When Dakota got home, he ditched his daily routine of watching Nick cook and headed straight for his room. He didn't know what Lucas had gotten up to while he was gone, but Dakota felt a sense of panic at someone being in his- their?- room without really knowing who they were.

The panic only seemed to set in on his way home from school and, since then, had escalated.

However, when Dakota opened the door, there was Lucas- only in lacy panties, a different color than the ones he wore the day before- watching the television. Except this time, Lucas noticed Dakota's presence before Dakota even made a sound.

"Welcome back," Lucas smiled, unphased by his lack of clothing, "How was school?"

"Uh," Dakota said- a bit distracted by the basically-naked man in front of him- "Why do you not have any clothes on... again?" Lucas shrugged.

"I'm at my most comfortable state in the nude," Lucas explained, rolling onto his back and wiggling around on the bed. "The blankets are so soft on my skin," he praised, "I haven't had a bed of my own for a while. Let alone with these fancy covers."

Yeah, Dakota's adopted parents were a bit rich. Xavier's occupation wasn't just a normal desk job- it was a higher-rank desk job with added financial benefits. However, though Dakota thought the same thing about the covers of the bed when he first arrived, they really were not that special in the rich community.

At least, that's what Xavier commented when Nick bought them.

"Yeah, they're great, aren't they?" Dakota replied, sitting on his bed. Dakota's was a bit more personalized. He got them black and grey- grey, to match the walls of the room. Lucas watched him, and then- rather than watch the show he was invested in- continued staring as Dakota awkwardly stared back questioningly.

Unlike Nick, who you could read just as well as Nick could read you, Lucas was almost...indescribable.

"What are you staring at?" Dakota finally questioned, after a few seconds of them locking eyes.

"Your hair and piercings," Lucas shook his head, as if in disbelief or wonder, "They suit you really well. Can I see them?"

"...You are seeing them," Dakota replied, deadpan. Lucas rolled his eyes and smiled more.

"I mean up close, Dummy," he snorted, getting on his knees on the bed, looking hopeful.

"Uh, sure?" Dakota said worriedly, unsure about Lucas. What if he was a serial killer with a knife tucked under the pillow? Dakota wouldn't know. 

But, Dakota- like characters in a horror movie- walked over to Lucas anyway. Besides, how could Dakota say no to that innocent face? Those big blue eyes? Dakota sat on Lucas's bed because it was awkward to stand in front of him. Then Lucas poked one of his snake bites, and started moving it around, giggling as it moved the skin of his lip with it as well.

Dakota didn't really enjoy being touched one-hundred percent of the time- and even then, it was only with people he generally liked. Plus, Lucas was getting into his personal space, which made the teenager inside of him agitated and the hopefully-not-gay inside of him blush.

"Those are so cool," he said snort-giggling, which Dakota found strangely cute, "I want a piercing one day." He marveled at Dakota's piercing for a second more before running his fingers through Dakota's hair- now that, Dakota was used to. Ethan always had his hands in, if not Soap's, then Dakota's hair. Sometimes, Dakota would smack his hand away; sometimes, he didn't have the heart to care. Therefore, Dakota allowed Lucas to run his gentle fingers through his scalp. "And I want to dye my hair at least once. And I want to have a tattoo!"

"You haven't dyed your hair before?" Dakota asked, genuinely surprised. Originally, he thought that the blondish hair Lucas wore was fake; he had never seen nor heard of someone with hair naturally that light.

Dakota thought of himself without dyed hair and piercings- he winced with disgust. He looked unlike himself without them. Plus, it reminded him of the past.

"No," mumbled Lucas, "I couldn't afford it." The twink pursed his lips then smiled, "Maybe I'll be able to get it dyed when I get my own place."

"I think it looks great how it is. It's very pretty for a guy-" Dakota said before he could stop himself, but stopped eventually when Lucas gave him a knowing smirk, "And uh, what do you mean 'when you get your own place?'"

"I'm not going to stay here forever, Koty," Lucas said seriously, of which Dakota raised an eyebrow at the new nickname he recieved, "I don't want to be a burden."

"Trust me," Dakota said seriously back, "You are not a burden. If Nick heard you say that, he would go on protective-mom mode."

"You better not tell him then," Lucas winked, as if it was their secret, "Get me some clothes? It should be dinner soon, right?" 

Dakota, like a genie, did as Lucas wished and grabbed him some more of his jet-black clothes. He tried to think of what Lucas meant by that wink, but he didn't let his mind dwindle. He didn't want to overthink it.

While Lucas had put his clothes on, Dakota made a point not to watch him. He stared at the wall- the window seal with a dead fly on it- the blank, grey sky outside. He heard Lucas make some noises before announcing he was going to dinner.

"I'm going to go ahead and go," Dakota heard him announce. Though, why Lucas announced his exit, Dakota didn't know. That is, until he said- "You can come with me if you want. But, when we come back, we should have a conversation. You see, I thought I was rooming with a straight boy, who wouldn't eye me up. But it seems I was wrong." An awkward silence held for a second. "So, see you then, I guess."

Lucas shut the door behind him, rather loud.

Dakota then, looked at the door in a panic. 

How did Lucas know he was attracted to him? How did he know anything about him from just living in his room for two days? Dakota had nothing in his room that Lucas could find that would convince him of Dakota being homosexual. He swore he didn't, "eye him up," as much as Lucas implied.

So how had he figured out Dakota's darkest secret? The substance of all his uncomfortable anger? The very essence of instigation of almost every problem he ever had?

Dakota realized one thing about Lucas from those thoughts- Lucas was better than Nick at reading people.

He was also better than Nick at hiding his real emotions.

~{()}~

Dinner with Lucas was awkward.

At least, it was to Dakota- who watched Avil talk to Lucas about his makeup idea. Lucas, however, did not seem phased by his and Dakota's future conversation. In fact, he seemed perfectly fine- as if the mention of a conversation never happened.

Nick, was washing the pots and pans he used for cooking, and Dakota noticed he hadn't sat down to eat a meal for himself. He wondered if Nick really was letting himself go hungry like Avil suggested. 

"So," Lucas asked the general table, "Is everyone in the family gay?" Lucas said loudly and smiled cheekily, staring right into Dakota's eyes. The fact that Dakota once thought Lucas was innocent and pure, made Dakota double-take. The boy almost choked on his salad at Lucas's question.

"Well, I am," Avil said, holding his head high, "Nick and Xavier obviously are. The younger ones are undetermined. And Dakota is the only determined straight."

"Dakota is straight?" Lucas scoffed, as if he was surprised. He looked between Avil and Dakota in mock shock before smiling. "I couldn't tell."

"Oh yeah," Avil nodded, thinking Lucas was being sarcastic, "He just broke up with his girlfriend, I heard."

"What?" Dakota butted-in, "What do you mean?" Then he looked at Nick, "Did you tell him?"

Nick held his hands up in the air in surrender. Avil rolled his eyes.

"Dude, it's literally the current gossip of the school," Avil said, with a fed-up look on his face, "How couldn't I find out?"

"I didn't think people would care that much about our relationship," Dakota grumbled, stabbing his salad with his fork with a new-found irritation. Avil, once again, rolled his eyes.

"Please, Kota," Avil snorted, "Your relationship with Lenore was a hit in the gossip community. You, Mr. bad-boy-I-hate-everyone. You, who sits in your seat like a lonely pessimist on depression day. You paired with the sweet- not to mention stunningly innocent- Lenore Stewart? The book nerd that everyone but no one knows? Not to mention your aura of 'the misunderstood rich kid?' It was born to be whispered in ears. Now, everyone is wondering why you broke up."

Dakota glowered, but he understood why that would cause such a stir in the school. Avil kept looking at him intently though, until Dakota asked, "What?"

"So," Avil gestured for Dakota to hurry, "Why did you break up?"

"Yeah, Kota," Lucas tilted his head, "Why did you?" Lucas obviously did not mean to make it a mocking question, but Dakota read it that way. He glared at both of them.

"It just didn't work out," he grumbled, "And I don't want to talk about it more."

Avil sighed in irritation and looked up into the heavens.

"God, why did you make my adopted brother such an idiot?" he asked the sky. Lucas giggle-snorted but tried to hide it with his hand. Since when did they become allies? Dakota wondered to himself.

"Why am I an idiot?" he huffed, "You're the idiot." He said half-heartedly and lame-like.

"You're an idiot because of course I know that your relationship 'didn't work out!'" he groaned, "That's what everyone knows. The question is why?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Dakota repeated. Which caused Avil to sigh in defeat and mumble, "Whatever." And after a moment- and a look from Nick- the make-uped boy grumbled, "I'm sorry I called you an idiot."

"I'm sorry too," Dakota said reluctantly. He didn't like apologizing all that much, unless it was deserved. Avil didn't either; so when Nick turned his back, Avil mouthed, "Not sorry,"  at him.

Dakota was used to their debates ever since the first pancake versus waffle argument, so he broke the tension by smiling. Avil then smiled in return.

They didn't stay mad at each other for long.

Avil was a generally nice person, which is one of the reasons why Dakota thought of him as a real brother. And also why Dakota hated the guys at school that teased him for being too feminine, and why he wanted to break their necks.