Final Grade 18

Portuguese help: Dim Genesis

Triton’s face was gently tilted up and he turned his head to the side, smiling as a gentle hand cupped his cheek and soft fingers brushed against his skin, down the side of his face to his lips.

"Kiss me," he whispered, raising up to offer his lips to his partner.

"Is that all you can offer? A demand only?"

It was... Quatre. And that fact wasn’t sending Triton into the near coronary it gave him in the daylight hours. He opened his eyes and looked into Quatre’s lust-dark sea blue ones only to find the older man moving down, kissing his chin, throat, neck. Triton arched his back in anticipation of the next area down, winding his fingers in Quatre’s hair and squeezing his eyes shut as his breath came in shaky half-gasps, whining a little when Quatre moved back up to his lips. Triton didn’t care as much as he could have, if only because Quatre was holding him, he was wrapped in Quatre’s warm embrace and it was something he’d been missing, something he’d been offered but had pushed away and it felt right, so incredibly *right* to love and be loved by his teacher like this.

"Triton..." With a short gasp the young man snapped out of his dream and wide awake, staring into the large and desire-filled eyes of his Queen. Her own breaths were quick and shallow and her body was all tangled with his, her hands on his back and chest, his own hands holding her close to him. Relena shuddered and pressed her lips to his throat, whining softly.

"Relena..." Triton was still quivering from his dream, still very aroused by it. He must have been moving in his sleep, reacting to Relena’s presence as if she were... Quatre... ‘Well, I wanted to find out if I was gay or not. Might as well be now.’ "Uhm, Relena..."

"My offer..."

"Still stands?" Relena nodded vigorously and Triton swallowed. "I... don’t know what to do," he admitted.

"I’ll show you," his Queen whispered, raising her hands to his face and bringing it down to hers, kissing him gently. Triton followed her lead, feeling her lips tremble beneath his as he himself shivered.

His body was demanding that it be satisfied though emotionally he wasn't reacting at all. Relena's hands were on his chest and her nails dug into his skin, causing Triton to pull away slightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Your nails..."

The young woman nodded. "Wufei complained of that, too. I'm sorry; I appear to be a bit of a scratcher." She blushed and looked down, then back up at Triton as he sat up. "Triton...?"

"It's all right," he murmured as he looked down at his Queen. Her face and neck were flushed, as was her upper chest. Curious about the female body, Triton slowly pulled the covers down and off of the young woman, eyes taking in every detail. She was very curvy. Triton knew that women were more curvy than men were but, other than the few times he'd walked in on Cathrine getting dressed or in or out of the shower, he'd never seen a woman's naked body. Relena arched a little as he watched her and he realized she was preening. Well, women had the right to be proud of their bodies and to want them appreciated. He smiled slightly and moved his gaze down to her stomach, reaching out to touch it lightly. The muscles under the skin jumped and Relena made a small noise, almost a giggle.

"Tickles," she whispered.

Triton didn't answer her, only drew his hand up to her breasts and paused, lifting it slightly. They were certainly interesting-looking. When Relena giggled self-consciously they moved a little. With a glance up for permission he rested his right hand on his Queen's breast gently, feeling her heart pound beneath his fingertips. Relena arched her back again as she gasped softly and that pressed her against Triton's hand. He moved his hand, brushing his thumb across her nipple, which Relena enjoyed, moving to explore her other breast. Very interesting. The young man listened to Relena's gasped half-words and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss between her breasts as he continued to feel her left one. Her leg nudged him and Triton looked down, nodding silently and moving so she could spread her legs apart, kneeling between them and kissing her lips gently.

"Relena..." Triton frowned slightly. "I don't have any... condoms or anything."

She smiled at him and propped herself up on her elbows, kissing his neck and placing her hand over his, moving it to her other breast. "That's all right, love," she whispered. "I'm on contraceptives."

"But... are you sure? I don't want you pregnant."

Relena laughed and arched her neck back. "Trust me, I'm safe. I shouldn't be ovulating right now, anyway."

Triton frowned again but he trusted his friend. A half-memory came back to him and he smiled. If he'd enjoyed this in a dream, then Relena was sure to enjoy it in reality. He lay her back and kissed her forehead, then all over her face gently and moved down her neck to her upper chest and shoulders. The young woman laughed with delight at his carefully placed kisses and squealed when he kissed her breasts. Triton laughed softly with her, more to get rid of his nervousness and continued to move down, kissing her stomach and then her legs.

He sat up on his heels and picked up her feet, smiling at her as he tickled the bottoms gently. Relena squealed again and kicked, tossing her head back and forth on the pillow as she laughed. She was begging him to stop, promising him anything he wanted and Triton took pity on her. Relena sat up on her elbows again and laughed, then followed his gaze and looked down. With her legs apart she was almost completely exposed to him. Her laughter died and the temptress who had ensnared Wufei was there suddenly, watching Triton out of lowered eyelids, slowly running the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip. Triton met her gaze and slowly leaned down, scooting lower on the bed and placing the heel of his hand directly on her mound of hair. Relena tensed, a soft intake of breath her only response. Triton slowly moved his hand down, knowing his face was red as he explored the most intimate part of any woman. He pressed his fingers down, through her hair and folds of flesh, feeling around. Part of Triton wanted to watch what he was doing, but most of him was too shy and nervous to actually look. He settled for watching Relena's face with brief glances down, licking dry lips as he watched her moan and whine softly. He slid his fingers down lower, eyes widening when they slid *inside* of her.

'Of course, idiot. She's a woman. Women... are built that way. You know the basics of sex, stupid. Apply them here.' The young man shook his head slightly. Relena had seemed to like it when his fingers were higher, so he moved them up to the little nub he'd felt before. Relena cried out loudly when he did, raising her hips and shuddering. With a silent thanks to Cathrine and Hilde, Triton smiled and lowered his head. 'Well, here's hoping she likes the same things Hilde likes.' The young man experimentally pushed his tongue out, making a light face at how Relena tasted. This was... different. Very, very different. The cry Relena let out, however, told him that it was a good different for her, at least. Triton continued for a while, wondering what, exactly, he was doing and if he was doing right regardless, until Relena pulled at his hair gently to get his attention.

"Oh, God... Triton, please, I can't wait, now..."

Triton wasn't too sure what she meant but she was pulling him up, so he could guess. He moved up, jerking a bit in surprise when Relena wrapped her legs around his waist. "Relena... I don't have any idea what to do..."

"Put yourself in me," she whispered. Triton blinked at her, not quite getting it though it should have been obvious. Relena smirked and slid one hand between their bodies, gently touching Triton's erection. "Put yourself," she whispered as she stroked it again and giggled at the young man's gasps, "in me."

"Oh. Uhm..." Relena shifted and spread her legs apart more, softly explaining to Triton what he needed to be doing. "Ah, merda... isso é tão estranho..."(1) The feel of Relena surrounding him, of being inside her, was the oddest damned thing Triton had ever felt. At her urging he drew out partly, then pushed back in. He was worried for a moment that he might hurt her, but then remembered that she'd been sleeping with Wufei regularly. Unless he was being brutal, he doubted that he'd hurt the woman beneath him.

Triton squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth, forcing himself to remember his one night with Quatre. Other than the fact that Quatre was male and naturally the sex was different, he noted that it felt different. He'd been drunk, true, but he'd been there, he'd *felt* there. With Relena he was aroused, yes, but... but it felt to Triton like he was an outsider, observing what was going on rather than being involved. With a shake of his head Triton glanced at Relena; he'd had his face buried in the pillow just above her shoulder. She was holding him tightly, then running her hands up and down his back and along his arms as much as she could, moaning. According to Cathrine, women liked to be kissed so Triton gently kissed his Queen's cheek. She immediately turned her head and pressed her lips to Triton's and he obliged her, looking into her eyes as he drew back from the kiss and they shared a slight smile.

Triton didn't know how long had passed before he climaxed, shuddering and holding Relena tightly. She held him and pet him, kissing his temple as he shifted off of her and lay on his side, one arm across her chest, staring blankly at the wall. Relena cuddled up to him and he mindlessly held her close, shifting onto his back so that she could lay her head on his shoulder and he could play with her hair.

"Triton?" she whispered softly, sounding half-afraid.

"Mm? Oh, I'm sorry... I was spacing..."

"I noticed."

"That's what sex with a woman is like?"

Relena shrugged. "I've never slept with a woman and I'm not a man, but yes, that's sex with a woman. What did you think?"

"I think you enjoyed it a lot."

Relena giggled. "I meant you, silly."

Triton returned her previous shrug. "It felt... like nothing. Well, not nothing, but... but not like... before." He frowned. "I felt like I was, uhm, just watching. Not, uhm, participating." He looked down at her. "Is that bad?"

"Only if you like women," Relena replied, tilting her head up and kissing his cheek. "So me naked didn't do anything for you?"

Triton shrugged and shook his head. "No."

"Do you think you're gay?"

"I was... pretty sure already, but now... I'm even more sure. I'd rather not sleep with a woman again," he added. "It was boring."

Relena started laughing, laying back and kicking her feet in the air as she howled. Triton just watched her, one eyebrow raised. "Oh God! Oh, oh God! Boring?! You called it *boring*?!"

"Well... it was."

After a while Relena calmed down, hugging Triton before sitting up. "Boring... Sweet God, I've got to tell Sylvia that... Oh." She looked back at Triton as she got up. "Maybe not. Unless you don't mind."

"She'll either get it from you willingly or browbeat it out of me." Triton half-smiled as he sat up and looked around. "I've got to get to school."

"I've got to... uhm... take Amir to the park or something."

"Why not talk with Wufei?"

"Because he's a stubborn ass and won't believe he's wrong."

"Is he?"

Relena narrowed her eyes. "Yes. He has no right in telling me what I can and can not do with my body when he won't even admit that we're dating, much less fucking." Her upper lip raised in a sneer. "He's so damned high and mighty it's a wonder he doesn't think *looking* at women is evil and beneath him."

Triton chuckled as he knelt in front of the dresser and pulled the drawer out, looking for a skirt to wear. "Sure it is. Icky things are evil and women are icky."

A pillow hit him in the back of the head. "Shut up with the 'icky,' already! Damn, you say that word far too much. Just by saying that word you're gay. That one word makes you gay because you say it far too much to be straight."

Triton stood with his skirt in hand and stuck his tongue out at Relena. "Right. Sure. Whatever, girlfriend." That made Relena laugh some more and he kissed her forehead before heading to the bathroom. "I'll be out soon."

"Yeah, go wash the icky woman cooties off of you!"

"I will!"

"You do that!"

"All right!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

The shower started, ending *that* conversation and Triton hummed to himself, happy. 'I'm gay! I'm positive about it! Now... Now I need to tell Cat.' He grinned at the thought. 'She'll be so happy for me, now that I know for sure!'

* * *

"Quatre..." Someone nudged him. "Quatre, I think your son's at the door." True, there *was* the faint yet unmistakable pounding of Amir wanting in, but Shelby was warm and soft and Quatre didn't want to get up. The bite he got on the neck, however, had him upright and wide-eyed.

"*Ow*! Wench, you *bit* me!"

Shelby smiled and sat up, holding the covers about her as she kissed his cheek. "Oh, did I?"

"Fine, fine, I'm up..." Quatre stood and pulled on his robe, leaning over the bed and kissing Shelby. "I'll be back, beautiful. You can sleep some more."

"I'll be waiting."

With a glance back at the redhead Quatre walked to the bedroom door, unlocking it and heading to the main door. He opened that and looked down at Amir. "You pounded, O spoiled one?

"Why do you lock me out?" Amir demanded, glaring up at Quatre. "It's not nice to lock me out!"

"Because you're small and annoying, child," Quatre replied, tapping Amir on the head. "Let's observe Fajr(2) outside today, hmm?"

"Why can't we do it on your balcony? *That's* outside!"

The blond smiled and picked his son up, kissing him on the cheek. "Because I said so. Now come on, or we'll be late."

"Well..." Amir was unconvinced, then brightened. "Oh, *I* know! Triton's in your room, isn't he? Oh, Father, you and Triton made up, right?"

"Amir, Amir, no, we didn't. Calm down." It almost broke Quatre's heart to see Amir's perky face dissolve and tears fill the small boy's eyes. He held his son close as he stood outside. "Look, I'm sorry, Amir. I wish Triton were sleeping in my bed right now, too." Instead, it was Shelby. "I can't do anything more about it."

"W-would Allah make Triton love you?"

The older Arab closed his eyes against the pain they shared and sighed. "I... I don't know, Amir. If you want to pray that Triton loves me and Allah makes him realize that, you go right ahead. But we've got to get busy, now." Quatre couldn't recall ever seeing Amir so fervent about praying and he couldn't help but smile. Who knew? Allah worked in strange ways. Maybe He would show Triton that he loved Quatre, and Triton would come back... 'Then again, maybe not.'

After Quatre and Amir were through he sent his son to his room to get dressed, going back up to his room. Shelby was just sitting up and yawning as she stretched. The covers were in her lap and Quatre grinned at the sight, resting one knee on the bed and leaning over to place soft kisses on her breasts. Shelby laughed and covered herself.

"That is no way to behave towards a lady!"

"Neither is sleeping with her on the first date," Quatre countered. Shelby shrugged and kissed him before she got up.

"Well, how traumatized will Amir be if I go down to get something to eat?"

"If you go down like that," Quatre commented as he gestured at her nudity, "*I* will be traumatized." Shelby laughed. "He'll have to deal with it. He won't like it, but I've tried to explain to him that people don't always get what they want, and when they don't, they need to just let it go. I wish he understood better."

"What doesn't he understand?"

Quatre shrugged as he started to dress. "Amir gets it into his head what he thinks should happen and when it doesn't work out, he sulks. Especially between people. If he thinks two people should be together and he loves them both and they don't end up together then he's devastated. Anyone new enters the picture and he... well, he can get a little hostile."

"Who's the other person?"

Quatre blinked as he tied his shoes, trying to find a good way out of answering her question. "A..." Might as well be honest until he had to lie. "A student of mine."

"A student?"

There went his job. ". . . Yes. We were... getting rather close, and... Amir had his heart set on us being together. It... didn't work out. Amir's not happy with either of us and keeps trying to get us back together."

"Ah. Why didn't it work out, if I may ask?"

The young man pursed his lips. "A... misunderstanding occurred." He stood. "You're still hungry, right?"

Shelby looked at him a moment longer and nodded, smoothing her business skirt out and nodding. She followed Quatre downstairs and didn't press the issue. Wufei was glaring narrowly at a defenseless carrot he was dicing and glanced up. He looked from Quatre to Shelby, still dicing, and one eyebrow raised at the two before he looked down again.

Shelby looked surprised. "Why, good morning, Mr. Chang."

"Woman."

Quatre rolled his eyes and whispered in Shelby's ear, "That's Wufei for 'good morning'."

"Oh, is it?"

The blond nodded. "What would you care to eat? Wufei, leave the carrot alone. Cut it up any more and you'll get carrot juice." Not that he didn't sympathize with his friend's plight, because he did, but Wufei couldn't go on thinking that Relena was his property simply because they'd slept together. 'That sounds like something Amir would assume,' Quatre thought wryly. 'I need to have a long talk with Wufei after school today. Right after school.'

Wufei snorted and stabbed the knife into the cutting board savagely, stalking out as Relena entered. They bumped into each other and Relena meeped as she fell back against a freshly washed Triton, who caught her and stared at the two at the table as Wufei and Relena stared at each other. For a long, long time no one spoke. Wufei was glaring from Relena to Triton and back again, Relena was holding her head up high and biting her lower lip, Triton was very nearly glaring at Quatre and Shelby, Quatre was praying that no one exploded and Shelby just looked confused.

"Uhm... How many people live with you, Quatre?"

That broke the tension and Wufei shoved his way past Relena and Triton. Relena squeezed her eyes shut and turned to Triton, who held her close and kissed the top of her head as she shook.

Quatre turned his gaze away and back to Shelby. He needed that talk with Wufei sooner, maybe. "It's just Amir and I and a few servants, normally. Triton's rooming with us now and for a month or so Lena will be here. Wufei's... Wufei's apartment is getting remodeled so he's staying with me, too, and there are a few other people right now. About... ten, actually, including me." He shrugged. "They're all close friends of mine."

Quatre watched Triton close his eyes and looked closely at he and Relena. They looked like they were just out of the shower and there was a different air about both of them... The reason for Wufei and Relena's fight flashed through Quatre's mind and he wondered if it had actually happened.

"That's a lot of people." Shelby was looking closely at Relena and Quatre stood to distract her.

"Well, I'm popular." He grinned at the woman. "What would you like to eat?"

"Oh, anything will be fine." With a last glance at Relena, Shelby turned to Quatre and they started talking about the finals coming up.

Triton bit down on his lower lip. 'How dare he call me a close friend?! How *dare* he? Damn you, Quatre, to Hell! I think I hate you.' he thought. With a small growl he pulled Relena away from him and wiped away the tears that she wouldn't shed in Wufei's presence.

"I'm suddenly not hungry," she whispered.

"Me, either," Triton told her softly. The door opened again and Amir skipped in, Mariemaia and Duo coming in after him. The door had barely shut when Trowa entered, glaring at Duo.

"Hey, Quatre! Morning!" Duo stopped and grinned. "And hello there, Ms. Ybarra! What a lovely sight, first thing in the morning! Two beautiful redheads!"

"Yeah, too bad one's underage," Trowa rumbled sleepily.

"Only for three more years," Mariemaia replied sweetly, flipping Trowa off behind his back. Introductions were made all around and Triton and Relena escaped.

"He fucked her, didn't he?"

Relena sighed. "Most likely."

"Damn him!"

"Why?"

"Because... because... because damn it!" Triton was ready to throw a fit, kicking at the floor.

"What gives you the right to dictate what he can and can not do with his body, Triton?" The young man turned and stared at Relena. "You forfeited that right when you refused to accept or acknowledge his very sincere apology about the party night." She looked at him calmly as he glared at her. "Wufei had more say in my actions than you do in Quatre's because *we* were in a relationship. You and Quatre aren't. You have no right to be angry at him for finding comfort in another's arms any more than he has that right for you." She sighed and slumped against the wall as Amir came tearing out of the kitchen in tears. "Fuck, I came here to rest, not to deal with shit." She rubbed her temples. "You be as pissed off as you like, Triton Bloom. It doesn't change anything and it will only make things worse. If you're angry because you love him and don't want anyone but you to be with him, tell him that. If not, let it go. I'm rather tired of you claiming you hate him but getting insanely jealous of even friendly smiles." Relena pushed away from the wall and headed to the staircase. "Excuse me, I'm going to see how Amir's doing. Don't be late for class."

Triton let loose a few paint-blistering curses after Relena had gone, then stomped out the front door. That night hadn’t been his fault! Had it? Had he known that he was drunk and flung himself at Quatre on purpose? In his car Triton leaned his forehead against the steering wheel and shook. Was *that* why he was so angry? That he’d acted like a whore and thrown himself at his teacher? No, it couldn't be, he'd...

He'd had the best night of his life. With a groan Triton pulled out of the driveway, turning his music up loud so that he couldn't hear himself think. He raised his eyes to glare at himself in the rearview mirror and stuck his tongue out at his reflection. "Don't be an idiot, stupid. Like the song says, pleasure is pain and the pain never ends. We're all masochists deep down inside."

At school Triton lingered outside of his first class to use the payphone. He dug into his purse for Ralph's number and dialed it after he'd put his money in. The phone rang and rang and rang before the answering machine picked up.

"Hey, you've reached the home of Ralph Kurt. I'll be here all week until Friday and I've got an art show all day Wednesday. Leave your name and a brief message and I'll get back to you. If this is the love of my life, keep calling back, baby."

Triton laughed to himself and cleared his throat. "I may not be the love of your life, but I'd certainly like to know when I need to come over tonight."

"Oh, but who's to say you *aren't* the love of my life?"

Triton rolled his eyes. "Why don’t you answer your phone when it rings?"

"I like to know who's calling me. Now, might-be love of my life, you can come over whenever you desire."

"Stop that."

"Stop what?"

"Stop using words that have sexual innuendo."

Ralph laughed. "You started it. I like using 'desire.' It's a very nice word. Elegant."

"Yeah, well, I'm not elegant so stop it." He could almost see the older man's salute. He couldn't be there *right* after school, though... "I'll be there three hours after school."

"I'll be waiting."

"All right. Goodbye."

"Fare thee well."

Triton laughed and hung up, leaning against the wall and grinning. What a welcome distraction. He'd much rather put up with Ralph's teasing and flirting than with almost anything back at Quatre's. He turned and walked into class, stopping at Wufei's glare. Well, the pain never ended and Triton figured he'd just acquired himself an enemy. He lowered his head and hurried to his seat, mentally cursing himself for having chosen a seat in the front row. Now Wufei would glare at him all class long. Great. And there were still ten minutes until class started.

"Did you enjoy yourself, Mr. Bloom?"

Wufei's voice was low, tight and controlled and the only time he used that was when he was having a bad day and was close to killing something. Or someone. Trtion swallowed and considered asking what he meant, but they both knew.

'So, tell him no or not? He's bound to get pissy if I tell him no but he'll hate me if I tell him yes.' Triton sighed. "Physically, sir, I did."

"Physically?" Triton didn't want to hear the ache in his teacher's voice when he said that, and he ignored it as best he could.

Triton kept his voice as emotionless as he could, staring down at his desk. "I found nothing... emotionally satisfying... about this morning, sir."

Wufei was silent for a moment. "This morning."

"Yes, sir, this morning."

"You two... this morning?"

Triton sighed. He didn't know what Wufei wanted. "Yes, sir, this morning."

He heard Wufei sit at his desk heavily and glanced up. The Chinese man was holding his head in his hands and staring down at his desk. "She... you... You two didn't when she first came to your room?"

The Portuguese man frowned, almost feeling sorry for Wufei. "No, sir, we didn't."

"Then..." Wufei shook his head sharply and looked up to glare at Triton. "Why her? Why Relena? Why not go find a different girl to sleep with? There are lots of them around campus who would be willing to keep you warm for a night, boy."

Triton pressed his lips into a thin line and returned Wufei's glare. "Because, *sir*, the only women that I trust that much are Relena, Sylvia and my sister. My sister is naturally out of the question and Sylvia's engaged."

"But why Relena? You knew we were... were..."

"Relena offered, sir," Triton explained, trying to keep his voice controlled. "I asked about what you would think and she told me that you had very little say in what she did with her body because..." He hesitated a bit, wondering if Relena would want him to say this, but she'd probably already told Wufei herself. "Because you wouldn't even admit that you two were seeing each other."

"She's mine."

"She's no one's."

Wufei turned away and pounded on his desk with his fist. "Damn it! Damn you both! Get out of my classroom, boy."

"You can't kick me out simply because I slept with Relena."

"Get out or I'll force you out," Wufei growled, his face flushed with anger.

Triton stayed still a moment longer before sighing in defeat. Fighting with Wufei would get him nowhere but the student medical center. He gathered his things and left, heading to the library. Maybe Relena and Wufei weren't meant for each other. Relena seemed to think so, but Triton had heard of her obsession for Heero and he wasn't quite sure the young Queen knew the difference between love, lust and obsession.

"Then again, I'm not sure *I* know the difference, either."

That didn't stop him from having opinions, though. As he passed the front desk the young woman sitting there looked up and smiled.

"Hey... Triton, right?" He stopped and turned, giving her an odd look. She swallowed nervously. "You're Triton, aren't you? The one who's always asking if we've got any books in Portuguese?"

Oh, that. Triton smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah, that's me. Did you get any in?"

She smiled and patted a stack of five or six books next to her. "Right here. I wasn't supposed to, but I put them all on hold for you."

"Oh. Great. Thank you." She was looking at him expectantly and Triton got the feeling that she wanted him to ask her to lunch or something. "Uhm... May I look at them?"

"Of course." She pushed the stack toward him and as Triton took it she touched his hand gently. "You know, if you're free for lunch---"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted, shaking his head. "I can't." 'Go away, icky, icky woman.'

She looked only slightly put out. "Oh. Maybe tomorrow?"

'You don't get it, girl. I don't like you. Now go away and leave me alone.' Still, she *had* kept the books on hold for him so he might as well be polite and break it to her gently that what was between her legs held no interest for him. "I can't," he said, a little more firmly. "You're... not my type."

The girl deflated. "Oh. Well," she said, brightening a bit, "I have this friend you might like. She's really nice---"

"Miss," Triton said gently, slowly, "I wouldn't be interested in any of your female friends." He raised an eyebrow at her and waited for it to sink in, hoping it would.

She wasn't as dense as he'd thought. The light clicked on and she blushed, looking down and hiding her face in her hands. "Oh. Oh, well. You're... you're like *that*."

The young man stared at her. She'd said it almost like it was an insult. "Yeah, I am."

"Well, here, let me write something down for you..." She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling on it. "I'm with the Christian Youth Organization and we offer free counseling for your... situation. I'd like you to come to a meeting."

"What? Meeting? *Situation*?" Triton gathered the books in his arms and tried not to yell. "I'm in no situation I don't want to be in, miss. I don't need to go to any meetings or get counseling for anything."

"But, but God says that h-ho-homo---"

Hilde Schbieker was leaning against a bookshelf, watching the room. She was looking in Triton's direction and he caught her eye, jerking his head toward the girl trying to explain to him that he was sinning horribly and that God loved him, but hated his sin and that her group could cure him. If anyone could get Triton out of this situation, Hilde could. She was *was* his sister's girlfriend, after all, not to mention the loudest, most obnoxious lesbian he'd ever met. At that moment he loved her for it. The young woman made a face and sauntered over, resting her elbow on Triton's shoulder and leaning on him.

"Yo, Sandy-baby. What's up?" She popped her gum loudly and toyed with her black hair.

Sandy stopped jabbering and looked at Hilde like she was the scum of the earth for a moment, then smiled sweetly. "I'm explaining to Mr. Bloom that God says all homosexuals are an abomination and that my group can help him back to God's plan for him."

"What if he doesn't believe in God?"

She looked shocked that anyone could no believe. "Well... Well, we can help him find God's love, too, as well as cure him."

"And if there's not anything to cure, sweetcakes?"

"Well, of *course* there's something to cure! Why, he's even wearing women's clothing!" Sandy hadn't even looked at Hilde but for glaring at her and the young woman glared right back.

"Y'know what... Bitch, was it? I don't give a *damn* what you think and I doubt Triton does, either. If you weren't so high and mighty you'd have a helluva lot more friends. Now you leave my friend Triton alone or I swear, I *will* kick your rich-girl ass so hard you'll end up on Jupiter!" Triton covered a laugh and Hilde grinned at him. "Come on, darling, let's go leave this Bible-thumping bigot alone."

"Gladly." Triton gathered up the books and turned away, walking with Hilde to a table at the far end of the library. "Thank you."

"Oh, no problem. I didn't know you were gay, Triton. Or are you bi? Does Kitty know? Have you talked with her recently? Do you know if she'll be visiting soon?"

Triton flushed and laughed as he sat down. "Yeah, well, uh, neither did I until recently. I'm not bi at all, Cat doesn't know and she was fine the last time we talked. I hope she'll visit soon, but I don't know when it will be."

"Huh. You open about it? 'Cause Sandy's going to spread it to all her freaks that you're gay."

The young man shrugged. "I don't really care." He picked up the first book and smiled as Hilde kept talking. She was so lively, a definite relief from the people he was normally around.

A small finger poked at his book. "What's that?"

"I asked enough that the library ordered books in Portuguese."

"Oh. Figures." She leaned back, propping her feet up on the table as a grin split her face. "Say something. I miss hearing Cat talk."

'Talk or scream out various phrases?' Triton wondered absently. "Like what?"

"Like anything! Come on, I miss hearing Portuguese!"

"**I find it amusing that you've got to speak to Cat more than I do but you still miss hearing her,**" Triton told her as he smiled.

Hilde stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. "I love it! Now what'd you say?"

"I find it amusing that you've got to speak to Cat more than I do but you still miss hearing her," he translated.

Hilde whooped with laughter, slapping her legs with mirth. "Hot damn! Just what everyone else thinks, too! I should call Cat tonight... " She calmed down after a moment, taking her feet off the table and standing, turning the chair around and sitting in it backward with her arms crossed along the back of it. "So what are you doing out of class, boy? Teacher kick you out? Your teachers seem quite fond of kicking you out."

"Mr. Chang kicked me out."

"Anal Man? Ha! What'd you do to piss him off?"

"None of your business," Triton replied.

Hilde spread her hands in front of her. "Hey, that's fair. Hope he's not so pissed that he flunks you."

"I think that's illegal," the young man murmured.

"Well, I've heard of it happening. Bah, I've gotta go. See ya 'round, Triton."

Triton smiled and shook his head with a laugh. "See you, Hilde."

(1) "Oh, fuck... This feels so fucking weird..."

(2) The first of the five daily prayers in Islam, beginning at dawn and ending just before sunrise

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