-1A/N: This one is in answer to morning's-broken-angel's fic challenge. Hope she, and the rest of you, enjoy.
The MacManus Twins sat on the uncomfortable wooden bench outside the Head Master's office, each sporting black eyes, though Connor held a hand to his left side while Murphy fingered a considerably nasty looking bruise on his jaw. It wasn't the first time they had been on that bench, undoubtedly wouldn't be the last, and they had been in worse scrapes before, but it was the first time it was just them; the MacManus brothers sitting alone outside the office because they had been beating each other up.
There had been scuffles between them before; wrestling each other to the ground, swats to the back of the head. But never had they thrown fists at each other with the sole purpose of inflicting pain and asserting dominance. And all over what? A girl? Sure, Kayla was very well developed for a freshman and seemed to have a natural talent for manipulating the opposite sex, but she was still just a girl… a girl who hadn't even stayed to watch them fight over her before running off with an upperclassman with half the wits and ten times the money.
It wasn't until they had been pulled apart that they could see the pain they had cause, they damage they had done to each other's faces and bodies. And although pride would not allow it, their eyes held a profound wish to fall into each other's arms weeping and begging forgiveness.
"Let's make a pact, Murph," Connor said in the quiet corridor as they sat waiting for their punishments.
Murphy nodded gingerly. "Never fight over a girl like that again."
They shook on it, but Connor cracked a smile. "Now beer on the other hand, I'll bloody yer arse over."
Both laughed, wrapping an arm around the other's shoulder, and all was right with the world again.