely demand to disappear from the face of the earth forever.

Fortunately for him, the bed was large enough to accommodate four people at once, otherwise his leap would have landed him on the carpet in a position that was not very conventional and even less elegant for his status and pride.

"Damn it, H!" Aike shouted. "Can you be more subtle? I almost had a stroke. How long have you been awake?" He struggled to maintain his posture but in vain - his heart was pounding at the thought of being caught so blatantly red-handed.

"Talk about subtle," Howie muttered under his breath, completely ignoring the question. As if answering it would erase the image before his eyes, but he has a goal to drive Aike crazy every day. He has to answer the question to achieve his goal.

"Since you started devouring me with your eyes, like a predator," Howie answers boldly, ready to start their war for the day.

"And is it you who's surprised to find yourself in my bed, when you're the one ogling me while I'm sleeping? Don't you find the situation ironic, what audacity?" He said in a teasing tone, adding to Aike's discomfort.

"I didn't devour you with my eyes." Aike replies in a scandalised tone, looking away while his cheeks burn like a frying pan. Shyly, he brings his hand to his burning cheeks, giving him the devastating charm of a child caught in the act.

"I was just wondering what would be the sharpest way to wake you from your sleep, and this was it," he said quietly, slowly, as if trying to control his breathing.

Howie could feel Aike fighting with himself to stay calm and not get carried away, but the sadist that he was continued to dig the latter's grave with a smirk at the corner of his lips.

"Really? And what was that absurd smile on your face? You looked like a service clown. You must never do that again or someone will think you have a heart that pumps blood and you have become stupid to boot. You definitely reminded me of Mandy. It was creepy, mate!" Disgust replaces his playful demeanour as he says it all.

"And one last thing, my friend, pink is not your colour, I prefer you a thousand times more in black," he added happily. It was good to see Aike looking at him without understanding what he meant.

Aike didn't even know if he was smiling and even less what Mandy looked like, which Howie found creepy.

After all, Aike had told him that he preferred him as a heartless bastard who pissed everyone off instead of the caring guy he had become when he was with his brother, right? So he can afford to make such a petty remark. It's not like it's his fault if Aike blushes over everything and nothing. It's so cute.

"What an idiot!" Aike muttered to himself, rubbing a sweaty hand over his neck in embarrassment. "You know what," he said to himself, "I'm not going to play his stupid little game today." Still, he didn't know why, after the decision he'd just made with himself in the back of his mind, he was still answering.

"And why, when it comes to me, do you always manage to exaggerate or describe things in the worst possible way? I often see Ayke devouring you with his eyes, as you say, but you never give him a hard time about it, do you?" His voice is laced with defiance and held back. He can't stand Howie and his seemingly limitless arrogance any longer.

"Ah! Are you certain you want to know the answer?" Howie asks him, moving to the side so he can look him in the eye untroubled by Aike's venom-laced tone.

"If I asked the question, it's because I want to know the answer, right?" Aike almost screams.

"No, not always. Sometimes we ask a question because we have to, to give ourselves a reason, because we already know the answer, but we play dumb to see how far the other party wants to fool us," he replied in good humour.

"But hey, who am I to deny you such an honour?" Well, the truth is that Ayke never reacts like a startled virgin when he's caught red-handed ogling me, and he assumes that he's being intrigued by me. You're not, and it's no secret, everyone here knows."

Ah, what an arsehole! That bastard... Ayke shouted in his head with a sneer on his lips. Oh, if only he could pull out those few nice teeth Howie seems to be so proud of.

Aike stared at Howie and wondered what he would look like without his nice white front row teeth. Would he still be so proud and would his head posture still be so perfect and elegant? He would never know without at least doing the deed.

Aike was offended by the nonsense H spouted with his smile that says it all, but he pretends not to be, so he sulks like a child. That idiot always finds a way to knock him out before the match has even started.

H noticed this and let out a sharp little laugh, which irritated Aike even more. "Stop sulking, just speak your mind," Howie advises him with a laugh.

"Stop sulking, speak your mind," Aike taunted him, pronouncing each word with a grimace that made H laugh heartily now.

"He's just a kid," Howie told himself, looking elsewhere for a moment.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore because you always find something to complain about when it comes to me, so it's better if I don't argue with you," Aike said, getting serious again but still sulking.

"Come on, Babe!" H said teasingly. "You give up too easily, my sunshine." With a small laugh he pushed back the sheets to get out of bed, but before he could finish his gesture Aike threw himself at him like crazy.

"No!" he cries in panic, suddenly grabbing the sheet and pulling it up to Howie's chin. "You're not going out like that?" he asked, his breathing a little short, as if he had just run for miles without stopping.

"And why not?" Howie asked in a teasing tone, "What are you afraid of, sunshine, when you just spent a whole night in my arms?"

Aike rolled his eyes while ignoring Howie's words and continued to tell him his thoughts. "Let me get out of bed first, then you can get up and get dressed." As if Howie would agree to such a deal when he has the opportunity to get under Aike's skin for nothing.

Why does he feel so uncomfortable around him? Howie wonders, but quickly pushes the question out of his mind because he doesn't really want to know the answer, after all Aike seems to be afraid of even his own shadow.

He pushes back the sheets and reveals his body to Aike, who holds his breath and keeps his eyes wide open, as if afraid to close them when all he wants to do is to close them.

Everyone knows that H hates sleeping in his clothes, he keeps his pyjamas with him but doesn't wear them. You often wonder why he keeps his pyjamas if he doesn't want to wear them, but Howie is Howie.

He is what you might call a naturist at heart, a lover of nature, plants and the natural order of things. The twins and Alfred often wonder if he is really Marc's son, as he bears no resemblance to him.

He doesn't have any particular trait that links him to his father, the only thing they have in common is that they are both addicted to working out, and even if Marc is a very handsome man, Howie far exceeds any standard of beauty.

Both father and son are built like models or those actors you often see as props in the pub, with their well-groomed, sculpted bodies, narrow hips and broad shoulders inviting all kinds of caresses. The resemblance remains.

It's in Howie's nature to walk around naked, not caring how others look at him; Ayke doesn't care much about his nakedness either after these few days in his company. And sometimes he doesn't even care that Howie is naked under the covers when he sneaks into his bed like a rat.

Howie used to think that was strange, but now he doesn't even mind that Ayke is in his bed when he's completely naked.

This is not the case with Aike. The shy, frightened virgin, as H so aptly calls him, can't stand this inappropriate behaviour. He is reserved and careful, he doesn't even dare to enter H's room when his brother isn't there or without knocking. He is cautious and does not want to be a spectator of this event again.

He lost his mind the last time he saw him naked. Who knows what might happen this time? So for him, it's a firm no.

So as long as he can reduce the chances of seeing Howie naked he'll do it, unless it's in the school changing room, and even then it's not easy as they each have their own shower so it's rare to see Howie naked.

Strangely, he doesn't walk around the changing room with his bum in the air like the rest of the team, but he has got what it takes to walk around proudly naked in front of them to make them jealous. Why has he never done it, not even once? The guy is so hard to understand.

And if Howie ever felt like walking around the changing room with his bum in the air, at least he wouldn't have to worry about being teased mercilessly until he lost his mind. And he has no problem getting undressed in front of his other teammates, but it's different with H. Why is that? he wonders.

But to his amazement, this time he was worried for nothing, because Howie was wearing white jogging trousers under the sheets, Aike let out a sigh of relief and looked up at H in surprise.

H met Aike's relieved look and read a silent question in it, but Howie being Howie, shrugged nonchalantly and walked away from the bed, leaving Aike as confused as ever.

Aike followed his back with his eyes until he stopped; he still couldn't believe it. He wanted to speak, but something stopped him.

He knows all too well that if he did, he would give Howie the opportunity to make fun of him, whether he dared to say something stupid or not.

Besides, he already has the 'startled virgin' label that he carries around like a burden; who knows what other name or phrase Howie will use to describe him if he keeps hammering away like an idiot.

On the other hand, he admits deep down that he was stupid to react like a scared kitten, after all, they are two guys, why all the mystery, useless caution and... Gah! It's OK, shit!

Speaking of scared kittens, Aike noticed that H still hasn't told him why he's in his bed, usually it's his brother who's in his place. Sure, the bed is big enough for four, but he has always refused to be as careless as his brother.

In fact, you have to be very careless to sneak into bed with a naked man who has one of those things that only animals - only horses, actually - have between their legs. Ah, how devastating!

It's not very healthy for Aike to be in bed with two boys, one naked as a Caribbean worm and the other half-naked. Yes, half, because he also sleeps half-naked like his brother.

Howie was standing in his wardrobe, quietly rummaging through his drawers, looking for a pair of socks he liked for his morning run. After many rejections, he finally chose a pair of white socks, and in another drawer he grabbed a plain white t-shirt, which he immediately put on, and on a shelf not far away he grabbed a folded black hoodie, among so many other colours and styles.

His long, messy hair falls down his back in a silky cascade to his waist. It's crazy how it keeps its shiny, neat side even when it's dishevelled.

He ran his hands through his hair to tidy it before pulling it back into a bun as usual, then changed his mind and opted for a ponytail, his school hairstyle.

He pulled out a pair of black trainers and a cap of the same colour, not worrying about his roommate, who hadn't taken his eyes off him for a second during the whole process.

But when it was time to leave, Howie suddenly turned to Aike, who jumped at his gesture. Surprised, Aike didn't know where to look or what to do with his hands, embarrassed that he had almost been caught red-handed for the second time before the day had even started. What exactly was his problem?

He hadn't expected Howie to turn on him without warning - what bug had bitten him? Usually, the guy acts like he doesn't exist, even if he's just spoken to him or handed him a plate. But hey, with H, nothing is ever what you hope for, you always have to expect more, never less, right?

He expected Howie to leave the room without so much as a glance in his direction, but no, he had to turn back to him with that big, warm smile on his face.

Aike holds his breath, which has become an exercise for him these days, and looks up at the ceiling, staying like that until the other deigns to open his mouth.

"Do you want to join me?" Howie asked quietly, as if he hadn't noticed the state he was putting Aike in, who was doing his best not to look at him. "No thanks," Aike replied, still staring at the ceiling.

"Are you sure you don't want to? Because it's fun to go jogging early in the morning and it helps to flush out the toxins from your body, unless you do yoga for that, eh?" he continued speaking quietly, which didn't prevent his words from rubbing Aike the wrong way.

At these words, which were supposed to be friendly, the ceiling was no longer interesting enough for Aike to stare at. It lost all the comfort it had offered him a moment ago.

He shifted his gaze to Howie, looked him up and down and then replied as if he were talking to the worst kind of shit.

"You know very well that I don't do yoga or any other strenuous sport apart from basketball, skiing, swimming and horse riding." To be honest, only swimming and basketball require a lot more physical effort. So, I get the toxins out of my body the way I want to. It's nothing that concerns you, so thank you for the invitation. And your dad always makes me something to flush them out."

Ah! Luckily, his words were not as sharp as the look he gave Howie, more fear than harm, as they say.

"Okay, see you then..." Howie said, nodding his head doubtfully. "Hey, wait a minute," Aike called as Howie was about to walk to the other side of the room. "Are you going to tell me how I ended up in your bed or not?" he asked, taking on a slightly superior air.

"You fell asleep in my arms and I took you to my bed." Howie answered quietly as usual. Aike suddenly sat up in bed, his eyes wide open, "What do you mean I fell asleep in your arms?" he almost shouted, his heart racing like a mad horse.

"Relax heartbreaker," Howie joked with a chuckle, "you just fell asleep, nothing more. I would have loved to stay on the terrace with you in my arms until the wee hours, but I was sore and uncomfortable all over. So I took you back to my room and my father took care of carrying your brother down to the room you occupy when you sleep here."

Howie smiles, pleased with himself, while Aike fumes at his side.

He certainly didn't want to give H the satisfaction of making fun of him again, but there he is: ray of sunshine, startled virgin and now heartbreaker... What will he call him later? Aike wonders, resigned to his fate, knowing that sooner or later he will make the mistake of playing into Howie's game and thus earning himself another very cheesy new nickname.

After all, no matter what he does or says, Howie will find a way to confuse him, so what's the point of being careful? He'll keep doing what he has to do as long as Howie keeps putting obstacles in his way.

And suddenly, he no longer wants to have a nice morning lazing about like a cat. He might as well take advantage of it to go for a run with the idiot and get rid of some toxins, as Howie so well suggested. He needs air, loads of it.

Every minute spent with Howie feels like an eternity, like he's running a marathon that never ends. But to be honest, he's starting to get used to him and his company isn't as unpleasant as he expected.

He gets out of bed lazily like a bored cat and walks to his friend's dressing room as if it were his own. He repeats the same pattern as H, the only difference being that he wears shorts and black tights, a yellow T-shirt like the one H wore the day he almost got run over by that crazy driver, and a black sweatshirt.

He doesn't really care about the amused look H gives him when he sees him using his things as if they were his own. Howie was laughing like mad in his head, but there's no question about letting Aike see it, otherwise he'll get angry and sulk all day.

Howie knows he's done enough already, he'll let Aike get comfortable for the moment to build up his confidence and then start again when he feels comfortable enough.

Howie had a pretty wonderful childhood, not counting his many problems of course... He was loved and spoiled and never lacked for anything. His parents did everything they could to give him the best, supervising him in everything he did, not to mention the fact that he was a bit difficult to handle.

But believe it or not, he wasn't always like this, being a difficult child and all. His confusing behaviour started with nightmares that later turned into seizures. He was six years old when everything turned upside down. The loving, docile, and adorable son he was mutated into some kind of terrifying weirdo.

A terrifying weirdo to others, but to his parents, he was still their adorable little baby.

He became unpredictable and, above all, super-active, requiring constant supervision, which is why Marc spends most of his time at home. The paediatric specialists he has seen since his behaviour changed have cost his parents a fortune.

However, it must be said that when it all started, his parents thought it was a whim on his part, that he was doing it on purpose, that his behaviour was due to the rejection he had received from them when they refused to give him a little brother, but it was two years before everything changed in their lives.

Today, when Marc watches his son interact with the twins, even though he enjoys making Aike's life impossible, he says to himself that they should have given him this little brother and even a sister as a bonus, because he's doing a bit better since then. There are fewer crises, and he is less nervous.

They would have avoided a lot of unnecessary suffering if they had known that a companion or a younger brother was all their son needed to channel some of his problems, whether mental or imaginary, since no one yet knows where his seizures come from.

They're not multi-billionaires, but they have the means to take care of their only child and spoil him as they please. They had to pay for private tutors at one point, he was too unstable to keep out of their reach and they were too attached to him to keep him away from their care, attention and protection.

They are truly wonderful people and great parents, they were ready and willing to have him as their son, he was neither a mistake nor a torture. And on top of that, he was born with extraordinary intelligence, a brilliant and crazy brain at the same time.

Marc is an expert in surveillance and shadowing. His job requires a lot of time away from home, but he is there because he has something more important that needs his presence at home. He gets jobs from time to time but always turns down the ones that require days away from his son.

He doesn't want to take the risk of leaving him alone, and his mother practically works elsewhere, so she is often or always absent and has trouble seeing her boy suffer, or so they say.

As Marc is the one who is closest to the boy, he has dedicated himself to working less and looking after him more, morning and evening, without ever getting tired.

He accompanies him to his therapy sessions, to the gym, to his morning or evening jogging when things aren't going so well and he needs to keep him awake and occupied. He takes him to class and picks him up after class, he is never late and no one has ever heard him complain about his parental duties.

Who doesn't dream of having such attentive and understanding parents, who doesn't dream of being well looked after and knowing that no matter what happens, there is always someone you can count on? Marc is that someone in H's life, he's his anchor.

No one can rely on a manual to tell them how to be a good parent and how to take care of their children, not just physically but emotionally and all the things they can't see.

These are things that have to be felt, these are things that are hidden deep inside the being that conceived the child, they have to feel the need to take care of the child, but this is not always the case.

They are too busy to pay attention to it; there are not many parents who are able to go beyond that stage in their life to understand a child to that extent.

Duty always takes precedence over need, feelings and emotions are neglected to the point where the child does not know where to put their head. Were they conceived in love? Do all parents feel that way? Are they worthy of their parents' attention? A whole host of questions and bad feelings began to take root in their world until they poisoned their whole little being to the point of corrupting them.

We all have our oasis, our haven of peace, a place, someone or something that puts us at ease and chases away our fears with its simple presence.

For some, it's a place, for others, it's memories, for others, it's music. We all have someone who gives us wings, who makes life seem more enjoyable and who makes this world a safe place for us.

That feeling of well-being that comes over us, which makes us invincible when we're with someone or in our safe zone, for H it's his father and for the twins it's this house, Howie's house. Someone they've only just met.

It's crazy that they can say that, but it's the truth. Marc treats them like his son. He's not even afraid to carry a sixteen-year-old teenager in his arms, princess style, to his room because he refused to wake him up when he was sleeping so soundly.