1 | Almost Happy ▷ Sam Wilson | ✓

31 - LOVE NOT HATE

"WHY IS THE AIR FORCE ASKING ME TO DO SOMETHING?"

Nicky had been called out of his room by Terran, who had been adamant that they be alone when he told him the news. It had taken much of convincing, as Nicky was happy to cling close to Rhett, who had been living with them for almost three months now, and was starting to get a little enamored.

Terran smiled down at Nicky, almost eighteen and in his summer term before his second year of college, and it didn't surprise him that the boy, studying to be a psychologist, was confused as to why the military was asking him for blueprints.

"I have contact there," he began, Nicky raising his eyebrows in surprise, "I have connections everywhere, shush. Now, they asked me to help them out, since they're not really inclined to ask anyone else due to political reasons because...people hate mutants. Anyways! They got into contact with me in ways you don't need to worry about, and I mentioned that I have a little genius in my complex, and they're willing to pay you and put you through school."

Nicky blinked. "You're shitting me."

Terran grinned, shaking his head. "Nope. Under and graduate, I'm talking the full-ride. If I were you, I'd take it, but if you don't wanna, I totally understand."

Nicky chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, glancing up at Terran worriedly. He wanted to take this. He had to take this, there was no way he could say no, it was too good to be true. That was why he paused.

"Are you shitting me?" he repeated, now more of a question, genuinely unconvinced of the man's truthfulness. Terran had never had a track record of doing that to him, but he had to make sure.

Terran shook his head. "I promise you, I'm not joking. And I'm still gonna help you—"

"I'll take it if it means you'll stop paying," Nicky interrupted, pouncing at the opportunity to get out of his debt with Terran.

The man caught on—because he always did—and gave him a sympathetic smile, sighing softly. "What did we talk about...?"

Nicky puffed out his cheeks, blowing air out and rolling his eyes. "It's not any problem for you to pay for me to go to school, because you're already well off enough that it's no problem, and everyone has side jobs that makes it so we don't ever worry about financial needs at this point, 'so stop worrying, Nicky.'"

Terran snorted at Nicky's voice, the boy raising his voice when he probably should have lowered it, and he reached out to ruffle his hair. "So. You wanna take it?"

Nicky nodded eagerly. "Yeah. What do I have to do?"

º º º

Nicky yawned, moving so he could lean on his back and face the ceiling, rubbing his face and stretching. He had been working on his school work and the blueprints for hours, and he was extremely tired.

The door opened and he turned, raising his eyebrows in acknowledgement of Rhett who was cradling a bowl of popcorn. The man had been experimenting with a lot more modern snack foods, but he always went back to his roots. He always talked about the food and supply rations—Nicky wished he had known him back in sophomore year when he had to write that research paper, he honestly did—and so the man was taking advantage of his opportunities.

"You finally gonna tell me what you're working on?" Rhett asked, raising his eyebrows and settling down on the bed that always got hit by the door when Terran tried to burst in and open it all the way, only a few feet away from Nicky.

Nicky nodded, motioning for Rhett to sit next to him, reaching out and popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth, the blond frowning and pulling the bowl out of his reach. Rolling, his eyes, Nicky spread out his blueprints, motioning to the sketches.