A New Hope

[Evan Brackett]

Happy birthday to me.
I’m turning 18,
And I might just get lucky…
Happy birthday to me.

Evan hummed along, singing the words in his head as he finished packing up his last suitcase. It was going to be a long day, but seeing as his plans were going smoothly so far, Evan didn’t really mind. It had been about a week since he found out that he was going back to Hammel. As fate would have it, his return date was the same day as his birthday, and he was thrilled to be coming back, if only because it meant he got to see his boyfriend. Levi had yet to be informed of the matter, of course. It was the phaser’s brilliant idea to surprise him with his return, letting the other boy believe that they were still going to have cake and ice cream back at the farm that upcoming Saturday.

In actuality, Evan had woken up early to celebrate with his family before Jeff had to go to school. That morning they had a birthday breakfast together; complete with enough bacon to choke a pig, more flapjacks then they could swallow, and a birthday parfait. The usual pie that Van's mother baked him was being sent with him to school so he could share it with Levi later. Speaking of which, he had also been blessed with a sweet phone call from the other boy to wish him a happy birthday. It took all of the teen’s restraint to keep himself from spoiling the surprise then.

Following breakfast, Evan just had to pack up the rest of his things, throw them in the back of David’s truck, and then it was off to Hammel. The school was ready to accept him back into classes and training starting next week. For the time being, his job was to unpack and get acclimated to living at school again. The Brackett boys went directly to the housing department upon arrival, and a bit of paperwork and a new set of dorm keys later, Evan was good to move back in. He had the day to set up his new dorm while everyone else was in class. David helped him carry his things up stairs, and then he was left to take care of the rest on his own.

As the final bell rang for classes to let out, Van was just finishing setting up his desk area. He was more than ready to greet his boyfriend and tell him the good news, but that was where his plans began to crumble. Putting the present he had gotten Levi in a small carrying box, he headed over to the younger boy’s dorm only to find that they had just missed each other. Evan cussed quietly to himself then quickly returned to his new room to wait so he could try again later. There wasn’t much else he could about it. In the meantime, he tried busying himself with organizing his room, his clothes, his backpack, anything that would distract him and waist time. But every time he stopped to knock on Levi’s door, there was no one there to answer him.

Eventually, Van completely gave up on waiting, pulled his cellphone out of his pocket, and texted the missing freshman.

What’re you doing? I miss you. <3

It was the best he could do without alerting Levi that he was at Hammel, thus ruining the surprise, and at least he’d know why the other boy was taking so long to get back. From there, he was left to lie on his bed and wait for some news.

[Levi Xu]

Im doing homework in the dorm. I miss u 2

Levi hadn't even thought before he'd lied to Evan. Over a year ago, when he'd come to Hammel, he'd sort-of lied about what had happened to his dog. Yes, someone had promised to take care of him, but calling Jake a "family friend" was a little extreme. It was good to see him though. Both of them. He just didn't know how he felt about Jake being back in Pilot Ridge yet.

And he really didn't want to talk about that with Evan. He'd ask why he wasn't excited about it, and Levi had been very careful not to reveal anything about M.S.A.D. to his boyfriend. It was easily the worst of the (several) secrets he kept from Evan.

"Your room or Sam's?"

How did he always know?

The freshman dawdled a little on his way back to Hammel. It was getting kind of late, but he still had over an hour before curfew, and the walk wasn't long. Levi kicked at the gravel beside the road as he walked, thinking about Jake. He trusted the man to take care of Buccaneer, easily. But he didn't trust that he wouldn't disappear again. And what if the twins were still out there, looking for him? He could be killed and Levi would never know what had happened.

Levi made it back to Hammel in spite of himself. He signed in and headed straight up to his dorm, where he faceplanted on his bed for a minute before finally texting Evan back. My room. maybe went for a walk before studying.

[Evan Brackett]

Evan slid his phone open the second the text buzzed in, and stared confused at the message. Of course he knew the other boy was lying, but he stopped himself before sending out Liar in reply. The last thing he wanted was to start a fight or make Levi feel bad. And maybe he just misunderstood what Levi meant. It wasn’t like there was only one room the younger boy could be studying in, and he couldn’t possibly be expecting Evan to be waiting for him. So the phaser quickly deleted the text, and typed out a different reply.

Your room or Sam’s?

The chances of Levi actually getting work done in the presence of his pyrokinetic friend seemed pretty slim, but Van was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. It didn’t matter that much anyway, he just wanted to find his boyfriend.

While waiting for a reply, he decided to sort the various supplies he had brought to school with him. As suggested by his therapist, Evan had started building models. Not the plastic kits based off of famous buildings, planes, boats, and other designs, but his own models and designs made from balsa wood and cardstock that he cut, shaped, and decorated himself. The point was to help him get use to using his prosthetic, and the hobby functioned as a replacement for the ones he lost. Evan, expecting it to be really lame, was surprised to find that he loved it, and in addition to his desktop and study space, he had a small set up dedicated to his new hobby.

He sighed loudly when his phone buzzed a while later, having gone through his collection of wallpaper samples several times already. “Finally,” he muttered as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. The message was slightly disappointing, but only because Levi had sort of lied to him. Van was willing to let that slide for this.

That was a long walk.

He sent the text quickly—not really thinking about how the other boy would take it—then grabbed the box with Levi’s present and rushed down the hall to his dorm. The phaser put the box down so his arms were free for hugs, and quickly rapped on the door. It was important that he didn’t call out, because he wanted Levi to be completely surprised when he saw him.

[Levi Xu]

That was a long walk.

Okay, now Levi really was feeling bad about lying to Evan. He still didn't want to talk about where he'd been, but he but his lip and wished he'd thought a little harder about which lie to tell. It was just reflex for him to make up stories to cover Jake. It had to be a secret that he was back in Pilot Ridge.

He wished he could tell Evan about seeing Buccaneer again. He kind of wished he could tell him everything.

Levi looked at the message on his phone, wondering how to respond. He wanted to send back something cheerful, since it was the older boy's birthday and everything. He was not supposed to be this sullen. Finally, he started typing out, Bad reception in woods. how is 18? hap

But before he could send it, there was a knock on the door to the suite. Levi threw the phone back on his bed, relieved at the interruption to another lie, and got up. Even if it was just one of Adrian's friends coming over to talk about girly things in the common room, it was another minute of distraction from guilt.

The freshman went to the door and pulled it open, ready for a minute or two of chitchat with someone he only vaguely knew, then gasped. Evan.

It was a good thing the phaser had put down the box, because Levi nearly launched himself at the older boy, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.

"Oh my G-d, Evan, what are you doing here? Happy Birthday! Are you back? What about Saturday?" He didn't care if his questions were answered or not. Evan was there, at least for now, and Levi just wasn't ever letting go.

[Evan Brackett]

The birthday boy bounced in anticipation while he waited for the door to be answered. It was a good thing Levi was actually there this time, because Van probably would have been heartbroken otherwise. He grinned as the door finally did open, held out his arms for a hug, and shouted, “Surprise!” Even though he had been expecting it, Levi’s enthusiasm made Evan laugh, and he hunched over to return the hug as best he could. “I missed you so much. I’ve been waiting all day for you to get out of class,” he said cheerily.

He never thought he’d be so happy to be at Hammel, but getting to move back in was the best birthday gift he could get. It did mean hanging out with Levi like they used to—no long commute in between visits—and getting back into his old routine would be nice. “I moved back in today! Unpacked everything while you were in class,” he chirped. “I found out last week, but I wanted it to be a surprise.” Not telling his boyfriend ahead of time turned out to be troublesome, but Levi’s response was worth the wait.

“Isn’t it great? We can actually spend my birthday together! Ma sent a pie for us to share, so we actually won’t be going to the farm this weekend...That was kind of a lie. Sorry.” The desert would be more than enough for the two of them, and would hopefully make up for the white lie.

If not, then the present he brought certainly would. Speaking of which, Van could hear it moving around and scratching at the sides of its box, searching for a way out of the darkness. The poor thing had been in there far too long. “Oh, and I got you a present.” He reached for the box on the floor, trying hard to grab it without forcing the other boy off of him. “I know it’s my birthday, but I screwed up Hanukkah and Christmas and I wasn’t here for your birthday and I missed you. A lot. I couldn’t come back without getting you something to make up for it.” Plus he just liked getting Levi stuff, and it had been a while since he had been able to give his boyfriend anything.

[Levi Xu]

Levi nuzzled his face into his boyfriend's chest, ignoring the straps of his harness under his shirt. It felt like it had been forever since Evan had been in the dorm, back with him where he belonged. He smiled and hugged a little tighter, listening to the older boy explain him why he was back and why he hadn't told him about it.

"It's okay, Evan. It's not even really a lie. Just a surprise," Levi quickly responded, not bothering to pull away so he could look him in the eye. Compared to Levi's own lie, Evan's little fib was a treat. Again, the freshman felt a pang of guilt about not telling the older boy the truth. He couldn't though, so he'd have to be satisfied with apologizing in his head as he hugged him.

When Evan bent over though, Levi had to loosen his grasp. He hadn't even noticed the box-carrier-thing on the ground until Van picked it up. But now that it had his attention--because his boyfriend was holding it and because it was apparently for him--Levi heard the scratching sounds inside. He crouched down to look in the gated front of the carrier, and the smile on his face grew wider.

"Is that a bunny? You got me a bunny?" Suddenly, Levi wasn't as lonely about not being able to have Buccaneer on campus. Little rabbits like that one--it was tiny, it looked like it could sit on the palm of his hand--lived in cages, and that meant they could be kept in the dorm. A couple of people he knew had rats or hamsters or rabbits, but none were as cute as the ball of fluff who looked like it desperately wanted to be out of the plastic case.

"Here, you can put it down here," Levi said as he zoomed over to his desk and stacked up the homework and books which had been covering the whole thing into a neat pile. "Is it a girl or a boy? Is it friendly? Can I hold it?"

Then he picked up the other thing on his desk, besides the homework. A small, very round stuffed cat. It was a mini version of the one Sammy had given to Evan for Christmas, and he'd thought his boyfriend would like it as well. "I was going to wrap this for you by Saturday, but I guess you get her now. Happy Birthday, Evan."

[Evan Brackett]

The older student’s arm was just long enough to reach the carrier’s handle, his fingers brushing along the top a couple of times before he was actually able to grasp it. He straightened up as he lifted the case, turning the side with the door towards Levi’s direction. He grinned when the other boy identified the carrier’s contents and lifted it up a bit higher so he could better see inside. “Yeah. You’re okay with bunnies, right?” It was a bit late to be asking that, but it didn’t even occur to him before that he should ask. (That would have ruined the surprise anyway, so he probably wouldn't ask even if he had thought of it.)

Not that it mattered much; Levi clearly didn’t mind. Evan followed his boyfriend over to the desk, waiting patiently for him to clear a space before gently setting the carrier down. “It’s a boy. I didn’t name him yet since he’s going to be your pet, and I thought you should get to. And, yeah, you can hold him, just be gentle and don’t drop him. He’s small and fragile.” Quite fast too, as the rabbit scurried out onto the desk the second the phaser popped open the latch of the door. Van stopped the critter from hopping over the edge, and it happily stretched out on the desk, glad to be free.

Van’s eyes grew to the size of saucers—much like when Sam gave him his first plush— when he turned his attention back to Levi, and he readily accepted the gift to give it a big squeeze. “It’s a baby kitty!” The larger version of the stuffed cat had since become a security blanket for him. Whenever he was lonely, having an anxiety attack, or waken by a horrendous nightmare, the cat was there for him to cuddle. It was a poor substitute for his boyfriend, but it was good enough for the time he was absent. He'd never admit it to Sam, but Evan really did love it. “Thank you.”

Nuzzling his new fluffy toy, he looked over to the young rabbit. “Before I forget: I’ve got you everything you need for him back in my room. A cage, food, exercise pen, even a small guide book for new rabbit owners. You can ask me questions too. I got him at the store I use to work at, so if I don’t have the answer, I can find someone that does.”

[Levi Xu]

Levi hadn't known what to get Evan for his birthday, and had been tossing ideas out to Sam one evening when they'd been "doing homework" together. (Read as: Had books open but were talking about everything except schoolwork.) The older boy had shown him the site where he'd bought all those stuffed animals, and Levi had spotted the mini version of the cat.

And from the older boy's reaction, he did well with his selection. That's it, Evan was getting a stuffed cat for every holiday.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" The freshman knelt down next to his desk so he wasn't looming over the furry thing, and slowly put his hand out in front of the bunny for it to sniff. After a few seconds, he gently started stroking its back, and grinned up at his boyfriend. "He's so soft. Thank you, Evan."

He kept petting the rabbit gently, his voice soft. "I'm gonna take good care of you, baby. We're gonna be best friends, okay?" Levi didn't know much of anything about rabbits, but he didn't care if he had to read a hundred books, he already loved the little creature. He'd missed Buccaneer so much in the past year, and the time spent with him today had only made it worse. Perfect timing, really, to give him a new little fuzzy thing to love.

"That's so much, Evan. Thank you. I'm gonna take good care of him. He's adorable." Levi had lost count of how many times he'd said thank you, but considering the circumstances, he was sure it wasn't enough. "I want to pick him up, but I don't want to scare him or anything. I missed you so much."

He had a bunny and his boyfriend back, proper transitions between topics didn't matter to him at all.