𝕊𝕆𝕃𝕀𝕍𝔸𝔾𝔸ℕ𝕋║[ᴅ. ᴡᴀʏɴᴇ]

ᴀᴄᴄɪꜱᴍᴜꜱ

"We have made a terrible mistake." Vin watched with mournful eyes as Courtnei Bridgerton, in the center of a large crowd in the lunch hall, captivated (much like she herself had been a couple of days ago at the hands of Singh) everyone with the story of her valiant rescue at the hands of the new vigilante (criminal), Spade.

Damian made an amused noise through a mouthful of his Tuscan Bean Soup. "As Todd tends to say, 'This appears to be a you problem.'"

"Oh yes, you are the best pal a guy could have. Thank you for assuring me in my time of need." Vin deadpanned. His raven-haired friend shrugged uncaringly and continued with his meal.

"Yeah, he was so gentle, nothing like the news report says. And he was about my age, too!"

Vin facepalmed with a groan. Damian smirked at his pain as if he fed on it.

"Oh, that's so cute!" One of Courtnei's friends squealed. Vin's ears rang for a good ten seconds after the noise was let loose into the world.

"This is just like one of those grocery store romance novels. You, Spade, and Damian Wayne. A love triangle with two hot guys pining after you..."

Damian's green eyes widened in barely repressed mortification and fury. Vin grinned sweetly, eyes half-lidded, and laced his fingers together, elbows resting on the table. "Aw, rich boy gets the rich girl? What an absolutely adorable premise." He crooned. Damian growled and kicked him roughly under the table. Vin only snickered in response.

Across the cafeteria, Courtnei laughed, "Yeah, maybe they'll fight over me and do some Turkish Oil Wrestling." The girl's eyes went dark as she bit her bottom lip, her cheeks went red, and she giggled under her breath. The two boys cringed as the besotted and... unchaste thoughts passed clearly across her face. Vin coughed uncomfortably, and Damian remained silent. The teenage girl seemed all too happy when imagining the prospect of them stripped down to tight briefs and slathered in oil. They were all underage, for Grundy's sake.

"The youth of today manages to bring me to new depths of disappointment and disgust that I wasn't aware I possessed." Damian's flat tone droned.

"Amen, brother." Vin muttered and tried to finish the rest of his food as his stomach lurched with every loud, inappropriate comment about Spade's 'big gun' that carried over the room to his ears. Eventually, the girls moved onto the topic of Robin, the other half of the duo that saved the academy.

With that, Damian's temper and Vin's day just got marginally more unpleasant.

"So, how was Ms. Cain's ballet recital?" Vin and Damian walked down the empty hallway toward their lockers.

"It was above expectations, as is expected of Cain," Damian said proudly, grabbing his remaining textbooks and shutting the metal door.

"That's great; she did the Nutcracker, right? That's one of Maman's favorites. She lives and breathes for the winter ballets." Vin smiles absently. Memories of his mother dressing up and his father helping put her emerald necklace rose into his mind. She would wear special sugarplum perfume, and his father would wear a winter Blue Bird Rose of Sharon in the blue variety tucked into the pocket of his suit and lace an arm around his wife's waist and hold his son's small hand. As they walked home, he would let go to make a spontaneous snow angel, urging Vin and Maria to join him.

Vin nodded to himself with an up curl of his lips. At least he knew what he would sketch next. Reaching into his locker, he shuffled through his small directory of books and- huh? Where was-?

"I believe you may be looking for this?"

Vin turned in tandem with Damian to see one Carmichael Bridgerton flanked by two hulking students- a boy and a girl. He held a red, leatherbound book about the size of a binder.