Unadulterated

A shrill shrieking sound invaded Terrance's ears. It filled the entire room annoyingly and after listening to it for only a second and a half, the prodigy decided that he was already sick of it.

A harsh, unmannerly, "Shut up!" startled Terrance out of his annoyance, his eyeballs almost popping out of his sockets once he realized the command had come from none other than Hugh Windsor. It was a childish quip, hilariously childish, and the person it had sourced from was startling to say the least.

Childish.

Childish was the best way to put the situation into words. Childish was all that the prodigy could think of as he stared at the most likely elementary school student who stood in the middle of the council's meeting room.

A child—

A literal child.

—Who unsettlingly enough resembled Hugh Windsor in more ways than one. Jet-black hair, dark hazel eyes, and when the two scowled at each other, their looks of resentment were more than similar, they were exact replications of each other.

If he were dressed in the academy's uniform and had his hair slicked back, Terrance would be convinced Hugh had turned back into a child. But the rather noisy brat only sported tacky civilian wear.

Running into a child who he assumed was Hugh's younger brother in an establishment that was especially strict about unwarranted guests wasn't in Terrance's to-do list nor was it something even his wildest fever dreams could conjure up. But as he realized the implications of the impostor—of bringing a child to school when the day wasn't officially done yet—an evil grin formed on his face.

The student council's vice president was a scholar, part of a program that allowed impoverished students to pursue their academics in an especially high-status institution. It wouldn't just be the learning quality they'd benefit from, it'd also be the credentials of graduating from such a prestigious school and free boarding within the campus.

However, garnering such benefits came with certain unspoken rules—excellent grades, blind obedience to the higher-ups, and never, under any circumstance, should they make trouble for the school. Both Felicity and Hugh stood by those rules, being outstanding scholars themselves. In fact, they reinforced the rules more than anyone else Terrance knew.

So to have witnessed Hugh's possibly worst and only misstep was a treat the universe fated for him to stumble upon that day, he was certain of it. At that point, all he needed to do was find a teacher and—

"Wait. Where are you going?" Hugh's voice, once composed and majestic, morphed into something entirely feral, unhinged as Terrance stood to his feet, body directed towards the room's sole exit.

"I'm going to look for an authority figure," the prodigy couldn't stop himself from saying.

"No, you're not."

Terrance met Hugh's challenging glare, niceties finally cracking under the pressure of their one-sided rivalry, as well as the risk of Hugh's possible demise.

"What? You brought a child to school even though you're staying in the dorms and judging from the way you're reacting right now, senior—" Right. He shouldn't forget his manners. "—No one else but me knows of this yet. Wouldn't it be ideal to inform the teachers of this right now? I'm sure you'll be able to settle some accomodations."

Terrance was practically beaming under Hugh's deathly irritation, the youngest in the room babbling nonsense as he enacted the panic the prodigy wanted to see on his presumably older brother's face. If Terrance's heartbeat were any quieter, the anticipation of Hugh's downfall rushing through his veins, then maybe he would've heard whatever the kid was saying.

But his eyes were locked on someone else's at the moment. He opened his mouth with the intent of mocking the other, the devilish smirk never leaving his face, "I wonder what kind of punishment the vice president is gonna face for bringing family members to the campus whenever he likes. Suspension, perhaps? Or even more unfortunate, maybe your scholarship will get—"

"Ambrosia. What would Ambrosia feel if she found out you were the one who told on me, hm? Even worse if I were kicked out of the school." Hugh retorted, a hint of desperation hidden beneath his pomposity. Highland International Academy's prince looked uncharacteristically rattled. It was a delicious sight.

The content of his words held some validity, however, which was what made Terrance drop his smile, eyes just as narrowed as Hugh's.

"I didn't think the academy's beloved scholar would stoop so low."

"Speak for yourself, everyone knows the real reason why you want me out of the school."

His eyebrows scrunched in frustration. "I'm not the one who, stupidly enough, brought my little brother to school."

"Of course privileged brats like you would oversimplify it to that. And I don't have a little brother, that's my nephew."

Speaking of the rascal, Mini-Hugh, no longer a little brother but a nephew in Terrance's eyes, stomped his feet to capture their attention, hands placed on his hips out of frustration.

"Hey! You two keep arguing like I'm not here!"

...He wouldn't be there for long anyway, the prodigy wanted to vocalize, but held back if not to appear reserved in front of the child. Hugh had the same idea, just a different rendition of it. The scholar just had to find a way somehow to get his nephew out of school grounds before the other council members arrived.

An idea popped into his head.

"You're trying to get rid of me because I'm an obstacle to your relationship with Ambrosia, correct? Well, there's no need to, I'll do it myself. I'll cut all contact with her under a simple condition."

Terrance raised an eyebrow. This was a curious twist of events.

"What?" He said, voice more demanding than questioning. In an outsider's perspective, it was clear that Terrance understood the transaction that was taking place in the room.

"You get my nephew out of here. You watch him for an hour or two until I contact you again, and he returns to me unharmed, unscathed."

"What?" The prodigy repeated, this time his question actually coming out as a question, void of the snappiness he'd been throwing at Hugh for the past few minutes.

"I don't trust your abilities to protect Henry. Your mental stability is questionable. But you're the best bet I have to avoid trouble, and with Rosia on the line, I'm sure you'll behave."

Terrance was quiet for a moment, mentally debating whether he should throw a jab at the other for freely using one of Ambrosia's nicknames, a privilege that was reserved for the worthy, or to ask him to elaborate because what the actual fuck was Hugh thinking— Did Terrance look like he was a giant, walking "Babysitter Looking For Jobs" sign?

He had been assigned many roles throughout his life, he was expected to do many things outside of just existing, but this took the cake. Get— get the tiny rascal out of the school and accompany him outside for a few hours. He had to ensure he returned to Hugh unharmed, unscathed.

He almost wanted to tumble over, laughing. What was he? An undercover bodyguard?

He met the scholar's glare, a sarcastic remark readied on the tip of his tongue, but then he froze. "Wait, you're being serious?"

"Yes. I'm being serious."

Hugh continued, "I'm not one to ask for favors like this, especially not from someone I barely like, but I swear it on my life, I'll cut off contact with Ambrosia myself. I'll stop being a hindrance to you."

Terrance watched as Hugh reached out for his phone, a plethora of notifications sending it into a vibration frenzy. For a moment, he thought he saw a look of pleading from the scholar, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"They're coming soon. What will it be?" Hugh continued, his tone cold, calculated, as if preparing for the possibility of rejection—the possibility of his impending punishment.

The prodigy turned to the child. "What's your name?" He asked a bit too harshly.

And just as angrily as he asked, the boy replied, "Henry! And who are you?"

"Terrance Hunton, I'll be escorting you out of the school." He turned to Hugh. "You trust me too easily, it makes you look naive."

Hugh looked like he understood, but nodded in defeat. He really was cornered and it was on Terrance to deliver the checkmate.

"But if it means you'll leave Ambrosia alone, then I'll keep my end of the deal. Unharmed, unscathed."

He felt the passing relief the other released as Hugh's shoulders sagged ever so slightly, a sigh leaving his lips as he crouched down to Henry's level. "You stick with Terrance until I'm done with the meeting, okay? Don't leave his sight and don't misbehave."

Henry nodded, he understood what he had to do, although it was clear that he was only following Hugh's orders reluctantly. Terrance sensed the admiration the little child had for Hugh, pity forming in his stomach in realization that one day such fickle feelings would be crushed under the weight of disappointment.

After what he'd heard from Lucy, he was sure that the child was no exception in the list of people Hugh kept on the other side of his steel wall.

Oh well, not like Terrance was any different.

He didn't bother to reach out for the child's hand, didn't bother with comforting him with longer conversation about trivial things, the serpent-eyed man just turned to the door, silently urging the short human being to follow after.

He looked down on Henry, literally and figuratively. The boy had so much to learn—ignorance reflecting like crystal gems on those two wide eyes.

Little did he know he'd be the one learning from the child that day.