It was a beautiful day.

Students had reached the tired end of semester, eager to get home for a well-deserved, extended summer. But it had already arrived there on campus. The air was warm and colours bright and Eddie would be enjoying it so much more if he wasn’t having a stilted conversation with his father.

“Papa,” he said, distractedly eyeing a freckled blond as he passed him, winking when he saw the guy catch his eye. “I am on my way somewhere. Can this wait? I’ll be home in five days.”

As much as Eddie loathed it.

“No, Federico, it cannot wait.” His father’s clipped voice came through on the other end. “Stop whatever you’re doing and listen to me.”

Eddie swallowed a sigh but rubbed a hand through his hair in frustration his voice was calm and polite when he said. “Alright, Papa. Let me just get somewhere…ok.”

“Federico,” his Papa started and Eddie could already see it coming. He knew that tone. His father was working up to something. Likely something Eddie was not going to like.

“It’s Eddie.” He said, not for the first time. They wouldn’t accept the nickname, no matter how many times he corrected them.

“Your mother keeps telling you that is an ugly name.”

Eddie said nothing, but actively worked at keeping his muscles loose as he leaned against the railing he had found.

“In any case, Federico. I have been thinking for some time on your education.” His father went on.

Eddie did perk up at this. “What about it?”

The thing was, his parents let him have carte blanche. A sort of twisted survivor’s guilt. He lived away from home, he studied away from home and he had no limits on how long he wanted to keep on doing so.

“You said I could study whatever I wanted, Papa.” Eddy said, cautiously.

“Yes, Rico, but that was four years ago. And you have yet to find any kind of career path that I can see. Your studies are everywhere.”

“Does it matter, as long as I do exceptionally well?” Eddie said with a false brightness that was probably a bad move.

“It does matter, because you are wasting your time and talent there. You are being lazy.” His father replied sternly, irritated by Eddie’s tone.

Eddie leaned back, away from his plate and faced his father boldly. “Again, does it matter? I’m only twenty three, Papa, I have my whole life to decide where I want to go.”

“But you aren’t doing that. You’re just killing time.” His father frowned at him, his enormous eyebrows making it look impressive. “You have an incredibly gifted brain, it’s disgusting how you waste it.”

“It’s not the only thing that is ‘disgusting’ in this house.” Eddie retorted, and immediately regretted it. It was not the thing to bring up over the phone, or ever for that matter. He silently reprimanded himself while the silence on the line settled, its only interruption the electronic buzz of the phone itself.

“Don’t speak like that.” Massimo said gruffly.

Eddie forced his voice to sound normal. “Not to be rude or anything, but isn’t the point to keep me out of the way?”

It was a second, shamelessly low blow.

This time he heard the sharp sound of a hissed breath, followed by more silence. What was wrong with him today?

“Caro,” his father said, his voice gone lower and softer with a tenderness Eddie hated. “What are you…did you hear something?”

Abruptly deciding the conversation had taken unsavory turn, he mentally broke free from the moment and stood straight.

“Papa, I really do have to go. I’ll be home for summer,” he said with false brightness. “We can talk then, ok?”

There was the sound from the other end that may have been his father attempting to say something and changing his mind, then a heavy sigh. “Si, Federico. I’ll see you then.”

“Ciao, Papa.”

“Ciao.”

Eddie had hung up before his father had finished saying the word, his feet already making quick progress over the lawn. He hadn’t been in a hurry before, but now… he just wanted to be somewhere else.

Even if he wasn’t very enthusiastic about the ‘somewhere else’.

Normally, beyond being initially spectacular and peripherally available, he would have bowed out of this sort of thing by now. He didn’t like to keep his attentions anywhere for too long. Otherwise, how could there be enough Eddie to go round? Besides, he got bored so quickly. Brendan liked to remind him they were ‘doing good’. Richards had told him that only ten percent of cases were even reported, and there was little or no point in bringing it to the attention of the college. If you read up rape statistics online, they didn’t even mention male rape cases,

When Christian had asked him if he wanted to be involved in setting up an on campus rape crisis centre, it touched a sharp little splinter inside Eddie’s soul and tweaked.

As he approached the door he overheard Richards speaking.

“…we need to set up some sort of coordination with the police, so that cases reported there get referred to the college immediately. Otherwise, the time gap is too big. The blood tests are pointless and the perpetrators can hide.” He was saying. As Eddie came into view, he saw that both Cressida and Laurel were listening to him, sitting on the second hand chairs they had found for the time being. At least, Eddie hoped they were temporary, as they were threadbare and uncomfortable.

“Hello Eddie,” Cressida said when she saw him in the doorway.

“Good morning, Cress. Good morning Richards. Good morning Madam.” Eddie greeted in turn before walking in to sit on the last available chair. “What do we have to discuss so very early in the morning?”

“It’s ten.” Laurel told him disapprovingly.

Eddie gestured to his face. “And I need my beauty sleep.”

“You can get it on your vacation, Eddie.” Richards said evenly. He never spoke with anything above a bored monotone. “In any case, this is a brief meeting before you all head off. Miss Caldwell and I will be working on it during the summer, and we just wanted to give you two a heads-up on our plans before you go.”

Eddie looked at him quizzically. “Why just Madam and I? Surely the others should be informed too?”

“You can do that part, obviously. But the main reason is because I want to discuss the idea of linking your FindMe app to the project.”

The app made it possible for someone made incomprehensible by drugs or alcohol or both to send a very quick, effortless message to up to three people with their GPS coordinates, allowing them to pass out knowing that sometime soon, they would be rescued from the bathroom floor. It had been the only thing that saved Christian from being raped by the blight-on-the-earth Jazz. The app taken off on campus, now that the bugs were fixed. Eddie refused any money from the proceeds, which naturally made Cornelius incredibly happy, rich, and grateful, which Eddie found useful.

But Eddie most certainly had no interest in it now.

“Excuse me?” Eddie inquired with obsequious politeness.

Mr Richards went on. “We think that your app will be an ideal addition to the media side of things. It helps to spread awareness of the issue, it can function as an emer-“

“Firstly, it’s not my app, all intellectual property and rights thereof belong to my friend Cornelius. I am more than happy to put you in touch with him. Secondly, since I have now told you this, you really don’t need to include me.” Eddie told him jauntily.

Richards narrowed his eyes.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You may beg, if it makes you feel better. I am not here to be involved beyond some light labour to help all of you lovely conscientious folk,” he indicated all of them. “With the initial start-up process. An avenue in which I am extremely qualified, I’ll admit.”

They all looked at him with varying reactions: annoyance, exasperation…calculation.

“Eddie-“ Laurel started with a snarl and Eddie turned his body towards her, more than ready to go a round with her. Since Christian wasn’t around, he wouldn’t have to behave, and he was feeling an increasing need to bitch. But Cressida interrupted her before she could start.

“It's fine, Eddie. You can think it over during your break.” She told him, smiling benignly.

Eddie did not roll his eyes. Psychiatrists!

“I highly doubt it, but if it makes you feel better to think so then by all means do.” Eddie stood up. “If that was all..?”

Laurel wasn’t appeased. “You’re in fine bitch-form today.”

Eddie didn’t bat an eyelash. “Thank you for noticing. Enjoy your vacay!” he said, leaving the room with an over-the-shoulder wave.