Aster didn't get to talk to Jack at lunch. Instead of joining the gang as usual, the albino only stopped by to inform them that he had a meeting with Mr. Moon and then spent the entire period in said teacher's office.

The artist spent the entire period gloomily staring at Jack's empty spot. The fact that Nick and Ana kept exchanging smiles and giggles certainly didn't help his mood, either. He should be the one making a fool of himself with his boyfriend!

His dower mood persisted throughout the day and, by eighth period, it was so bad that even his teacher took noticed of it. Not that it was much of a feat by that point.


Aster slammed down the clay onto the wheel and began to work, angrily running well practiced fingers over the slippery surface, forming it into a pot. It was a beautiful piece, one of the best he'd done, but it brought Aster no joy.

"So, what exactly did that poor piece of clay do to you?"

Aster started slightly and looked up into the concerned, brown eyes of Marie Crane. With a sigh, he stopped the wheel spinning and turned to face his teacher. Sensing this was going to take a while, Marie sat down on the wheel stool next to Aster's as he started to talk.

"Have you ever been in a situation where you had no bloody idea how to deal with what some bloody whacker was going through and it drove you up the bloody wall? I mean, bloody hell, what am I supposed to do!"

Marie frowned, talking in Aster's angry glower and worry filled eyes. "I'm guessing this has something to do with a friend or yours?"

Aster nodded as his shoulders slumped. "I just don't know what to do."

Marie nodded and rested her hands on her knees. "You know, when I was twelve my best friend's mom got cancer."

Aster's anger faded to confusion, but Marie continued.

"I had no clue how to deal with her. Every time I was alone with her she cried or vented to me and I'd just sit and listen or make her something to eat. It was all I knew how to do. I felt totally useless! A few years back I met up with her for lunch and, while we were talking, she told me how I was the only thing that got her through that time.

"I don't know anything about your situation, but if it's anything like mine here's my advice: you're never going to understand what your friend is going through, but you don't have to. What matters is that you're there and that your friend knows you care."

She grinned at Aster as he thought about it.

"But I still want to understand."

Marie sighed and leaned forward, placing a hand on Aster's shoulder. "That's the hard part, Aster, you can't. There will always be things that you just can't understand. I couldn't understand a parent having cancer, you might never get this."

Aster nodded as she got to her feet and headed out of the room.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and make sure that the idiots in the acting class actually brought back the supplies they borrowed. Why we have to share with them is beyond me."

Aster chuckled as she left the room, only to fall silent when the door closed behind her. Could he deal with having to just be there? Could he deal with not understanding? Could he really support Jack through this?

He looked down at his bowl and smiled. If that's what it took to be with Jack then of course he could. If Jack was his joy then he'd just have to be Jack's hope.


Jack stared into the night gloomily as the bus pulled into Narvon. The meeting had gone well and he certainly felt a bit more prepared, but that didn't mean he was in a good mood. No, he was anything but. Nothing like four hours of intensive preparation to make the trial a stark reality. Two weeks. A shiver ran down his spine at that thought. How was it already two weeks away?

The bus pulled to a stop and he stepped off with a sigh, then turned to wave goodbye as the driver pulled away, only to let out a surprised yelp seconds later when warm arms wrapped around him.

A yelp that turned to joyous laughter when he realized who was there. "Aster!"

"Hey Frostbite," his boyfriend said with a grin as Jack turned and threw his arms around a surprisingly cold neck.

Once he'd felt the chill skin, the albino pulled back and stared at his boyfriend with a worried frown. "You're freezing! How long have you been out here?"

"Not long. I parked the car over there and then came to wait for you. Is the bus normally this late?"

"But you hate the cold!"

"Yeah, but I like you more than I hate the cold."

The smile this statement inspired could have lit up a city block.

"You're amazing you known that?"

"Well, I certainly like to think so."

Jack just laughed and pressed his still-warm lips to Aster's cold ones.

The kiss only lasted a second before Jack was pulling back and demanding Aster get back into the car and warm up. A command that the frigid Australian was more than happy to follow.

Once they'd taken their seats in the Wilder's car and Aster had turned on the heater, the artist turned to his boyfriend and asked, "So, how'd it go?"

Jack's smile faded a bit, but not entirely which Aster took as a good sign.

"It went better than I'd expected, actually. I'm still not looking forward to this, but I feel like I'm ready for it. The legal aid went through the expect defense and explained what I'll have to do."

Aster nodded. He wanted to ask "is there any chance Pitch could walk?" but he didn't. Instead he said, "Well, that's good!" and pulled out of the parking lot.

The drive back to the Romoli's was mostly silent, but Aster had expected that. Jack had just spent hours talking about the trial, it made sense that he didn't want to spend more time dwelling on it.

The silence was broken as soon as they pulled onto Aster's street and Jack caught sight of the Romoli's house.

"It's weird."

Aster blinked in surprise at the sound and glanced over at his boyfriend with a questioning "Hmm?"

Jack was smiling as he gazed at the purple and pink house. "I lived with the Overlands for seven years and I've only been with the Romolis for, what, three days?"

Aster nodded and waited for Jack to continue.

"Well, this place already feels more like home than the Overland's ever did."

Aster smiled at that and parked the car in the Romoli's driveway.

"Then allow me to see you home, Mr. Frost."

Jack grinned back and exited the car, taking Aster's hand in his as they walked up the walkway to the front door in a comfortable silence.

A silence that was broken the second they opened the door.

Mrs. Romoli called out "Welcome home, Jack! You're just in time for dinner!" as Baby came running out of the playroom with a cry of "Jacks home!" and Ana came rushing downstairs while calling "Baby, let him get in the door before you attack him!"

As the little girl pouted and began to argue with her sister, Jack looked over at Aster with a smile and said, "Yep, this is definitely home."