“Hey assholes,” Prince says in the morning, “wake up.”

Rose grunts and draws Felix closer. Prince leans over them, gets his mouth as close as can be to their ears.

“My mom is making waffles,” he whispers, and their eyes shoot open.

“Waffles?” Rose half-shouts, tumbles off the bed.

Felix sits up, yawns, rubs his eyes. “Can I have two?”

Felix has four - Prince hasn’t seen someone so slender eat like an elephant, but Felix piles his waffles high with butter, jam, fresh fruit, whipped cream, and maple syrup. It’s just as impressive as it is unhealthy.

Joanna pours them large glasses of water and drops a lemon wedge in each one. “Prince, you haven’t introduced me to your new friend,” she scolds light-heartedly, and turns to Felix. “I spoke with your mother last night, so I know your name, at least. Felix, yes?”

Felix nods - his mouth is stuffed.

There’s a thumping from the stairs down the hall, and Jax rounds the corner yawning. “Morning, mom,” Jax greets. He ruffles Prince and Rose’s hair as he sits at the head of the table. “Morning, rugrats. Who’s your new bud, Prince?”

“Felix. Be nice, he’s cool.”

Jax is graduating in May, and much has changed in the last few months. He studies a lot, isn't home as often, and spends long nights out with his friends. Princeton misses the days they would curl up on the soft rug in the living room and read comics together, arguing about which hero was more likely to win in a fight. Clover is only twelve months from graduating herself, but in a way neither she nor Prince will be free of the public education system for another six years.

He feels so ready to leave his childhood behind him, to attend college, get a job, and the idea of being left behind, to go through junior and high school again, is downright depressing. His only consolation is that Princeton Moss doesn’t get bullied. Maybe school will be better this time.

Prince stabs his waffle. “Do you guys ever feel like you’re older than you are?” he asks. “Like, sixteen for example?”

Joanna pours him more water. “You’ll be a teenager before long. Don’t grow up too fast, Prince.”

He contains his snort, and broods over the inevitable.

“You've always been ahead in school, baby brother," Jax chuckles. "Why not slow down a little?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Prince's thoughts focus as, finally, Clover falls asleep in Lisette's guest room. He's physically well-rested but mentally exhausted. He likes staying up and talking, because it feels like a real slumber party, a real friendship, but Lisette never shut up all night, and neither had Clover.

Prince sighs. "I just want to be an adult already."