AN: You know the rules! Too short of a chapter and you get a second one. Don't miss Monday 21:53! A touch of cute fluff before a song about anxiety. What more could you ask for? Love you all! And I love to hear from you. Thanks for sticking with it so long!

"Matt."

"Matt!"

"Matt!"

"Matthew von Mars, I will pinch you." Braxton hissed.

Matt startled out of his thoughts at last. He blinked at his three friends, finally registering that they had been calling his name. Jim set down the eraser he had been planning on throwing at Matt. Varian smiled.

Braxton shot a glance towards Mrs Parr, then turned back to Matt. "Class is over in less than an hour. You need to finish that test."

"Mind if I join your conversation boys?" Mrs Parr planted a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow. Jim almost fell out of his seat. How had she gotten over here so quickly?

Braxton gave her a smile. "No ma'am. I was reminding Von Mars to pay attention to his work. He was spacing out again."

"Mhmm."

Braxton gestured at Matt's control panel. "You can tell I'm not cheating off him, ma'am, half of his will be spelled wrong and I'm not copying those mistakes. And you know he's not cheating off me because I'd tell him the proper way to spell them."

Mrs Parr covered her face and sighed. Jim suspected she was using the move to hide her laughter. "Get back to work you three." The instructor raised her voice to address the class as she turned away. "I want those answers turned in before the class ends. You've had almost four hours to label your cockpits, I should see at least half these controls properly identified."

As she wandered through the class Mrs Parr continued to speak. "Remember this is not for a grade, it is okay to guess. I just need to see where we are at and what we need to focus on. We're over halfway through the year, we need to start cutting out the things we have down and hone in on the knowledge that hasn't stuck yet. This test is for you as much as it is for me. You won't get points off for being wrong, so just show me what you know."

Jim turned his attention back to the control panel before him. He pressed a small button with a flashing blue light beside it. On his tablet an enlarged picture of the button appeared, along with a spot to label both the button and the light.

Cool Thrust Activation

Cool Thrust Indication Light

He wasn't sure how he'd missed that one before, it was one of the easier buttons to identify. Much of the system was automated, the control panel in the middle had a lot of the dials and adjustments accessible by touch screen controls. It was just warning lights or the controls that were essential to access instantaneously or in the event of a computer failure that were left out.

And yet somehow his brain could not produce answers.

Jim tapped his stylus nervously against the desk. Though he was trying to ignore the passage of time, the small clock in the corner of his tablet reminded him of just how close the class was to ending. How could he have forgotten the most important controls like this?

Tiller, Throttles, Reverse Thrust, Landing Gear, Landing Gear Indication Lights, Speed Break, Speed Break Warning Lights, Auto Break, Auto Break Indication Lights, Fire Warning, Master Caution Light, Master Caution Indication, Fuel Cut Off Levers

Jim ran through his list of controls from the start once more. By the time the end of class rolled around, Jim had done all that he could. He submitted his test. No going back now.

"You doing alright, Matty?" Varian turned in his seat to see their friend.

Braxton set a hand on Matt's shoulder gently. "Nervous for tomorrow?" Matt nodded. Braxton ruffled his hair. "Shame this had to happen on testing week. Really should have planned this better, yeah?"

Matt chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Should have planned this better."

"What's got you so afraid?" Braxton asked gently. "I thought you were excited for the mail to come in." Around them the classroom emptied out as their classmates rushed to dinner.

"I am," Matt stood up from his seat, his fingers threading into his hair, "But I'm also filled with nerves." Quietly, urgently, he transitioned into singing.

"My mind is buzzing like a dizzy bee.

My stomach's fluttering all around me,

My fingers tingle and my toes do too,

And I feel like my heart is going to beat right through,

My chest is bursting at the seams,

My head is pounding like steel drums,

My throat is stuffy and I can't fill my lungs,

What if I'm left with nothing but broken dreams?"

"Relax!" Braxton interjected. He grabbed Matt's hand and twirled him around.

"You're working yourself into a tizzy,

Your head is spinning 'round so much you've made yourself dizzy," Matt staggered out of the spin and stumbled towards the nearest desk. Jim caught him by the shoulders and guided him into the seat while Braxton continued his song.

"Sit down and take a deep breath,

You're more paranoid than the famed king Macbeth.

Just trust in them and remember,

They're your family, family,

There's nothing that matters more.

There's nothing for you to fear,

You're their family, family,

And they will always be your home."

"But what if they've forgotten me,

Or maybe I've been replaced.

As the weeks stretch into months,

Maybe they think I've been lost to space.

For as long as I can remember, no one's left my home, or left the clan, for anything but death.

Yet here I am, on my own, while they labor in the mounds of dirt back home."

"You're not alone, my friend, my brother,

Let's give ourselves some perspective,

Look into the life of another,

We'll take a moment to be introspective."

"My mother raised me on her own,

My father left us for adventures into the unknown," Jim stepped forward to set his hand on Matt's shoulder.

"A single painting is all I ever had of my mom,

And my relationship with my dad could be anything but calm," Varian stepped up on Matt's other side. He had to reach up to put his hand on Matt's shoulder, but he smiled up at him all the same.

"But even when I was causing trouble," The two boys sang together,

"(s)he was right there by my side.

No matter his/her fears or doubts,

When (s)he looked at me, it was with love or pride.

That's how I knew that my mom/dad would always be there.

They're our family, family,

There's nothing that matters more.

There's nothing for you to fear,

You're their family, family,

And they will always be your home."

"You know my family's pretty bad," Varian and Jim looked over in surprise as Braxton took the next verse.

"In fact, you're just about the best thing I've ever had," Matt offered Braxton a smile.

"The one I was closest to passed on,

But I know in my heart he's not truly gone.

Just as my brother is still with me,

Your family will always have open arms,

They'll keep on waiting as long as they need,

And that's what makes them family."

Matt hugged Braxton tightly. Braxton drew him in close, his arms wrapped protectively around him. Matt smiled up at him before turning to look at Jim and Varian as well. "Thank you. All of you. I know I've been a little bit silly with this. You're right. They're my family, they still love me. I've just been...silly."

Varian laughed. "We all get a little silly with our nerves."

Jim nodded and clasped Matt's shoulder. "It's not unusual to go a little bit nutty,"

Matt gave them a sheepish smile. "At least I've got friends who put up with me."

Braxton scoffed as he ruffled Matt's hair.. "Oh please, we're nothing more than what you deserve!"

"Sometimes we all go a little insane,

Sometimes we act like a real pain,

But you've got a big event about to happen,

So why would we complain?" Jim questioned, his voice filled with laughter.

Varian jumped in eagerly. "Sometimes we act a little bit batty,

We all can be a little mad hat-y,

But we've all felt what you're feeling now,

So to complain would be rather bratty."

"You should have seen me at my very first fight," Braxton nudged Matt with a smile,

"I could barely tell you what was left and what was right,

I was spinning round in circles, stumbling over hurdles, and I couldn't tell if it was day or night,

But I got my feet under me, and got my hands in front of me, and next thing I knew I was the champ,"

"If you think that's bad you should have seen me as a traitor," Varian piped up brightly.

Jim and Matt exchanged looks. "Wait, what?"

"After escaping jail I was my own personal vindicator,

But all I wanted was some friendship, I let my values all slip, and I said they had to act now not later,

But it was fear talking, and when my gang said something shocking, I bucked up and came back to the light."

"I really don't know if that was actually helpful, Varian," Jim muttered.

Varian shrugged. "It helped me! It's your turn to sing."

"This conversation isn't over you know."

"Need me to sing for you?"

"Varian stop dodging the subject-"

"Jim's got something he's scared of as of late,

There's this certain boy he's going to ask out on a-"

"Varian!" Jim clamped his hand over his friend's mouth and shot him a glare.

Laughing Braxton led the group into the cafeteria. "That's proof right there that we all get a little silly with our nerves." Around the room their classmates looked up from what they were doing. As Braxton continued, their voices joined in.

"It's not unusual to go a little bit nutty,

At least I've got friends who put up with me.

they're nothing more than what you deserve!

Sometimes excitement makes us a little batty,

Sometimes it drives us a little insane,

But we've all been there so why should we complain?" Braxton snatched an apple off someone's tray as they walked past.

"It's my first letter in twelve months,

I don't think I can even eat," Matt shook his head, pushing away the apple Braxton offered him.

"Hearing from home is going to be so bittersweet."

Around the room, boys stood up on tables to add their stories to the mix.

"It's my first letter since I left home,"

"My first letter since I got a new dad,"

"The first letter since my girlfriend left me alone and sad,"

Once more singing together the entire cafeteria banded together.

"It's our first letter in far too long,

What if something has gone wrong?

It's been forever since we saw our families,

Sometimes it makes us feel alone,

We've got our friends at our sides,

So we know everything will be alright,

But nothing compares to a letter sent from home."

Matt smiled around at the other second years that filled the mess hall. "I guess I've been a little bit silly,

But I've got you all here with me,

And soon we'll be reading letters from our families."

The entire class of second years finished the song out together. "We all deal with our own nerves,

It's not unusual to go a little bit nutty,

At least we've got friends who always help me.

And they're nothing more than what we deserve!"