inevitable entanglements » a.i. + l.h.

16

When the musicians had left the concert hall, Luke and Ashton crawled out of the alcove. It was too cold and they were getting hungry. After lunch, they went back to the classroom, where Luke asked Michael about the letter. 

"Did you like it?"

Michael asked while letting his gaze graze over the notes Luke had made. 

"Yes, I did, although I feel like this wasn't just a fairytale."

Gabriel and Ashton joined them and hunched over the desk. Gabriel wanted to see what words Luke couldn't read, whereas Ashton was simply curious. He had no idea what the fairytale was about, Michael hadn't even told him he was planning on writing it. 

"Come on, Luke. Try to read this."

Luke's smile fell when Gabriel tried to make him read the words he didn't understand. He bit his lip and a blush crept on his cheeks.

"Oh cut him some slack. I bet you didn't even teach him all the diphthongs yet, so how is he supposed to know how to pronounce them?"

Michael, who had noticed Luke's reaction, read the words out loud for him. Luke didn't know what diphthongs were, but he was glad that he didn't have to go through the horror of reading in Ashton's presence again. 

"I suppose you're right, Michael. I hadn't even taken a proper look at all the words yet. Sorry for that, Luke, I can't expect you to be that good at reading just yet."

Luke shrugged it off, more important matters were occupying his mind. While Michael and Gabriel chatted some more, he waited for Ashton to finish reading the letter. The elder boy started off with a frown but when he got to the end, a smile took over his features. Once Luke was certain he had read the last line, he asked him what had been bothering him ever since he deciphered the fairytale. 

"Ashton, what happened to your mother?"

Ashton's grin disappeared and he sighed, handing the letter back to Michael. 

"Like many others, she died of plague. I was six at the time."

"I'm sorry."

Luke whispered, averting his gaze. Ashton shook his head, compared to most people he was very lucky. 

"I got over it, thanks to Gabriel and Michael. You're truly the best half-brother ever."

"Brother. Who gives a fuck about genetics?"

The two teenagers pulled each other in a hug, muttering things in the crook of each other's neck. Luke had to admit he was a little jealous of their tight bond, he had felt lonely almost all his life. 

"Guys, should I tell my story too?"

They looked up at the sound of his voice, surprised by his offer. 

"Of course, I'm quite curious to be honest."

Ashton admitted and he got up to sit down on one of the cushions in the back of the room. Following his initiative, everyone eventually found a seat. Luke hesitantly sat down beside Ashton and rested his head on his shoulder. Michael didn't even try to hide his grin. 

"Go ahead."

Gabriel encouraged him with a warm smile. He had taken a seat opposite them. 

"I grew up in an orphanage. I don't know what happened to my parents or if I have any family left. It was an orphanage just like any other, it was okay in there."

Luke was dissembling the truth. Orphanages were awful. They were run by clergy, which explained his belief in God. Most orphans barely got any food with only a few exceptions here and there. Al though people saw it as they're duty to take care of the orphans, God was the father of all orphans after all, there were simply too many. Most families barely had enough to feed their own children. Orphans were an easy victim of abuse, so the duke might not have been the first person to lay his hands on the blond. Besides the physical damage, losing your parents at a young age also affects you mentally. Most orphans died before reaching the age of fifteen.