WARNING for major historical inaccuracy. I am not responsible for any eye-bleeds or severe brain damage caused by the following chapter. Please refrain from burning your computer.

~o~o~o~

Later on in the Jardin des Tuileries, the class had lunch together. During this time, the class was free to do as they liked and hang around.

Trouillefou tried to no avail to get people to talk about the art they had seen in Orsay, but just decided to give up after the billionth failed attempt.
While Trouillefou, Anderson and Knox where keeping an eye on the group from under a tree, Bennett practically skipped amongst the students and had a little chat here and there. Contact with the students and knowing what was going on in the group was important in her opinion. She had found that out the hard way in her first year of being a teacher, as well as the homeroom teacher of this same class.

The garden was quite impressive and quite large, so whether people decided to spend their break time in the big group or somewhere far away from them to have some quiet time for themselves, it was possible.

Abel lit a cigarette to get his daily dose of nicotine and used it to distract himself from Matthew's teasing about what had happened in Orsay. Had he just put his pride and love for annoying the holy hell out of Arthur aside just for…"Damn you and your puppy eyes."

Matthew chuckled. "Uhm, I'm sorry?"
"If it weren't for your puppy eyes Al and Arthur would've been chasing the Trio around the garden right now. Would be funny."

"And ruining the week for a few more people? Really, if the Trio knows, the teachers will find out soon enough too."

"Yeah, true. They're not called the Bad Touch Trio for nothing."

"You would've done it anyway."

"Says who?"

"I do."

"What makes you think I would help them out? I'm in for some good schadenfreude anytime. Especially when it's Arthur."

"Because you're kind."

Abel stopped dead in his tracks and looked straight to the side at Matthew. He didn't look very amused.

"Wha-?" Just when Matthew started to wonder what the matter was, Abel blew out a big and long string of smoke, straight into his face.

Matthew coughed and waved the stench away from his face. "What was that for?"

"You're really weird."

"What?"

"What makes you think I am only remotely kind?"

Matthew had to think on that one. "Actually, I have no idea."

Abel glared, but his stern look broke into a hidden smile at the joyful expression on Matthew's face. He looked away before that annoying urge to hug him would become too much and shook his head.

"What is it?" Matthew asked, none the wiser of what Abel was thinking, as usual.

"You're doing the eyes again."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Usually, that only works on my mom."

"Are you comparing me to your mum now?"

"Uhm, noooo?" The answer was rather a question, which earned him a good hair ruffling. "It's not the puppy eyes. It's just that you're still doing stuff for me whenever I ask after what happened in first year."

"First year was hell."

"True. And you haven't even seen that first…incident."

"Nope. I was glad to be elsewhere, if the stories I heard are true."

"They are, believe me. Nearly everyone got involved in one way or another. Oh, and did I mention the attempted eye-poking and the blood on the walls?"

"Yeah, I got that bit. Yuck. Getting the holy hell kicked out of me once was worse enough for me. Most of you guys went through that twice." He sighed.
Back in first year, everyone in the class had all been so different. As little twelve-year-old boys and girls, they were all but close. Even before that year had started, there had been tensions between some students. It was only to be expected that they'd be at each other's throats one moment or another. And it happened.

After the first time of having been kicking each other around the school grounds, a few rules had been enforced by the headmaster himself to make sure it would not happen again. Ever.

Sadly, the set of rules ended up having hardly any effect on some students, and being rather tough on others. Too tough. Gilbert was one of those, together with his younger brother.

When Gilbert finally snapped after a few weeks of too much restriction and Francis constantly pestering him and Ludwig, the class was divided in a matter of minutes. It wasn't surprising that Francis was one of the first on to get a fist in the face.

Seeing that happen made others join in and soon, everyone was involved. Again.

Even Tino, who had intended to stay away but had been dragged into it by Ivan's manipulative nature.

Even Abel, who just happened to be in the way when Ludwig wanted to punch Arthur.

If it hadn't been for Bash warning Mrs Bennett, who had no idea about it all, they all would have fought until reaching exhaustion.

After being dragged apart by several teachers, the tired, battered and ashamed students were left in Bennett's classroom to find a solution. A good one, this time.

Now, years after that, they still had that event in the back of their heads and decided never to do that again. Ever.
Some people who had just happened to help each other as well as some of the major fighters had become best friends, and stuck together since. Somehow.

"I keep wondering if we'd be this much of a close bunch if we had been forced to talk it out sooner. Say…before people got hurt." Matthew thought out loud for a little. "Punching people isn't as much fun as it might look in the movies."

"I'll just take your word for it. You looked like you were enjoying yourself, though." Abel responded, remembering how Matthew was the one who rammed Ludwig into a wall just in time before he got stomped on the head. "Ludwig would've kicked my teeth out if it weren't for you. Let's just say I'm rather grateful I've still got my teeth."

Matthew laughed at the dryness of the comment. Even though it really was that way – Ludwig easily could have done some serious damage – Abel managed to bring it as though he was talking about a comic book. "I don't know if what I did to him was any better. He had a concussion after that, remember? Bennett brought him to a doctor half conscious."

"Yeah, true. Not surprising seeing the fact you body checked him into a wall." Abel took a last drag from his cigarette and then threw it away. "But you didn't break any of his bones and there was no permanent damage, so you're good."

"Oh, yes. That's really making it better."

Abel just grinned. "Don't worry about it. He's a great guy. Then Gilbert. He was still about a head taller than we all were back then. I just can't forget that image of you kicking him in the nuts. That looked so fucking painful."

"Language." Matthew scolded.

"What?"

"Mind it."

"Yes, muuum." Abel nagged.

"Cool it, ladies." Gilbert said from right behind them.

"Look who's talking, Gilbo." Abel said teasingly. "You're the one got himself castrated."

"Hey, hey, hey! That was a long time ago. And that kick was blocked by my awesome fü-"

"Your awesome fünf meter? We've heard quite enough of that, shrimpy."

"Shrimpy-?! Hey, hey. You jealous of the awesome or something?"

"You wish. I've got no reason to."

"How would you know? You've never seen-"

"It's surprising how open you are about some things when you're drunk. It's amazing."

"Whu-?"

"Five centimetres would be more accurate." Abel said, grinning sadistically.

Gilbert's eyes narrowed. "How did you know that, little perv?"

Abel grinned. "So it's true."

A glare was the only response before the two burst into a verbal fight about the size and importance of manhood.

Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Okay, so the level of conversation was once again sinking deep into the ground. Not very surprising. Whenever Gilbert was involved, things would get out of hand. Always.

And with the level of testosterone still rising, the level of conversation sank, and sank, and sank, until they started flipping each other off to illustrate the assumed size of the other's male parts.

"Yeah, here." Gilbert said, and stuck up his middle finger.

"Hm, funny. Yours would be about this." He stuck up the same finger, but only with the first knuckle joint extended.

And that was where Matthew thought things were going too far to be funny. "Guys! That's about enough cockfighting for today." He said. The two were quiet instantly and looked at Matthew.

"Funny you said cockfighting because-ouch!" Gilbert got cut off by Abel's hand hard to the back of his white-haired head.
Maybe a little harder than he had intended. Or maybe not.

~o~o~o~

Yes, boys will be boys. Yes, this always happens when you put Gilbert and Abel together. No, I don't hate Gilbert, he's just easy to poke fun at. Can I still put this on T, or should I change it to M? O_o

I'm sorry I made you go through this. I hope it wasn't too crappy or confusing. I did my best to make it clear enough to read, but I'm still only a noob here!

Please leave a review for me again. I love them.