Request fic for dakree on tumblr. Can you spot the reference to SO3?
"Big brother! Wait!" The young genius practically scrambled down the stairs with his arms full after the Earthling, far ahead of him and ready at the bottom.
"I'm not leaving right this minute, Leon!" Claude laughed back to him. When Leon did reach the last step beside Claude, he chuckled as the younger boy huffed.
Leon patted his own chest before quickly recovering, straightening up to his tallest, ears perked before flattening. "But we need to leave NOW. Besides, I don't want Precis finding out and butting in!"
The blond shook his head, continuing on into the entranceway with his own baggage in tow. At Rena's suggestion, Claude was taking Leon out for a camping trip in one of Earth's 'restored' parks. According to the Nedian, Leon had confessed that he never gotten a chance to do anything like it with his own father, and since Claude was one of the only real male figures he had since leaving Expel, well, how could he turn down such a hopeful thing? So he made arrangements to leave that morning, while Rena and Precis spent the weekend together in their own company.
Arriving to the camp site, Claude shaded his eyes from the bright early afternoon sun. The space they decided on wasn't bad, tucked along a curving path to washrooms and water. Turning to Leon, he helped him arrange their bags before pulling one away. He had made a specific request to have one of the old traditional tents purchased instead of the automatic ones, knowing the semblance would mean more to the Fellpool. With a fair amount of struggling and scratching of heads, they finally managed to put the darn thing together. Next they put away their extra clothing and food in the addable partitions. Though Leon complained ceaselessly, the Earthling kept his patience, and soon was able to notice the spark of joy and excitement in the boy's eyes.
After their camp was set, they set off down the trail, finding each other suitable walking sticks. As Leon tromped down the path, Claude watched for a moment, pride filling him. The lonely boy from Lacour was becoming quite the man as the days went by. He couldn't help feeling like he had done something right by him, taking him and the girls back to Earth to live together. With Leon enrolled in a high-class school, the Expellian was soaking up information and knowledge every day, learning more about technology then he would've in Lacour. Rena was certain he would become a published doctor in no time…
"Claude! Hurry up!"
Shaking his head to clear his wandering thoughts, Claude followed teal-haired of the pair, jogging to catch up. Was this how he'd feel when Rena had their child? He blushed at the thought as they moved through the forest.
"You're going to burn it if you put it in the fire…" Leon sighed. Head in hands, he watched the Earthling pitifully try to cook simulation meat over a real fire. Well, practically inside the coals themselves. He sighed again as the elder pulled the stick-skewered food out of the pit, blowing out the flames.
"Uh… guess it's a bit harder to do to get it all cooked…" Claude rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Annoyed, Leon reached for the stick, sliding the off burnt food before replacing it with a raw batch. "You have to hold it approximately one centimeter from the average of the flames height. Any higher, and it won't cook. Any lower, and the outside will burn."
As Leon proceeded to teach Claude how to camp-fire cook with his trademark scientific explanations, the Earthling took back half his thoughts from earlier. The Fellpool was certainly reaching teenage hood well enough, but still with his boyish, bratty attitude. He wasn't quite so close to being a man yet.
With the end of their simulation dinner and traditional s'mores, they rolled out their sleeping bags, washed their faces with wet-naps, and changed for bed. Lying under the netted ceiling, they stared up into the ocean of stars, lost in their thoughts. Both drifted to their time before the Ten Wise Men were defeated, but Claude's mind revolved around the gathering of their party, meeting Rena and everyone else. Leon, however, was too focused on home, of what happened, of his revenge. It didn't help his heart, knowing his parents were gone, so very far away. But he had Claude and Rena, his adoptive big brother and sister. 'And Precis', he amended to himself, though she would never really be a sister to him. She was too immature. Frowning, he turned away from Claude, and willed himself to sleep away his thoughts before they turned on him more.
"Big sister! We're back!"
The two males pushed through the entranceway, dumping their things in front of the door. Leon ran ahead, searching for Rena, with Claude slowly trailing behind. When he turned the corner to the family room, he smiled to Precis before stepping up behind Leon. When the boy finished his hug, he scooted away as the blond leaned over, kissing the Nedian hello.
Smiling, she returned the kiss, and asked about their trip.
"Claude can't cook!" was the first thing she got in answer. With a traded look between the couple, they listened as the not-quite-a-man proceeded to complain about all of Claude's shortcomings on the trip, declaring that Rena was the only one allowed to ever cook for him again. Precis giggled as she tinkered with Bobot, putting in her two cents when Rena didn't. As Claude tried to defend his honour as a camper, he reminded himself that this was good practice for the near future.