Roads Untraveled(Odion)

[Lani Hunter]

Lani was going to get Odion back for this one. And Caroline. He just needed to figure out how. But then again wasn’t this her revenge for his revenge? This was a vicious cycle. Of course Lani wasn’t thinking that Odion was extracting his own revenge for anything. He had forgotten about his stunt on the bus and elbowing him in the face had been an accident. He knew how he would get Caroline back. It would be a simple matter of waiting somewhere and popping out at her. Odion couldn’t blame him for that. But Odion, that would take more careful planning. He wasn’t going to let the one go. Their barriers had certainly been broken down along with the walls around their hearts. Thinking back on it even a few weeks ago Lani wouldn’t have thought about jumping at Odion. But so much had happened. Their first kiss. Odion meeting his family. And now Christmas.

It was terribly embarrassing. How was he going to look Odion in the eye after completely dissolving into giggles? Lani’s thoughts reminded him of the time Odion had embarrassed himself when he inhaled soup. As Lani escaped he made a mental note to make sure to lift weight when he and Odion went to the gym. Lani was just lucky he was hard to hold onto in the first place. He was still shaking with residual laughter and his face was still flushed with embarrassment. Lani was loving this. Having Odion here with his family. It was so far the greatest Christmas they had had in a long time. The fighting was kept to a minimum and he was finding himself enjoying the company of his family. Even his father’s annoyed look at being toppled into this early in the morning couldn’t dampen his mood. He took a few moments to catch his breath as he leaned heavily on his father.

Sometimes they got along, other times they didn’t. It really depended on the day. It was Christmas by an unspoken rule they were both going to hold their tongues beyond polite teasing and anything that happened today that made the other angry would be held until the following day where sometimes there was nothing and other times there was a whole lot of some things flying across the house. Hopefully today would not cause need for any of that. His mother followed Lani’s guidance to lay her eyes on his daughter and Odion. Lani glanced back at Odion and there was a strange expression on Odion’s face. A frown crossed Lani’s face briefly and he glanced at his mother who had put her hand on his shoulder and sighed as if figuring out what she was going to do for the day. She always did that when she was thinking about her schedule in her head. “I could,” Lani retorted tossing Odion and his sister an accusing look.

Lani smiled at his mother then at Odion in a little bit of surprise. He ducked his head and gave a shrug in an unspoken apology with an unspoken excuse. Lani smiled back at Odion. Regardless of what the redhead was thinking that made him get that forced smile his mothered liked him. Lani smiled he knew his mother loved cooking with people. She loved having family over and someone to talk to while in the kitchen. Odion was severely underestimating Lani’s mother’s ability to talk. It was still much earlier than Lani wanted to be conscious. Maybe he could escape later and take a nap. After a big Christmas dinner or something. Lani sighed wearily as everyone started heading off to get ready to start the day. He looked at his bed with longing wondering how long he could delay to get a little more sleep. And thought about that was taken as Odion jabbed him. Lani gasped jumping sideways. His arms went to cover his ribs as he glared in Odion’s direction.

Odion was already headed out the door. Lani followed after poking his head out of his door. Odion’s action made Lani blush and he stuck his tongue out at the redhead. Lani pointed two fingers to his eyes then pointed them at Odion. Odion was wise to walk backward but that didn’t mean Lani wouldn’t get him back later. Lani closed his door and sighed fixing the blanket so it was laying on the bed again. He stretched out and pulled on a dark gray blue sweater his parents had gotten him last Christmas and replaced his sweats with a pair of dark jeans. Not even Christmas was reason enough to get away from his gray wardrobe. He was quick taking the bathroom before his sister could and waking himself up a little more. He trailed down the stairs wondering if he was going to be the first one down.

Of course not. He saw Odion’s pacing in the kitchen and he smiled warmly. Why was Odion so nervous? It wasn’t like anyone was going to bite him. Everyone loved Odion, well, save his father but Lani didn’t really count him. “Merry Chistmas,” Lani called from the doorway of the kitchen. His power reached out and as far as he could tell all of the other Hunters were still milling away upstairs. “Are you ok?” Lani asked finally leaning against the doorframe his brows creasing a little in worry. It was Christmas, Odion should not be pacing like a man waiting for a life or death sentence to be handed down.

[Odion Martins]

This was all play of course, and Odion could get rather serious when he was in play mode. There was something extraordinary in letting loose and having the capacity to see the joy in silly little things. The last time he was feeling this way was last night, and that had landed him a rather nice bruise on his forehead. So instead of participating and tickling anyone at all, he watched. And Lani couldn’t really be mad at him, it was Caroline who did all the tickling, Odion just did the holding. Would Lani really complain about being held by Odion?

Like all of his other secrets, Lani could rest assured that this one was safe with Odion. Who would the redhead tell anyways? Avi? Declyn? Besides, he was impressed by the blond already, and things like this simply made him human. It reminded Odion that it was perfectly alright if he had faults of his own because Lani could understand, not that being ticklish was a fault by any means, it was actually rather endearing. And Lani looked, happy. Genuinely and definitely happy, and Odion got to be a part of it. That was all he wanted anyways, and even Kevin looked slightly amused. Odi decided that there had to be something that could make the older Hunter laugh. Something, anything. He’d have a talk with Lani’s mum yet about that.

Truth be told, Odion had always wanted to learn how to cook, he was just never given the opportunity. Other than trying to make things edible by roasting them over an open fire, Odi had stolen most of his food from a grocery store or two or dined and dashed. Now that the chance had arose, he wasn’t going to let it pass away. Odion could handle a talker, he befriended Lani hadn’t he? Besides, he actually enjoyed listening to people talk so long as he found them fascination and Lani’s mother was definitely in that category. Laughing at Lani’s antics, Odion was oh so glad that they could still be close friends, despite any romantic feelings. It’s what made this so incredibly different than anything he’d had before. He had chosen to be with Lani while he fell for him, whereas all other relationships were born out of necessity. He hadn’t needed Lani before, but Odion was starting to believe that in time he would need Lani more than anyone else.

Odion made himself stand still, a smile on his face as he saw Lani come down. He just couldn’t get away from those drab greys could he? “Maybe a little nervous,” he said, and then laughed in spite of himself. “This is the first Christmas I haven’t drunk myself silly,” and he touched the dark bruise on his head, “but I still somehow ended up walking into something…” It was then that he smiled, his hands fidgeting at his sides and he took a deep breath. Yes he was nervous, but he was also strangely at ease. It was easy to talk to Lani about things of importance, like his first real Christmas. “What were you reading last night?” He asked knowingly while they had time to themselves. The bags under Lani’s eyes were a recipe for a long day, but hopefully it would be well worth it.

[Lani Hunter]

Odion did get quite the crack on the head the last time he had tried to be playful. Lani supposed that was as good a reason as any to play the role of spectator. But play or no play Odion now knew that Lani was ticklish. Very ticklish and Lani wanted going to let that go without a fight. He would have his revenge. Well that might have to wait in lieu of the unspoken peace treaty on Christmas. Well, his declarations of war didn’t have to be wagged in the open. Lani glanced toward his parent’s room as he made his way downstairs. How the hell was he going to tell them? The thoughts haunting Lani had not been quelled last night. They were still nagging at him and at the moment he was sure of one thing. The time for telling them was not now and he couldn’t wait to get back to school so he could really start this relationship with Odion.

Lani’s brow rose. “Nervous?” He pressed but found he didn’t have to. He smiled sweetly at Odion and found himself chuckling. “Jesus, Odion when did you start drinking?” He asked his lips twitching up as he joked about the whole situation. “It looks awful,” Lani agreed and shrugged guiltily. “I’m sorry. I mean in your defense it was also moving.” Lani chuckled now that was certainly a phrase that could be interpreted wrong for those who thought Odion did run into a pole. Lani was about to move forward to take a closer look at the bruise when he heard someone on the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder to see his mother in her wonderful red and green Christmas sweater. “Merry Christmas,” she said giving Lani as kiss as she passed by. She then went to Odion and took his face in her hands so she could look at the bruise. She patted his cheek. “Merry Christmas, honey, let’s get cooking.” She smiled and gave Lani a look. “Take notes.”

Lani raised his hands in yielding and laughed. He turned back to Odion answering his last question. “It’s an old friend. It’s called ‘Take a Thief’ and it’s pretty much amazing.” Lani said taking a seat at the table getting himself out of the way and yet keeping himself in the conversation. It was one of Lani’s favorites. Something so worn and well read that it was hard to see the condition it could have held as new. It was on the top shelf along with Frankenstein. He could read either cover to cover on a rainy day. If only Odion would ask what it was about that would open a floodgate. Lani probably would never have even touched Frankenstein had he not run into that crazy English teacher. “How did you know I was reading?” He asked the sudden thought occurring to him that he hadn’t mentioned that.

[Odion Martins]

The next time Odion felt like playing, he would be sure to put his new insight to good use. Lani was ticklish, and this could work very nicely in Odion’s favour. He was going to have to talk to Lani about his lying ways, maybe tickle him to death for it. The information couldn’t have been better timed though, as Odion liked having excuses to get as near to the blond as possible, not that he needed any, it just felt nice to have a reason. Not having a reason for a lot of things in his life lately was driving Odion mad. Just this once, he wanted a reason to be near Lani other than his own want. Lani wasn’t the only one eager to get back to the privacy of their own rooms. He had no intentions of surprising anybody in this household about the newly formed relationship. He would demand his kisses later, when the truce was no longer in place.

“Oh you know, we start at a young age in Europe,” he said quietly, because that was probably something his parents should not be hearing, great as they were. While the redhead couldn’t remember his first drink, he did remember the first time he had gotten seriously drunk. It was always due to some kind of emotional turmoil when he was on his own, and when he was with the gang that was how they celebrated. People missed a bottle of wine about as much as they missed a few leftover human beings called orphans. It was hard to live sometimes, and it was easy to be drunk. It made things which were sad hilarious, and it made pain go away, like some kind of cheap drug. Odion was about to clarify how much of a pole Lani was not, when he saw the woman of the house coming down to greet them. He smiled.

“You look lovely,” Odi said to Lani’s mum, and he looked back to Lani. Well he’d gone and set himself up for that one hadn’t he? And here he thought Lani wouldn’t have noticed in the state he was in, but he’d noticed anyways. No, Lani most certainly hadn’t told Odion that he stayed up reading. Now Odion was going to look like a stalker, and that wasn’t far from the truth. It wasn’t like he spied on Lani every night, just once in a while he would stop time to go and see what Lani was doing to decide whether he should be bothered with the redhead’s thoughts or not. Lani read on and on into the night, and it was fascinating to watch. Odi followed Mrs. Hunter. “Lucky guess,” he said, reverting back into his shell as a box of flour was handed to him. “I have bowls over here...” She was saying, oblivious to their conversation about books, though she did have a small smile on her face.

[Lani Hunter]

Secrecy and lies. Lani would never put them behind him. It would always be his first instinct, quickly followed by getting himself away from the hard questions. Lani had a bad feeling that showing how ticklish he is was going to come back and bite him. But it wasn’t like he had tried. It had just happened. He was going to have to keep a close eye on Odion. If he hadn’t had to do so already. Now it was even more imperative. Lani liked to look serious in public even though his tricks could make him laugh quite a bit. If Odion felt the need to change that it would be simple and Lani would be a giggling mess in public. Lani looked at Odion and his eyes trailed to where the necklace was standing out against the black fabric. It looked good on him. Lani liked it for sure and he was glad that Odion liked it as well. Lani glanced upward as his power stretched out and reassured himself that the compass was still on his nightstand. Looking back at Odion Lani couldn’t help but smile. “Europeans,” he said with a shake of his head.

His mother giggled at the flattery and waved her hand at the redhead. Lani hid a smile behind his hand. Odion would have to be careful or his mother would make his stay. “Uh-huh,” Lani replied to Odion’s turned back not really believing that it had anything to do with a lucky guess. His father trailed down following Caroline. “Caroline, after breakfast,” he said calling the little girl into the kitchen. Lani smiled and shook his head a little bit. His shy little sister was almost a teenager. It was mind blowing. And there were those that wouldn’t have thought she would make it so far. “Not gonna help?” his father asked from the doorway, but he was smiling. So Lani smiled back and replied, “I’m supervising. Someone’s gotta make sure Mom doesn’t burn the house down.” He laughed and ducked as his mother swatted a towel at him.

His mother dug for bowls and shoved those into Odion’s hands as well. Lani snickered a little as his mother just started to rush around the kitchen grabbing this and that and handing it to Odion. Hopefully Odion knew how to juggle. “Do you like eggs? Sausage or bacon?” His mother quizzed Odion more and more about what he liked to eat. This list went on and on. “Your mom wants the Christmas plates, can you help me get them out?” His father asked and Lani nodded and stood. He followed his father to the garage. Lani followed his father to the shelves and after being pointed to the right box Lani called it with his power settling it into his hands and he handed that over to his father and got another one down. He was about to carry his burden back in the house when his father’s hand fell on his shoulder. “Lani, tell me the truth, your friend, is he a thief?” Lani frowned but nodded. “Dad, you know I’d never do anything to put you in danger.” “But he’s the one that—” “He is. But he’s also the reason I’m here.” Lani put the plates aside and turned to face his father. “I’m try, I really am. But I need to you trust me.”

He matched glared with his father and finally the older man sighed and shook his head. “I can’t do that.” Lani’s eyes flashed with hurt and he picked up the box again. He got maybe two steps when he turned back on his father. “You know what. Give me a chance. Give him a chance.” Lani was back in the house and a smile was fixed upon his face again as he and his father dumped their burdens on the table. Lani leaned against the table watching the progress his mother and Odion had made. The plates still needed to be washed but apparently they were going to wait until dinner to use them. Lani stacked the boxes out of the way and Caroline set the table. “Whose taking care of the cats?” Caroline asked out of the blue. Lani glanced at Odion, he didn’t actually know the answer. “Aren’t pets not allowed?” his father asked. Lani glanced at Odion and nodded his head indicating it was Odion’s story if he wanted to tell it.

[Odion Martins]

Odion would never use Lani’s ticklishness against him, how would that benefit anyone in the slightest? No, it would be something fun to remember, and maybe tease Lani with now and again as Odion stood motionless in Lani’s attempts to tickle him in return. But Odion finding out about Lani’s tickle weakness was the blond’s fault for assuming that Odion shared that weakness with him. He had made his own bed and now Odion was going to tickle him to death in it. Odion wasn’t someone who liked touching people in any way in public. He liked having his bubble pristine and not violated. What happened behind closed doors was a different story.

Chuckling at the antics in the kitchen, Odion took the bowls, and then the flour, and what he believed was a small vial of vanilla extract was placed gently into the bowl, along with a carton of eggs. “Uh...” he started to say, not sure what he liked more to be honest. “Whatever you have is fine,” he said, not really wanting to be picky at the moment. Hopefully Lani wouldn’t comment. But he seemed to be out of earshot now and Odi set all of the things in his arms down. Lani’s mum was telling him how to go about making pancakes, saying he needed to mix all the dry ingredients together first. Odion nodded, concentrating on the bag of flour. This wasn’t going to be hard, but he had a feeling it was going to be tricky. Her measurements were ‘some’ or ‘some more’ and by the time, Odion was laughing at himself. “Maybe I shouldn’t have worn black to cook...” he mused, making Lani’s mum giggle again.

It felt like he was cooking up a storm with the amount of mess he was making, but at least the pancake batter had a good consistency and Lani’s mum seemed pleased while she milled about the kitchen doing a hundred and one other things. He felt a little pathetic, he had all but stirred some flour and water together and she was just... amazing. “Don’t worry darling, this takes practice,” she said, as his eyes connected with hers. It was like she had read his mind. He smiled up at Lani upon his return, unable to hide his feelings for the blond for a split something, but soon it fizzled out. Lani was smiling, but not really. What had Kevin said to him?

“I am,” Odion said after much deliberation in his mind. That didn’t mean they weren’t Lani’s, it simply meant he didn’t want Lani to get into any more trouble than whatever happened in the garage. Kevin’s stare begged for further explanation, but Caroline was quick to jump in. “Lani and Odion rescued them,” she said rather proudly, ignoring the part where they weren’t allowed to have pets. Nobility overrules any rules. Odion smiled at her. “Shadow, L.J. and...” Odion looked over to Lani while mixing the batter and standing, letting Lani remember the other cat’s name for him. The redhead went deeper into the kitchen, handing the bowl over to Mrs. Hunter who only laughed. “Oh no, you’re going to have to cook them too! I’ve got my hands full!” And she was right, and as luck would have it, there was a griddle waiting just for him. Odion set his jaw before setting to work. Hopefully at least half of them wouldn’t burn...

[Lani Hunter]

Lani rested his elbow on the table and watched being a very good supervisor ready to do nothing but point out what was going wrong. He had a sly smile on his face and was careful not to let his eyes linger on Odion for too long. His impish smile was making it look like he was planning something and this time he actually was. He was planning on how to get back at Odion for this morning. This early early morning. Hell it wasn’t even eight yet. It was practically the middle of the night! Lani snorted lightly but didn’t say anything about Odion being a picky eater. He probably would under any other circumstances but with his mother around she’d want to know why and if he had tried them a certain way. It would be a full scale interrogation and he knew how much Odion hated the spotlight.

Returning with a box of dishes Lani was glad to be back out of the sole presence of his father. He really could throttle the man. Lani found it easy to forget about his father’s attempt to foul the day as he laughed at Odion. “Did you get any flour in the bowl?” He teased. Black was not a good color for cooking. No color really was good, there was always some sort of white or otherwise colored liquid or powder that had the tendency to get everywhere. Lani wasn’t going to say that he could do better because he knew he couldn’t. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give Odion grief for it. Lani returned to his place at the table and glanced at Caroline as she asked her cat question. Who was taking care of the cats? Or had Odion just given them enough food to last them a few days. Lani missed the cats, oh well he would just have to go over to Odion’s room to play with them.

Lani laughed a little bit at Odion’s answer and shook his head. “I think she means right now, Odion,” Lani raised a brow a sudden thought occurring to him. Odion wasn’t stopping time and going back to Vermont. Lani shook his head. That was ridiculous. Lani smiled at Caroline. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. And to think it was almost a year past. “Darshay,” Lani supplied without hesitation. Lani pulled out his phone and leaned over to his father and showed him pictures. From when they were literally too small to move on their own to now when they were big and rather energetic creatures. Kevin Hunter smiled despite obviously wanting to be angry about the cats. One just couldn’t be mad when shown pictures of kittens. His mother moved over and Lani showed her as well. “They’re a handful.”

Lani’s mother started to giggle. “Oh Kevin tell them about the rooster!” Lani raised a brow and looked expectantly at his father. He had never heard a story involving a rooster. Kevin made a sour face and raised his hands in yielding as Caroline started to nag him. “When I was in college me and a friend decided to play a prank on one of our mutual friends. So we nabbed a rooster and stuck it in their dorm room.” Lani collapsed in laughter. Now he knew where he got it from. That was brilliant! He had never heard about his father being a prankster. Part of him wondered what happened. Lani pocketed his phone and glanced into the kitchen as the smell of something burning hit his nose. Lani wondered if Odion had ever made pancakes before. It was a hard thing for Lani to fathom but it seemed that his mother stuck Odion with a pan and no direction. Lani stood and snuck up on Odion. “You know you need to flip them right?” He asked unaware that in the future their places would be reversed and Odion would be the expert cook and Lani would be the one burning everything.

[Odion Martins]

Odion pointed the wooden mixing spoon full of pancake batter at Lani. “Keep that up and you won’t get any pancakes.” And without any hesitation, he gave Lani a wink. That would shut him and his teasing up for a while at least. “I knew what she meant,” Odion said rather casually. They all knew what his meta human power was. Time travelling was partially physical, and partially mental capabilities. If he could think of the place, he could be there almost in an instant. It was almost like teleporting, but dire consequences and frozen. He didn’t want to scare the cats, but they were just fine so long as they were fed. And that didn’t take too long. Nothing did with time on your side.

Odi’s ears perked up as a rooster was mentioned. It was hard to pour batter and also listen, but he loved stories, and Kevin was surprisingly good at telling them. Odion smiled to himself, looking around for a plate to put the finished pancakes on. Each of them could have about four or five of them by the time he was done, and he was nowhere near being finished. Odion’s elbow bumped into Lani’s mother and he looked up at her. She had this silly, goofy smile on her face as she looked at her husband. There was an interesting chemistry between them, that was for sure, and Odi couldn’t help but smile a little wider. Oh, if only she knew. And then he frowned. Is that what he looked like when he was looking at Lani? Were his feelings obvious?

“I was getting to that,” Odion said, making a sour face as he turned one of them. The side showing now was black as night, and his solemn face quickly turned into a smile. “Well you can have these ones Lani,” Odion drawled, ‘Lani’ turning into ‘Lawni’ as he flipped the rest of the pancakes happily. Even Lani’s mum was laughing at that one. Lani’s mum gave her son a look that said ‘there’s only a little room in the kitchen, maybe you should go spend more time with your dad’. It was funny, how much a single look could imply. Odion looked hopefully at Lani while his mom put a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “You’re doing just fine dear,” she said, smiling at him. “I’ve never cooked anythin’ before,” he said, Lani’s plate was ready to go so Odion poured the new batch. “You’re a natural,” she said, the confidence she had in him tried and true. It made something swell inside of Odion that he thought had died a long time ago. Maybe Lani was a prankster like his father, but he was a lover like his mother.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani laughed and raised his hands in yielding. He dared not be forbidden from pancakes. Lani blinked in surprise. Maybe it wasn’t so ridiculous after all. There had to be an easier way to do that as well. Even just asking a friend to take care of them. But then Lani supposed everyone was pretty much doing as they were doing and spending time away from school. But that had to be a lot of work to go back to Hammel. Lani was under the impression that Odion’s power worked in the place he was. Lani was thinking that Odion had to find a way to get himself back to Vermont and then back to Boston. It couldn’t be an easy trip. And if it were Lani there was no way he would be this cheerful in the morning if he had done something like that. Lani wondered for a moment if Odion ever stopped time and slept and that was why he was such a morning person.

Lani was oblivious to the look his mother was giving his father. He was too busy quizzing him. Apparently the rooster ended up being really mean. It had escaped into the courtyard between two dorms and taken over a volleyball court. Then deeming that it was his territory chased unsuspecting students away from its court. Lani couldn’t stop laughing. He was of course on his way to figuring out how he could accomplish something like that. And on who. He could always get good revenge on Rhett that way. He had an impish smile on his face and he turned back to the kitchen to bother Odion. Lani’s only goal was to be in the way. He was not helpful and honestly he doubted his mother would let him have that much freedom with the stove. He got distracted way too easily to cook.

Lani held back a chuckle at the state of the pancake. It looked rather dark. Crispy. “Oh goodie,” Lani replied dryly. Lani caught his mother’s look and gave her the ‘do I have to’ look in response and when his mother’s stern gaze let him know that he did indeed have to. That didn’t mean he was going to be happy about it. Lani watched the kitchen and turned back to his father. By the time Odion had finished the first batch Lani had been coaxed into telling the story of how they had rescued the cats. He gestured randomly from himself to Odion and around the room as if he were painting the scene with his hands. He glanced back at the kitchen and found himself paused in his story and smiling. Odion finally looked like he was having fun. He was just getting into how the kittens had turned into balls of energy early on. Darshay was bold and loud, L.J. was demanding of attention and Shadow could do just as well being left alone.

“I’m hungry,” Caroline complained loudly and both Lani and his father shot her warning looks. “Odion’s being kind enough to help your mother with breakfast. You be kind enough to be patient.” Kevin scolded his daughter. Lani glanced at his father warily. He wasn’t sure what game the older Hunter was playing but he didn’t like it. He just couldn't even imagine that his father might be giving Odion a chance.

[Odion Martins]

Odion could hear two conversations going on. One was happening right beside him, where Lani’s mother was talking about all her travels and where she still wanted to go, and one in the living room where Lani was going on and on about the cats. Odion smiled, wondering if Lani had figured out what L.J. had stood for, or if he was ever going to figure it out. The more than cat grew, the more like Lani he became, it was amusing and endearing at the same time.

Perhaps Kevin took kindly to those who helped his family, despite who they were behind closed doors. Odion was trying to win Lani’s family over, but only a little. The rest of why he was doing this was because he really wanted to be here, he really wanted to get to know Lani, and his family was a rather large part of doing just that. Lani’s mum helped herself to one of the pancakes, making a little humming noise. “These, are good.” It made Odion smile, and surprisingly, blush a little bit. “They just need some butter and syrup and they’re perfect.” Now that’s what Odion liked to hear. He wouldn’t admit it now, but he had actually enjoyed the whole cooking process, even though he was still trying to brush flour off his shirt.

Hearing the last bit of the conversation in the living room, Odion cleared his throat. “Caroline, I could use some help.” He really didn’t need any help, but the youngest Hunter seemed eager to prove how good she could be. As soon as she arrived, he bent over to say something into her ear that made her giggle. And with that, she proceeded to place various food items onto the table. As soon as she put one down, Mrs. Hunter gave her another thing. Finally, Odion gave Caroline a plate and she grinned at him knowingly.

Practically skipping over to her brother, she handed him a whole plate of pancakes, a la burned. “Odion said, bon appetite.” The redhead laughed out loud at how she pronounced it, but he didn’t mean any harm. Caroline was smiling proudly at getting the chance to tease Lani and Odion was happy for the excuse to do so. Mrs. Hunter snuck up behind him, her hand on his shoulder close to his neck as she said something softly in his ear. “It’s nice having you around Odi,” she said, wiping off her hands and going to the table, “breakfast’s ready!”

Odion was left smiling to himself for a moment or two as everyone moved to the table. Did she really mean that? Odion looked up to see Lani looking at him he blinked a couple times. This felt so... normal. Stuck between wanting to sit down and also wanting to help get dishes done, Odion remained frozen, wondering if it was too late to slip back into simply watching the family operate, or if he was to operate with them.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani was alternatively thinking that bringing Odion here was a terrible and a brilliant idea. Terrible because poor Odion was exposed to his father and brilliant because he loved the way Odion and his mother were getting along. Lani never got tired of telling stories. Caroline supplied some of her own stories about her trainer and a story of how Lani had had to pick up cards. She had a talent for stories. Lani couldn’t help but be proud of her. Even if her power did have something to do with what he hated. “Oh, Lani, when we get back to school I’ll have my first swim meet!” She said excitedly. Lani was smiling outwardly but on the inside he was cursing. That meant he would have to go to the pool. Not as an obligation but because he loved her and wanted to see her do well. “What are you swimming?”

“They’ve got me doing the Breaststroke and the Butterfly.” She demonstrated the basic motion as she named them. Lani smiled and nodded. “Good, let me know what time…” “Five on the first Friday back.” Lani blinked and nodded. “Alright. Sounds good. I’ll be there.” She flung her arms around his neck nearly choking him and then bounced off as she was called into the kitchen. Lani sighed and shook his head. He was going to have to go to the pool. Be in the same place as water. It was going to be within close proximity to him. He would be able to see it. Well, he would at least be hugging the wall until Caroline swam but then he would be by the side cheering her on. Lani sighed and shook his head. Rubbing at his eyes he heard his father say something but didn’t catch it. “Huh?”

“I was saying how we should have kept you in those swim lessons. I think they would have done you good.” His father said and Lani just shivered. “I’m glad you didn’t. I mean it’s not like I’m going to be stupid and fall in. Besides, telekinesis comes in quite handy.” Lani grinned and he glanced back at the group in the kitchen. Caroline giggling as Odion said something to her. “You have to face your fears, Lani.” Lani frowned at the bit of advice and sighed. How many times had he heard that one? He glanced into the kitchen again and huffed a little. How did he get stuck alone with his father again? “How are things at work?” Lani asked after a few moments of silence. His father nodded uttering about retirement not being close enough. “I’ve been thinking…” Lani started keeping his voice low, “About college. Just community, I’d pay out of my own pocket.” He added quickly before his father could protest.

Suddenly a plate of… were those supposed to be pancakes?... was in his hand. Lani tossed a grin back at Odion and rose to his feet. “Tell Odion I said thank you for the coal.” He said loud enough for the redhead to hear. Lani chuckled and was willing to be a good sport about it. He would eat them. Or at least try to. His mother called for breakfast and Caroline went off. His father caused him to pause. “I think that’s a good idea… I’ll tell you want. I’ll pay you back for every class you pass.” Lani nearly dropped the plate in shock. “Really?” When his father nodded Lani’s face broke into a smile. His father didn’t trust him enough to pay for the classes but he was willing to give Lani a chance. That was all he had asked for. “Thank you.” Lani snuck his father a hug before settling down at the table.

He looked up at Odion setting his plate of black circles down. Odion seemed to be hesitating and so Lani wandered by on the ruse of getting a drink. He bumped Odion subtly shoving him toward the table. “Eat it while it’s hot.” He reached up and grabbed a cup and got himself some water. Odion was going to learn that in this household those who cooked were exempt from dishes. And consequently usually the telekinetic was volun-told to do the dishes.

[Odion Martins]

So long as Odion was alone with Kevin at any point during this trip, they would be safe. The ginger wouldn’t do well to being interrogated and openly mistrusted by the father of the man he loved. Maybe Lani bent to the older man’s will, but Odion would not. Indeed they would butt heads and blood would be spilt. That kind of conversation and/or battle was best saved for another day that wasn’t Christmas. In fact, Odion was purposefully staying in the room with other people to avoid anything he might regret saying which Kevin might inspire.

Laughing at Lani’s oh so subtle comment, Odion shook his head. “Santa told me you were on the Naughty List this year,” he said, adding insult to injury. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the jest and now this way, no one would have to deal with disgustingly overcooked pancakes, but Lani of course, who would certainly understand and not be too much of a critic. But so much had happened, he hadn’t been paying attention to what was transpiring between Lani and his father. Lani’s mum had distracted him and now Odion was looking at Caroline, obviously eager to eat but equally eager not to be scolded again, and waiting for everyone to sit down.

Odion slipped into an empty spot at the table, unsure of what to have. There was just so much, it was hard to believe he had only made pancakes while mother, er, Lani’s mother had made the rest. “Nothing short of impressive,” he said at the spread, gaining a couple smile. He took a little bit of everything but the pancakes. Lani’s mum seemed to notice the card on the table, and she plucked it right open. Her eyes scanned the card before her hand went to her chest. “Oh Odion. What a nice poem, and such beautiful penmanship,” she said a few other things, but Odion stopped paying attention as he turned beet red and stared at his food, picking at it slightly with his fork. He wondered how much he could stomach today. “It’s just a card...” he was saying, and Lani’s mum only tsked. “This must’ve taken some time, thank you,” she insisted, handing it over to Kevin who didn’t seem that interested. Odion watched the older man. How could someone be so complacent? “You’re welcome,” he said quickly, his eyes drifting over to Lani. Maybe he could stop talking now?

Family is the strong tie,
That holds you to the ground.
When it seems that you have lost,
All that you had found.
They are the rock that holds you down,
When you start to float away,
And they can turn your life around,
When you go astray.
They are the friends that you are born with,
They are with you 'till the end,
And when life treats you rough,
Your broken heart they will mend.
Although sometimes you may fuss and fight,
And may not always agree,
In the dark, they are the light,
That shows the path so you can see.
Thank you for inviting me
Into your family.

--Odion Martins

[Lani Hunter]

Lani laughed enjoying the joke even if it was at his own expense. “Psh, this year?” Lani replied with a cocky wave of his hand. He looked at Odion and a smile stretched across his face. He could show Odion how naughty he could be. Lani’s brain startled at the thought. It was as if it came from his own mind but came so completely out of nowhere it was a shock to Lani himself. He shook his head a little bit and looked back at the ‘pancakes’. Lani didn’t mind taking the burnt ones. That would at least save the good ones for everyone else. “I’m sure we have enough syrup to make these edible.” Lani commented in passing to rid himself of the shock of his own thoughts. Settling down with his glass of water Lani made himself comfortable behind the crisp pancakes.

“If there’s space on the table you’re insulting the guest,” Lani quoted his mother with a sly smile on his face. She gave him a big affirmative nod. “Don’t you forget it. Let me tell you,” she continued turning to her new favorite person, “My mother could be a million places at once. She used to cook all the time. She’d say, ‘Sit, sit I get you something. You hungry? I make you something.’ And let me just say when I first introduced Kevin to my parents he was a lot skinnier.” She laughed imitating her mother’s own thick Greek accent. Lani laughed, he wished he had gotten to meet the old woman, but she had passed away before he was ten. Kevin made a face at his wife and Lani laughed even harder. Lani turned to Odion giving him a ‘beware’ look. “I remember she used to pretend she didn’t know English if you said you were full.” Lani put in and his mother laughed nodding emphatically.

Then the letter. Lani had wondered what was inside and as his mother praised Odion Lani’s interested was spiked. He didn’t know Odion wrote poems. Maybe his own habit wasn’t so ridiculous now. He moved so he could read the letter over his father’s shoulder a smile growing on his lips. That was really good and it was very special. Lani felt his heart warming and he gave Odion a loving look over his father’s shoulder. Odion was matching his hair and Lani wished he had a camera now. Odion met his eyes and Lani’s eyes were warm, melted gray. Lani looked away quickly before anyone but Odion could catch the look he was giving Odion. He sat back down and decided to come to Odion’s rescue. “Good penmanship indeed,” Lani commented teasingly, “Now if only he could cook.” His mother swatted at him, “Be nice.”

Lani chuckled and was the first to reach for the butter. He spread a generous amount over his black pancakes and then started pouring syrup. He tossed Odion a glance. “So how much syrup do you think I’ll need to make these edible?” His lips quirked up into a smile and he took his first risky bite. They were awful. Not as bad as they probably could have been and the others were probably good. “A little crunchy,” Lani said as if that was the only thing wrong with them. Forget about the taste of soot in his mouth.

[Odion Martins]

“Interesting,” Odion said, finally feeling comfortable enough to try and eat something, “you warned me your mother would do the same thing to me, more or less.” The ginger said, if only to see Lani get into trouble. As if on cue, Lani’s mum sent him a mock death glare. “I’m not that bad,” she insisted, but even she knew she was. But he really did mean the compliment he gave her, Odion didn’t believe in fallacies such as those. His eyes drifted over to where Kevin was eating like he hadn’t eaten in weeks, and the redhead smirked to himself. Of course, Kevin was older now, and probably would’ve been thinner in his younger days no matter what was happening at the moment. But he wasn’t a heavyset man by any means, so there was hope for Lani yet.

“I’m going to learn,” he said adamantly, shoveling some scrambled eggs into his mouth so he wasn’t expected to say much more. Now that he knew what something cooked tasted like versus something bought and heated up which was pre-done, well, he was determined. Odion laughed, as did everyone else at the table. “Here,” he said, stopping time and everyone in it so he could swap a couple of Lani’s crunchy pancakes with some good ones. He didn’t want anyone protesting and he wasn’t going to finish his food, even though it was all so delicious. Time resumed and Odion smirked at those around the table looked a little lost. Nothing was simple for him, even sharing food. The ginger went back to eating and keeping to himself, though he was secretly watching Lani for a reaction to the pancakes. Those ones at least, tasted delicious.

“I might be moving out of dorm soon,” Odion said, tossing in the side note. He had put a lot of thought into the matter and knew it was a good idea. Now that he had tried his hand at making pancakes, moving out would mean he’d have a kitchen to himself to practice in. It could be an adventure, and also a disaster but Odion tried not to think about that. Also, the privacy would be very much so appreciated.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani gave Odion a flat nosed look that indicated it was clearly meant to be a secret. “I don’t remember saying anything of the sort,” Lani lied. His mother snorted in her way that she knew when he was lying. He didn’t know what it was about the woman but it was very hard to lie to her. If only because lying to someone like her just made him feel completely guilty just thinking of deceiving her. At least Lani had a very small regard for guilt. Well, that was at least until it had reared its ugly head and swallowed him months ago. Now he was very attune to it. Lani loaded up his plate with eggs and few pieces of sausage. Maybe they would make the pancakes taste less terrible. Lani glanced around the table a little jealous of those with the good ones. From the look on his family’s face they were very good.

Chuckling Lani nodded giving Odion a skeptical look. Lani took started to eat subtly avoiding the pancakes in favor of the not burnt food. Lani barely glanced up at Odion before he looked back down and there were good pancakes on his plate. Lani recovered first. “Odion, you didn’t have to,” Lani said but not before he got a mouthful of the good pancakes. Indicating just because Odion didn’t have to swap some pancakes with him didn’t mean Lani wasn’t going to eat them. When Lani did try the good pancakes he smiled with pleasure and pride that Odion had proven him wrong. They perfect. The first batch might have been bad and experimental but Odion was a quick learner. Lani did little to mask his initial pleasure but when he noticed Odion’s eyes on him he shrugged. “Well I suppose we’ll keep you.”

Lani tossed Odion a surprised look. He didn’t know that Odion was planning to move out. That reminded Lani suddenly that he wasn’t going to be allowed to live in the dorms anymore either after this year. He was graduating this summer and he only knew that he was going to college. But he had nowhere to live while he did that. Perhaps they would let him stay. “How soon?” Lani asked unable to stop himself. Lani wasn’t about to offer that they live together. Not at this stage. They were new that would probably be the worst thing they could do. “You’ve gotta start looking to,” Lani’s father put in and Lani nodded. “Where are you looking?” Lani questioned. Odion was already ahead of him in knowing that he was going to move out.