Tis the Season [Levi/Open]

[Evan Brackett]

It was nice for finals to be over and for vacation to have started. When Evan was under pressure from school work and exams, it seemed like respite from classes would never come. Freshman year wasn’t too difficult on its own, but balancing classes with a job and power training at Hammel was more than he bargained for. Evan’s patience for the Institute in particular was wearing thin, and he just wanted to be done with the place. He was grateful for the winter intersession. It wouldn’t be until the end of January before he’d have to worry about college again, and there was Christmas, New Years, and plenty of free time to spend with Levi and family in between.

For the time being, he had some last minute Christmas shopping to do. David had been difficult to shop for almost as long as Evan could remember. The last time the eldest Brackett child gave anyone a Christmas list was when he was twelve, which was nearly a decade ago. It wasn’t a problem for the first few years, back when the boys were still interested in cheap toys and the price of a game cartridge was closer to $10 instead of 60, but now that David was in his twenties, buying him presents had reached peak difficulty. Evan simply didn't know his brother well enough.

Or maybe the issue was that he wasn’t thinking of the right things to buy. David would probably still appreciate a nerf gun, but Evan knew his older brother would shoot him with it at every opportunity. It wouldn’t be worth the annoyance.

Anything with horses on it was out; Evan had learned of his brother’s distaste for horse-themed gifts a long time ago. Looking around the gift shop he had dragged Levi into, it was obvious that walking in there had been a mistake. The majority of the merchandise was Western, and most of it violated the no-horse rule. It was time to move on. He picked a shot glass up off a shelf in one last effort to find something fitting, and only gave it a quick look-over before replacing it. Their mother wouldn't be fond of that idea.

Letting out a hefty sigh, he scanned the rest of the gift store for his boyfriend. Evan trotted over to the other boy soon after locating him and tugged on his sleeve. “Let’s go. I don’t think I’m going to get anything from here.” He quickly glanced around the displays to make sure he didn’t miss anything, then added, “Uh, unless you’re still looking.”

[Levi Xu]

Levi hated shopping in December. The mall was too crowded and noisy, and he'd done what little shopping he'd wanted to do a month in advance. He was trying to be a good boyfriend though, and kept himself from pouting as he pretended to be interested in the junk for sale at the little gift shop. He hadn't bought David anything for Christmas, and he was certain his boyfriend's brother hadn't bothered to get him anything either. Why would he?

If he was more like Sam or Vincent, Levi would have considered trying to shoplift something, just to make the store a bit more interesting. There was a row of office/cubicle/desk toy things on a shelf, the kind that would keep moving for a long time after being set in motion. While he waited for Evan to finish picking something out--if he couldn't decide, he should just get David movie passes so he could decide what he wanted to see himself--Levi walked along the row, setting all the little toys spinning, balancing, rotating, and whatever else they were supposed to do. Right on cue, when the woman behind the counter started glaring at him, Evan found him and tugged his sleeve. He nodded up at his boyfriend and reached for his hand, waving with his other at the woman. "Happy Holidays!"

Honestly, Levi just wanted to get out of the mall, so he was eager for Evan to get his shopping over with too. "I'm probably not going to buy anything else, so don't worry about me. I just want to get back home to our cocoa."

By "home", the teenager meant Evan's apartment, where his boyfriend had set up an electric menorah and a (small) Christmas tree. Levi wasn't going back to Portland anytime soon, and it honestly didn't bother him that much that the only recognition he'd received from his biological family was a gift from his sister and some money from his grandmother. He was happy being in Pilot Ridge, with Evan. (Who thankfully wasn't dismembered in the hospital this year.)

[Evan Brackett]

Evan readily took Levi’s hand, giving the clerk a short nod before pulling his boyfriend out of the shop. He took a deep breath once they were outside, inhaling the smell of cinnamon rolls wafting over from a nearby food stand. It was an ever-present sent in that section of the mall, but the evergreen wreaths and garland, red ribbons, and bells decorating the walkways accentuated the holiday spirit. The phaser absently hummed a few lines of the Christmas song playing over the mall sound system. He wasn’t sick of it yet, even though the music had been playing on a loop since Election Day.

While his boyfriend had decorated his hospital room last year, it wasn’t quite the same. Van's accident had tainted everything. It was difficult to see joy while he was living in pain, fear, and regret, and by the time he was released in February, the lights and decorations had been stored away. He missed the season before. He wanted to enjoy it while he could.

Evan laced his fingers with Levi’s and gave his hand a squeeze as they walked towards the next store. “Mmm, yeah. I almost forgot about that. Hopefully I’ll be able to find something soon,” he said with a weak smile. Holiday atmosphere or not, he wasn’t a fan of shopping. It always seemed like a chore rather than something to do for fun, especially in the case of Christmas shopping. Thankfully David was the last person on his list of people to give gifts.

Of course, Van had picked up on Levi acting…bored, which made him feel a bit guilty for dragging the other boy out to the mall on Christmas Eve. “Do want to get a snack?” he asked, gesturing towards the cinnamon roll stand with his head. “Maybe they serve cocoa too. I’ll pay.” It wasn’t going to get them out of there faster, but a small break couldn’t hurt.

[Levi Xu]

Levi squeezed Evan's hand back, eager to get out of that little shop and even more eager to get out of the mall.

He loved spending time with Evan, and he really appreciated that they could this year. The year before, all the holidays had been spent in the hospital. Now he had his boyfriend (almost) whole and healthy, so he really was trying not to be an ass about not wanting to spend the day shopping.

The sophomore shrugged a little when Evan asked if he wanted to grab a snack. It meant they wouldn't have to actually be shopping for a while, which was almost as good as going home. "Okay. And I guess going there is more festive than getting a pretzel or something."

Since home was with Evan for the moment, Levi had been more affectionate since school let out. He leaned his head on his boyfriend's shoulder as they waited in line. "Do you know how much longer you want to be here? Do you know what David is getting you?"

[Evan Brackett]

With the confirmation, Evan quickly changed course and got in line at the food stand. He replied with a short laugh, “Well, they’re both year-round things. We can get whatever you like. And do you want to find a bench to sit on or would you prefer a table?” He looked around the area to see what was nearby, spying the nearest bench and a few small tables just a little farther down the walkway. Then his cheeks turned a faint pink as something else occurred to him. “Nevermind, we’ll probably have to get a table.”

Since he didn’t live on campus anymore and they didn’t get to see each other as often, Evan appreciated the extra attention. It was nice, and something he missed. “Well, I want to go as soon as I find something for David, and that’s hopefully sooner rather than later. The next shop after we eat, I promise.” He gave the other boy a reassuring smile. “And I have no idea what he’s getting me. He doesn’t always stick to the list.” David’s gifts tended to be towards the Sam side of unconventional, especially since Evan had come out. The phaser was sure that had more to do with being tortured than looked out for.

Evan rested his head on Levi’s, nuzzling him slightly. “I’m really trying to make this as painless as possible, that last shop was just…a bad choice. But we haven’t been here that long, and I promise to pick something soon,” he reiterated as they inched closer to the front of the line.

“Oh! And they do have cocoa,” he quickly added, using his prosthetic to point out a seasonal products sign.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse hated the holidays, especially now. He was currently in limbo, waiting for the break to be over so that he could restart classes at Hammel. Until then, he was still living out of the motel room he’d stayed at since he’d come back to Pilot Ridge. There was still no sign of Max, which meant one of two things. Either he’d covered his trail too well, and the former doctor didn’t know where to start looking, or he just didn’t care.

Jesse was betting heavily on the latter.

The holidays were just pointless for him this year. He had no family anywhere remotely close, and everyone else that he’d been close with at all was long gone, one way or another.

He’d gone to the mall solely to waste time, and perhaps part with some money. Regardless of what Dr. Neville had said, he didn’t care. It was his money, he’d spend it how he wanted. If that included crappy movies and game systems, so be it.

Being that he’d been away from the school for a while, he honestly hadn’t expected to run into anyone hugely familiar. Then again, the last time he’d thought that, he’d had a run in with Vincent Verax and Fiona Hart. He really had to stop thinking that he wouldn’t run into anyone.

Sure enough, as he rounded the corner in hopes of finding a coffee place, he realized that he recognized someone. At least this person wasn’t likely to punch him in the face. He actually managed a little smile. Evan had been really nice whenever he’d brought Gambit to the pet store. Maybe he’d still be nice? “Hey, Evan!”

He realized two things just a little too late. The first being that Evan knew him as dark haired, human Kenneth. Not blond, meta Jesse.

And the second?

Levi Xu was standing right beside him. He recognized the boy from his time at the compound. Just a beat after his greeting the blond boy stopped in his tracks and just stared at Levi for a moment. “Umm... hey. How’s it going?” Maybe Levi had forgotten about him. He could hope, right?

[Levi Xu]

"I'm not complaining," Levi said, though he knew he was. Shopping sucked, and the loop of the same ten Christmas songs being blasted through the mall was giving him a headache. He did like that Evan was being just as affectionate back as he was with him, though, and he closed his eyes for a moment when Evan nuzzled his hair. "Cocoa sounds good. Then we'll take as long as you need to find something."

Levi just had to remember to be thankful he had Evan here with him at all.

The sophomore turned and looked when someone called out to his boyfriend. Granted, Evan wasn't an unusual name, but it was probably too much of a coincidence if someone was looking for a different Evan. Instantly, Levi recognized the speaker, and all of the warmth of being close to Evan and frustration at being stuck in the mall drained away.

Jesse Adams was back. One of the few people who could tell people about M.S.A.D. was back. Levi shrunk away, taking a step behind his boyfriend, hoping he wouldn't be noticed.

[Evan Brackett]

“Great. And do you want to split a cinnamon roll? I don’t know if I want to eat an entire one by myself.” Evan had already forgiven the younger boy for his complaints. He understood where the other was coming from, that’s why he wanted to get the chore done as soon as possible. After they got their snack, of course.

In a small town like Pilot Ridge, running into acquaintances wasn’t unheard of. Evan turned towards the sound of his name, a huge grin splitting his face when he found the source. “Kenny!” he shouted back in greeting, “Hey, great to see you!” It had been a while since the two had last met, but Evan definitely remembered the boy and his pet mastiff. The dog was an absolute sweetheart and had been one of the phaser’s favorite customers.

He waited for Jesse to approach, then replied his question. “Good, we’re just doing some last minute shopping. How’re you?” The Kenneth Evan had known looked quite different than the boy that stood in front of him, but it had been long enough that Van didn’t question the changes. It would be perfectly normal for someone to change so much in a year. “It’s been a while,” he continued, blissfully unaware of the tension between the other two. “Wow, you dyed your hair. It looks great.”

That was when he realized that Jesse was staring at his boyfriend. Levi had been quiet up until that point, so Evan stepped aside and pulled the boy forward, negating his attempt to hide. “Oh, this is my boyfriend, Levi,” he introduced, misinterpreting the stare as curiosity. “Levi, this is Kenny. He used to bring his mastiff into the store all the time.” Evan turned his attention back to the blonde. “How is Gambit, by the way? I hope he’s okay.” He really hoped the reason that he hadn’t seen the other boy in the pet shop wasn’t because something happened to the dog. That would be tragic.

[Jesse Adams]

Levi’s shift backwards just confirmed for Jesse that he was right. It was Levi, and it was relatively clear that if he didn’t want to be seen, he probably remembered him. Not that he had an excuse not to. He hadn’t exactly been all that welcoming with the kid, especially with Gabriel’s interest in him.

He didn’t have long to dwell on that, though. Evan was talking to him, and he was stuck now. Levi knew he wasn’t who Evan thought he was, and he wasn’t trying to be who Evan thought he was anymore. Kenneth was more or less dead in his mind now. He didn’t know what to do. “Uh, yeah. You too.”

This was so many levels of not good. Levi being there complicated things immensely. “I’m fine,” he answered in a somewhat evasive manner. Now he wanted an excuse to leave, before Levi did something to expose him. It wasn’t like Levi was a bad kid, he knew that. He’d been fairly innocent at the compound. But he knew things, and they were things he didn’t particularly want to involve Evan in. He actually liked the other boy, and had wanted to count him as some sort of a friend. But with Levi involved, that became so much more difficult. “Yeah, it has. And thanks. My, umm... my dad kind of hates it.” Because it would have blown cover, his logic dictated that Max probably would have hated it. Never mind the fact that it was closest to his natural color than his hair had actually been in ages.

He was trying to think of a good way to excuse himself without offending Evan when the other boy brought Levi out to introduce. Jesse shot Levi a look that he hoped conveyed ‘please don’t mess this up, kid’. “Hey, Levi.” Now he really wanted to get out of there, but Evan kept asking questions. “Gambit’s good. He’s at a pet motel right now. My dad kicked him out.” Might as well continue to make Max look awful. Bastard didn’t even care he was gone. Of course, none of this was going to make sense to Levi. He didn’t know how much his former comrade knew about his actual family situation. Hopefully he’d just keep his mouth shut.

[Levi Xu]

Out of the three of them, apparently it was only Evan who couldn't read Levi's body language, as he completely ruined his attempt to hide. Levi didn't meet Jesse's eyes as he said, "Uh, hi."

He was trying to process this information. Evan knew Jesse. Evan was on friendly terms with Jesse. Evan knew Jesse. The same Jesse who had been at best cold to him when they'd both been at the compound. At worst, he'd made Levi hide, with threats of nightmares if he didn't shut up or clear out of whichever room Jesse wanted to be in.

Also, Evan called him Kenny, which made no sense. "Kenny? His name's not Kenny, Evan, that's Jess..."

Levi trailed off. How was he supposed to explain knowing who Jesse was? For a moment, he wondered if it was an issue with his power, and he saw someone else as Jesse. (That had never happened to him before, but he knew Sam was a vampire, so this could be just as likely.) But the other two had mentioned Gambit. Levi had been fond of the mastiff back at the compound, but the dog had always been Jesse's special pet. Even though Jesse still scared the hell out of him, he was a little glad that at least the dog was being taken care of.

[Evan Brackett]

Van hadn’t expected Levi to correct his introduction and furrowed his brows at his boyfriend. “Jess?” The confusion was short lived, because it was pretty clear to him what was happening even if his assumption was wrong. To Evan, this was just another case of Levi’s power acting up and giving him the wrong information about someone. “No, his real name’s Kenny,” the phaser corrected back, looking to his old friend. “Right, Kenny?”

Out of all of Kenny’s responses to the small talk, the last was the thing that stuck out above the rest. “A pet motel? Why?” That seemed rather cruel to both the boy and his dog. Evan knew Gambit was well behaved and doubted that the dog’s behavior was the issue. While he didn’t know the situation well, he readily assumed Kenny was being treated unfairly. “Your dad doesn’t sound li…” He paused mid-sentence as he realized that he was insulting Kenny’s dad and it was considered rude and general inadvisable to insult someone you never met.

Instead, he decided to give the other boy some advice. “I mean, why don’t you try finding him a new home if your dad doesn’t want to keep him? That might be better.” He knew what it was like to be attached to a pet and that giving one up was difficult to do, but sometimes that was the best option. Gambit would be happier in a new home.

With that little bit of advice given, Evan realized that the cashier at the cinnamon bun stand was clearing her throat to get his attention. “Oh, um, just a second, we have to order.” He asked for a cinnamon roll and two medium hot cocoas, and then turned to Levi to clarify, “So did you want to split something or order your own?”

[Jesse Adams]

When Levi made the correction, or tried to, Jesse physically winced. That was exactly what he’d hoped he wouldn’t do. Thankfully, it appeared that Evan was familiar enough with Levi’s odd power that it was being swept under the rug, so to speak. Levi’s power had been wrong a lot at the compound. Why couldn’t it be wrong now? (Oh, right. Because he was actually right for a change.)

He still hated the name Kenny, but for Evan he put on a calm front and nodded. “Yep. That’s what my parents saddled me with.” Trying so, so hard to appear normal and not like Levi would have remembered him, he tried to offer the kid a smile. “And don’t even try any of the South Park ‘they killed Kenny’ jokes. I’ve heard them all.”

This was so much harder now. Levi was involved, and he was sure the moment he turned away, the kid would be trying to convince Evan he wasn’t who he said he was. While that was very true, it would also ruin anything he’d had going with the other boy. He’d actually liked him as a person, and was probably the closest thing he’d had to an actual friend for a long time.

Too bad that wasn’t going to last.

Evan’s surprise wasn’t too unexpected. After all, he’d seen him and Gambit very close. And honestly, it was killing him not to have his best friend close by anymore. But it was for the best. Gambit was being looked after well. “Because I can’t have him with me right now,” he admitted. “He’s being looked after really well though.” Whatever thought Evan chose not to finish about his ‘dad’ was probably 100% true. “My dad’s a dick,” he supplied with a shrug.

The suggestion of rehoming him was met with a slightly dirty look. “He won’t be there for much longer.” Okay, so he didn’t know how long that really would be, but he’d say it just to make Evan feel better. But he would have to find a more long term solution for the dog at some point, he was sure. Who knew how long he’d have to be holed up at Hammel for?

The longer he stood there, the more exposed he felt. Levi’s gaze was making him more and more nervous, and he just wanted to go. So, when Evan turned back to the kiosk, Jesse dug in his pockets for his phone. He feigned reading a text before announcing quietly, “Shit, I have to go. Uh. Nice seeing you again?” With that, he turned on his heel and all but ran in the opposite direction. He needed to get out of there.

[Levi Xu]

Again, Levi tried to shift so he was hiding behind Evan, but it was harder now that he'd actually been drafted into the conversation. He didn't know what to do; all the knew was that Jesse was lying and Evan didn't believe him. He believed Jesse, and they seemed to know each other....even be friends. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince Evan he was right though, not if he thought it was Levi's power acting up again. He protested under his breath, "But...his name is Jesse."

Levi had a hard time concentrating on their conversation, though he was a little glad that Gambit was being well taken care of. He couldn't imagine Jesse's family being much better than him, so he could believe his dad was a dick. Gambit would probably be better off in a pet hotel.

"Let's just share one." If Jesse was going to stick around, the sophomore would rather the snack not last very long. (And the desserts from the stand were pretty big anyway.)

Fortunately, Jess decided to run off, and Levi breathed a sigh of relief. He tugged on Evan's elbow as he watched the blond boy's retreat. If Jesse was back, who else from M.S.A.D. was? "How do you know Jesse?"