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     The passing of three years didn't really help Matthews's situation.

     His friends were changing with the time, of course, and it was kind of unsettling. Especially in William's case.

     He was growing up rather nicely, his height constantly keeping up with Matt's shoulder. The sharp features of his face were already defined, and Matt could tell he would grow up to be a handsome man. His cheekbones were high, his jaw was v-shaped, his lips thin and- coated in saliva.

     No, his habit didn't quite die, and it was comical next to his ever neutral expression.

     William's silence used to be of childish shyness, but as he grew up, his silence turned to be caused by mere lack of interest in his surroundings. His face would rarely express anything when not glued to a book, moment in which he would pull faces according to the contents of the pages.

     Currently, his expression was dumbfounded, causing Matthews to grin amused, but then his face turned blank as pale brown eyes moved on his questioningly.

     Matt offered an awkward smile at being caught staring, and William seemed to brush it off, moving his eyes back on the book as he nibbled his thumb from top to base, before sliding his lips back up.

     The 17 years old gulped at that and decided to move his gaze away, on his other friend. Which mightn't have been a good idea.

     Veronique's shapes were beginning to form, his limbs no longer the scrawny chopsticks they used to be. His thighs were filling up nicely and his calves were voluminous, his stockings no longer needing to be sustained by the straps he now attached just as accessories. His hips were sharp and shoulders petite, collarbone defined and neck slim.

     His eyes were as wide as ever, their colour remaining that bright, clear turquoise. His top lip was slim, and his bottom lip full, in an ever lasting pout of sorts. It was quite adorable, if Matthews dared say so.

     "Mattie." Veronique deadpanned from his place on the chair, where he was fumbling with a stereo.

     Matt looked up sheepishly, trying to keep a neutral expression.

     "You have a little drool." Veronique pointed to his own mouth, now smirking. "There."

     The older boy rolled his eyes, brushing his bangs away from his black eyes and leaning against the wall next to his bed, his knee brushing by William's. Matt then eyed the notebook he was holding, and doodled on the side, next to the equations he was working on- he liked math.

     "Did you find the melody yet?" he asked absent-mindedly, adding a pair of eyes to the small bat he was drawing.

     Veronique shook his head with a frown, continuing to press a button on the stereo as he leaned on the table. "I just put the cassette in." he mumbled, sitting back on his heels after raising the volume. "I still don't know about this. Dimitri doesn't seem the kind to listen to Oasis..." he squinted.

     The bullies had eventually matured as well, even reaching on speaking terms with Veronique- when they didn't tease him. The age difference of four years between them kind of killed the mood to pick on the younger.

     But, as the stereo started playing the cassette, it was clear that Dimitri was still up for pranks.

     Veronique gritted his teeth and gazed into distance as the sound of female moans and slaps of skin filled the silence of the room. Matthews bit his lip to keep from laughing, but inched his knee away from William- who looked up from the book to nonchalantly glare at the stereo.

     The boy at the table slammed a hand on the stop button and sighed heavily, cheeks blushed.

     "Hilarious." he deadpanned, opening the stereo and snatching the cassette out, slamming it on the table and turning towards his two friends. "While you're out, mind looking for an Oasis album? If we join the money you gained from washing dishes yesterday and the money I stole from Parker, it'll be enough, I guess."

     Matthews darted a look out the window, noticing that the airship was about to land, the sight sending eager butterflies in his stomach. He nodded absent-mindedly and got up from the bed, pulling William with him.

     "You should come, Veronique. Rarely does the ship land to stock up necessities, and the trips organized by adults are really fun!" he pleaded, but knew from past experiences it would most likely be in vain.

     Sure enough, Veronique jumped down from the chair only to go to Matthews's bed and slowly crawl under the blanket.

     Matt sighed, poking at the lump. "Come on, it's beautiful out there..." he tried.

     William placed a hand on his shoulder and offered a knowing look, at which Matthews nodded and, with a sigh, straightened up. He knew Veronique would feel uneasy once the ship landed on water, the sudden change from the movement of flying to the movement of floating unsettling him, so he offered:

     "Want me to stay here with you?"

     The blanket moved with a rustle as the boy shook his head, and Matthews leaned his forehead on the middle bed of the bunk, sighing helplessly again. Before getting to insist, the door of the room opened, Mr. Quin entering with a small smile.

     "The blimp is about to land, so hold tight." he announced, eyes moving to the lumpy blanket with a sympathetic grin. He walked up to the bed and ruffled the dark hair escaping the comforter. "Whenever you're ready, Veronique." Mr. Quin assured, then nodded at the two other boys and turned around, adjusted his tie and left.

     Matthews kept his hands in the pocket of his leather jacket in attempt to keep still, eyeing the wooden doors eagerly. William was fumbling with his scarf, all of it wrapped around his neck so that it was fully covered. The small hallway was crowded with people from Matthews's floor- the two principals would take his floor to an Café, while teachers would take other floors to different locals.

     The teenagers looked out the windows as their ship carefully floated above the water, next to a dock full of wondering people. Matt almost glued his face to the glass, wanting to take in every detail of that sight- definitely more interesting than the constant view of clouds.

     As they felt the ship move with the small waves underneath it, they patted their clothing, hair and straightened their postures, seeking to present themselves as the citizens expected them to- superior.

     The double doors opened to reveal the gangway leading to the dock, and Matthews squinted at the natural light.

     Bogeyman stepped out, the row of teenagers moving on his trail to the dock filled with gawking people. Mr. Quin was at the back of the row, but once he got out, he walked up front next to his partner to shake hands with the ones responsible with the airship.

     Other floors exited as well, the younger and the older, and were all placed in organized groups while the teachers staff- which consisted of known theoreticians, scientists, writers and so on- took pictures with other equally important people for the newspapers.

     The crowd took the time to gawk at the students, girls fanning themselves, men grinning suggestively and parents showing their children what models to follow.

     Matthews had his fair share of gazes darted his way, seeing as he was between the tallest of people and looked no worse than the others. His shoulders were slightly hunched in a casual posture, boots tapping as to enjoy the feeling of wet pavement. His leather jacket was unzipped to expose his lean torso, covered by the grey striped v-neck shirt. His black pants were tucked in the footwear, allowing the angles of his legs to show nicely. His eyes were mostly hidden by his black hair, so he was oblivious to the attention given.

     He only looked up from the beautifully coloured leaves sticking to the ground the moment a body slammed against his. An arm wrapped itself around his shoulders, pulling him back from his stumble.

     "Heard you're going to the Café?" Oliver asked with a dimpled grin, his long hair flowing like silk ribbons in the Autumn wind.

     Matthews looked at him with a grin, proud of the fact that he had caught up to his height recently. "Aren't you supposed to be with the group of your floor?"

     The blond shrugged, placing his elbow on top of William's head and propping himself on him casually. "Neh, we got the science teacher, takes us to a museum- I'd rather not overheat my neurons in conversation with them." he joked, despite himself being a student passionate about such matters.

     Matthews chuckled, watching as girls started pointing their way- Oliver had quite the unique beauty, a mixture between macho and elegant.

     Upon seeing Mr. Quin make his way to the back of the row, Matt guessed it was time they left, and looked around to admire his surroundings as the group started moving.

     Each breath he took was deep, as to feel the rainy air. His eyes roamed up and down the dark, pale buildings and his nose stole whiffs of the perfumes on passing women, warm scents from bakeries and the wet smell of pavement.

     The leaves offered hints of colours here and there, the drops of rain on them glistening in the light of Victorian streetlamps. The sound of murmuring people, wet footsteps and street performers distracted him enough for Oliver to have to repeat his question, that time with a tap on his friend's shoulder.

     "I was asking about Veronique." he said with a curious raise of eyebrows.

     "Same old same old." Matthews shrugged helplessly, toying with his zipper.

     "It's going to be hard on him when the orphanage will let him out, you know. He should try and adjust from now." he advised.

     William shook his head underneath the blond's elbow, pulling his scarf off his mouth. "There's no convincing him, and that's understandable. He's been in that airship since he can remember, it will be as terrifying on him in the future as it would be now. Only, as an adult, his body will be more likely to handle the drastic change of environment."

     With that, he pulled his scarf back up, hiding his cheeks- red from the nibble of the wind.

     "He speaks?" Oliver jokingly asked Matt, letting his arm fall from Will's head in order to poke at his cheekbone.

     Matthews chuckled, turning his head in time to notice the row of people take a left into the Café.

     The small building was painted in a dark beige, with pretty flowers at the windows and decorative gnomes scattered about. The students entered, occupying the booths and tables in groups, while the adults- the two principals and some people that had already been there, most probably friends- sat at a far corner.

     Oliver, Matthews and William occupied a booth, the blond and Matt on one side of the table, William on the other.

     "Speaking of which, what happens when we're released from the orphanage?" the black-haired teenager asked, taking off his jacket and eyeing the local curiously.

     "You will be provided a house with necessities payed by the government and will have to do researches and, monthly, there will be gatherings with other people working in your domain, in which you will all have to come up with things that would benefit the society- theories, theorems, cures, discoveries or others, depending on the category you master." he clarified, blinking a couple of times at the end as if getting out of a trance.

     Oliver looked at him with a questioning squint, at which Will shrugged nonchalantly.

     Matthews hummed and tapped his chin, watching as a waitress made her way to their table. As she pinned a pen on her notebook, she offered a smile William's way and leaned her weight on one leg, hips angled elegantly. "What may I serve you with?"

     Oliver cleared his throat loudly and then answered before Will got the chance to, despite the woman's insistent gaze on the dark honey haired man. "I'll have a hot chocolate, thank you."

     "Same here." Matthews murmured, admiring her grey corset dress, but squinting upon noticing her striped stockings. They somehow looked wrong on her...

     "I'll have a coffee and a caramel milkshake to go." William ordered, pointedly looking anywhere but at her.

     Oliver watched the waitress walk away, then placed his chin on his palm, raising an eyebrow. "Caramel milkshake?" he asked, eyes looking the teenager up and down. "You seem more the strawberry type. With sprinkles and a cherry on top." he teased with an easy smile.

     William started unwrapping the scarf around his neck, the warmth having eventually gotten to him. "It's for Veronique."

     "Ah, I see."

     Matthews's shoulders slumped down, disappointed at himself for not having thought of that.

     "So, about those domains you were speaking of." Oliver changed the subject, tilting his head. "What do you specify in? I always see you reading, but never thought of asking what." he said curiously.

     Matthews darted a look William's way upon hearing no answer come from him, and watched with widen eyes as the younger placed his elbow on the table and thumb between his teeth, eyes gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

     Will then nibbled the tip of his thumb and lowered all the way to its base, the posture of his head exposing his Adam's apple almost invitingly. As his lips reached the base of his thumb, he slid it out in the usual manner he always would, only slower and wetter, but his eyes remained as nonchalant as always.

     "I'm quite interested in anatomy, amongst others..." he spoke thoughtfully, nail touching his lower teeth. "It's intriguing all the things you can find about one's body..."

     His eyes moved on Oliver.

     "Inside-out..."

     Matthews suddenly felt like a third wheel, between William nibbling on his finger and Oliver eyeing the other man suggestively, so he could only be relieved when some of his other friends joined the table.

 

     Matthews ran a hand through the fountain's water, his reflection gazing back at him.

     The principals had let them wonder about the town for a couple hours before having to go back to the meeting spot at the dock. The three friends had decided to go to a Music store, from which Matthews bought the cassette Veronique wanted, and then went for the fountain at the central square, where they met again with Viola and the few other friends that had joined their table.

     Citizens knew their statuses by the grey striped accessory they were wearing, the airship and its ways were no secret in that country, so they had no choice but to pointedly ignore the many gazes and murmurs darted their way.

     "What if someone decides to run away?" Matt asked curiously, leaning further to pick an orange leaf just as it was about to sink. It was still his favourite colour.

     "Won't happen. They would have nowhere and no one to go to." William replied monotonously, crossing his arms to keep himself warm.

     "But what if someone did?" he insisted, shaking the leaf to sprinkle Will, who in turn pulled the scarf to hide his face.

     "Are we that bad of a company?" Oliver teased, nudging Matt's shoulder with his own.

     "God, yes. I sometimes consider just jumping off the ship when I see you coming with that dramatic flip of your hair." Matthews teased back.

     The blond then lowered his head and flipped all of his hair in Matt's face, his friend scrunching his nose at the whip of the strands and mimicking pulling one out of his mouth.

     "Would you look at that..."

     Matt looked up curiously, and saw a group of three people. The one in the middle was a brunette that held a determined glare, to his left stood a woman with a flirty expression and to his right was a bored looking guy.

     "Should we kneel before their feet and peck the intelligence on them?" the man that first addressed them spat, crossing his arms and shaking his head in disgust.

     Of course, just because they received more than necessary attention didn't mean all of it would be positive.

     "Spencer, you also applied for the orphanage." the guy to his right murmured, looking around carelessly.

     "And purposefully failed. Why would I want to be surrounded by a bunch of overrated spoiled brats, Paul?" the brunette spat, pointedly glaring at the three people on the edge of the fountain.

     "Yeah, mates?" Oliver began, leaning left and right as if trying to look past the group in front of him. "Can you continue your conversation somewhere else? Can't admire the view, and we don't come down here often." he accentuated the last part with a twist of his lips.

     Spencer clenched his jaw at that, head tilting challenging but saying nothing in return- Oliver just acted based on his generalizing, which he had hoped to have had insulting effect. He seemed dumbfounded for a moment before he moved his eyes on Matthews, changing his posture as if wanting to restart the situation.

     Spencer's eyes trailed down the man's upper body, gaze eventually reaching Matt's name, scribbled upside down at the base of his shirt- he had changed it since little, of course, but whenever he'd get a new size he'd just write the name like that, as a signature of sorts.

     After a few seconds of pondering, the man eventually spoke. "Matthews..."

     His squinting eyes turned menacing and his lips stretched into a grin. "Matthews, the trophy child orphan, remember guys?" he turned briefly towards each of his two friends, at which the girl nodded thoughtfully and the guy shrugged. "The entire town was flipping shit about The Bennets situation back in... 1986 was it?"

     Matthews gaped at that and impulsively stood up, throat swollen.

     All those years ago, he had been to young to understand what his parents' position in the society was, but he knew they were important people- hence their need of a trophy child to compete the image. It would be only natural that their disappearance would be announced and his name would reach known enough for a smartass like Spencer to catch on.

     "What happened to them?" he asked, trying to keep his composure.

     He had never thought about his parents much, he just considered them vanished and lived with it- the thin bond between them offered him little empathy towards them. Now, though, that he found himself so close to the truth, he kind of lost it.

     "You wouldn't know, but the entire city does." Spencer casually replied, enjoying the situation. "Would you look at this, an all mighty genius at my little finger."

     "Don't be like this, please tell me." Matthews found himself pleading, the hands in his pockets clenching in sweat.

     "I could straight up tell you, or..." the man trailed off, looking behind him at his two friends. "Or I could have some fun before letting you know." he smirked, and then pointed at William.    

     "Push him in the water."

     "Why must you do this!" Matthews exclaimed, more affected than he cared to admit. With a sigh, he walked back towards the fountain, ignoring Oliver as he protectively gripped Will's arm, and sat next to his friend, elbows resting on his knees and head hanging low.

     He breathed in and out, trying to calm himself. There was no need to know what had happened to his parents, right? Even if he was to find out, there would be nothing to do about it. Still, his chest trembled and hands shook at being so close to having the answer to the questions he had kept himself from asking for so many years...

     "William, what in the heavens." he heard Oliver ask, and looked to his right to see Will crouched on the edge, the blond's grip on his arm tightening.

     "It's no big deal, the ship is close and I'll just go dry myself." he shrugged, expression determined.

     "Don't be foolish, it's bloody Autumn!" Oliver exclaimed, trying to tug him back into sitting.

     "William, it's fine, really. I don't care." Matthews murmured, but watched helplessly as his friend stood up on the edge, Oliver along with him.

     "Stop this nonsense!" the blond exclaimed, tugging the teenager back as he attempted to lean into the water. Eventually, Oliver just grabbed him by the waist and jumped down from the edge of the fountain, stepping away just for caution.

     William struggled in his grip and eventually escaped it, pulling his sweater in place- the material having raised to his ribs. Then, he stomped his way to Spencer and simply backhand slapped him in the face.

     "You are but an ordinary, sore loser. It's men attempts like you that require us to live 1500 feet in the air, understand?"

     With that, he simply walked back to the fountain and picked up the caramel milkshake from its edge, gripped Matthews's hand and pulled him away from the gazes of people, Oliver following close behind.

     "Matthews."

     He stopped dead in his tracks, causing Will to stumble back since they hands were interlocked.

     Matt turned around slowly, unable to tell what expression stood on his own face, and eyed the man wearily.

     Spencer looked to the side, jaw clenched as he tapped his foot, frowning thoughtfully. With a sigh, he moved his gaze on William, then back to Matthews. "It's better that you don't know." he assured him, eyes honest under the frowning eyebrows.

     Just then, a distant memory of his parents slow dancing in the grand living room flashed through his mind, overwhelmingly clear. Perhaps they didn't show much affection for him, but they loved one another and did not, under any circumstance, deserve any other fate than dying in each other's arms.

     The sight before his eyes faded as he felt a tug of his hand, the view of his parents replaced by the wet pavement, slowly moving as Will pulled him away from the spot. After a few backwards steps, he managed to get to his senses and turn around in time to round the corner of a building, moment at which his friend stopped moving and leaned on the bricked wall, leg kicking at the streetlamp near him.

     Oliver appeared as well with hesitant steps, for once seeming to not find words as he fumbled with his hair.

     Matt hiccuped once, but suppressed the sob that was to follow by holding his breath.

     "You're... you're a good friend, William." he faintly said, trying to think of anything but the possible scenarios that ran through his head.

     With that, he approached his friend and cupped his jaw, trying to focus on his features and nothing else, and leaned in for a thankful, short peck on his lips. William smiled tentatively at that and hugged his chest, which Matthews returned gratefully.

     "It's better not to think about the parents, don't give it thought." Oliver murmured, crossing his arms and frowning at the streetlight, the rays brightening the icy blue of his eyes and shadowing his hard features.

     The atmosphere was visibly thick, each one of them secretly ignoring Oliver's advice, even himself.

 

     "For me!" Veronique exclaimed as William sat down next to him on the bed, handing him the milkshake. The boy eyed the cup with a large grin, barely managing his lips into pursing around the straw. "Oh my stockings, this is what happiness tastes like..." he exclaimed, leaning comfortably into William's chest, who was leaning against the wall next to the mattress. "Thank you!" he added, pressing his nose to the man's jaw in what must have been a thankful gesture, before resuming his abuse of the straw.

     Matthews smiled, glad for the distraction of his friend, oblivious to the happenings. He was like a fresh gulp of air much needed.

     Sitting next to his mates, Matt reached in the pocket of his jacket and took out the cassette, waving it in front of Veronique, whose eyes followed the object excitedly. "Oh! I forgot to give you the money I gained!" he complained, looking at Matt apologetically.

     "Nonsense, it's a gift..." he assured him, handing him the present with a smile.

     Veronique took it and jumped from the bed and wobbled to the stereo- he still wasn't used to the waves underneath them- and inserted the cassette, fumbling with the buttons.

     "This is it!" Veronique announced after skipping a few songs. "It's the melody I heard on the radio yesterday! Yes! Wonderwall!" he smiled, hips leaning in rhythm with the tambourine.

     Then, he turned around with a bright smile, but it slowly faded upon doing a double take at his friend. Tilting his head, he made his way back to the bed and sat on his knees. "Why the long face?"

     Matthews looked at the younger tiredly, letting his façade down. With a sigh, he took off his jacket, letting it drop to the floor, and lay on the mattress, stretching his long legs as much as the space allowed.

     "Please don't insist on it..." he murmured, closing his eyes and dropping an arm on them.

     After a few moments of tense silence, he felt a warm body sneak on his, and then hair tickled at his jaw as Veronique placed his head on his left side of the chest. Matt could feel his own heart tap against the boy's cheekbone and pulled his arm away from his eyes to wrap it around his friend's shoulder.

     William tentatively lay down as well, on his side, near the two other boys. Matthews turned his head towards him, expression content. He stretched his free arm to rub the tip of his fingers in Will's hair, managing to raise the corner of his friend's lips while doing so.

     Veronique patted Matt's free shoulder invitingly, invitation which Will accepted, scooting closer and placing his head on the spot indicated.

     Matthews sighed, feeling their breaths tickle at his neck and collarbone and their hair teasing his senses soothingly. Listening to the nice melody filling the room, he found himself relating to the lyrics.

     'Because maybe, you're gonna be the ones that save me. And after all, you're my wonderwall.'

 

 

I know the original lyrics address one person, but I'm the writer and I make dem rules >:0 If you'd like to hear the melody, it's to the right. Nice thing that is :)

SORRY for the humongous upload D: So much fecal matter went down! I hope you liked the chapter nonetheless :)

 Thank you PromiseWolf for the name Spencer :} 

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