Mary prepares them food in the kitchen while the two sit in the dining room which was basically the living room too.

Laurent scanned the whole room and realized how big their house really was compared to where Teo lives. Especially the area where they were located, so many small houses it could hardly be called that. So many children playing outside, not afraid if the motorcycles or cars might hit them. There was noise everywhere.

"Sorry I don't know your first name, we’re not in the same section" Teo said, he starts helping his mother prepare the table.

Laurent looked at him and whispered "L-Laurent" 

"Wow, Laurent, that sounds like a foreign name. French? I studied that too, you know? Anyway, my name is Matheo, but just call me Teo" he said, placing a plate in front of Laurent.

“Y-Yeah. My mother is French. How did you know? You even pronounced my name right the first time” Laurent then shyly pointed at the plate, confused "I-It's empty…" 

Teo laughed "Wait for the food! It's still in the kitchen" 

"Oh" Laurent nods, in their house there are no empty plates. He sits down and the plate is right there with scrumptious food.

Soon, Mary comes out with food and places it on the table. There was very little food but still they fed Laurent.

"Go on, eat up" Mary smiled at him "I added more because I know you two are growing boys!" 

Laurent felt bad "I-I don't need to eat" 

In their house, there was plenty of food and it was so fancy. His parents eat so little, a lot of food gets wasted everyday.

"Nonsense!" Mary raised her voice a bit but still had a smile on her face "You're a guest here, eat up and I'll tend to your wounds after" 

Laurent felt like crying again but he held it in. They don't even know him, he was a stranger to them but they were far nicer than his own family.

This might be the best day of my life… 

Laurent started eating a lot to cover up the fact that he felt like crying. He took a bite, he took another and then another. The food was so simple and plain, and yet it was the most delicious food he's ever tasted.

♡♡♡

"Teo, wash the dishes!" Mary said from another room, she was finding something to treat Laurent's wounds.

Teo nods "Wait here for a second" 

But Laurent stood up "Washing the dishes? You don't have someone to do that for you?" 

Teo laughed out loud "Are you for real? Come on! I can't believe I have to teach a high schooler how to wash plates!!" He laughed once again.

"I-I know how!! I just don't do it" Laurent scoffed at him and walked straight to the kitchen "You'll see! I'll do it!" 

♡♡♡

"O-Ouch" Laurent flinched a little, they're at the living room. Mary was treating some of Laurent's bruises and bandaging them up properly.

Teo watched them and said "Ma, can Laurent stay here for a few days? He's in some kind of trouble and I wanna help him" 

Mary nods "Sure son" and focuses on treating the injuries. She trusts Teo, he’s been very responsible since he was a kid that he basically raised himself. She knows they’ll tell her what happened when they’re ready. Laurent and Teo stared at each other with huge smiles on their faces.

♡♡♡

Laurent is wearing Teo's clothes. It was fortunate that they're the same size. Teo's clothes probably cost nothing like what Laurent wears in his everyday life and still, it's the most comfortable clothes he's worn in all his life.

"Are you feeling a little bit better?" Teo asked him, concerned because he has a lot more injuries than what he thought.

Laurent nods "Yeah… For the first time in my life" He breathed a sigh of relief.

Teo started to lay the futons on the floor "Sorry, I don't even sleep on a bed dude, I just sleep on the floor or the couch when I’m feeling slothful" 

"It's alright" Laurent said and started helping him “You talk so weird…”

“Do I?”

“Yeah… I don’t understand you sometimes… Others talk about it all the time at school too and some find it hard to approach you because they’re too intimidated by how smart you are but you’re actually a pretty cool guy… Maybe the bullying will lessen if you–” 

“If I?”

Laurent pursed his lips “No. You don’t have to change for them… But I do find it hard sometimes to understand so dumb it all down for me” He chuckles lightheartedly.

“I wasn’t planning to anyway” Teo plopped on the futon and tapped the blankets beside him “But maybe I can change a bit! Let’s hit the hay!”

Laurent snickers a bit “Who says that? You old man!”

♡♡♡

Laurent turned his phone off. He laid on the futon, the floor was cold and hard but still he felt warm inside. He breathes in and breathes out, the heavy weight he's been carrying all this time felt like it was gone. 

Maybe I can just… stay here? I'll try to pull my weight around here. Laurent thought. He really didn't want to go back, especially now that he disobeyed for the first time in his life.

♡♡♡

Laurent's been staying at Teo's for a week. His phone is always turned off, he doesn't go to school despite Teo telling him to go.

In the morning Mary goes to work and Teo goes to school, leaving Laurent alone. He just stays inside the house, despite being inside all day long, he still felt so free.

The door opened, it was Mary coming home from her work "Teo? Laurent?" She called. Laurent immediately ran up to her.

"Auntie!" Laurent was excited "Let me help you" he helped her carry some groceries she bought.

Mary smiled "Thank you, since Teo is still not home, want to help me make some coffee jelly?" 

"I don't know how but I'll help!" Laurent said, placing the groceries on the table.

♡♡♡

After making the coffee jelly, Laurent and Mary tasted it. Laurent's eyes sparkled.

"I-Is this- coffee jelly?" Laurent kept eating, that food made him feel so cozy inside "It's so good Auntie!! You're the best!" It was the first time he made something from scratch like this.

Mary chuckled and ruffled his hair "Eat a lot Laurent, I can make more, it's easy to make!" 

Laurent smiled, that week was the most he's smiled and laughed in all his life.

♡♡♡

Teo was in school, walking in the hallways when suddenly some men in black surrounded him.

"W-What's happening?!" Teo looked at them, he was completely outnumbered.

Someone then interrupted, "What's happening?" 

The bodyguards looked at that person and said "It's Mr. Martin" they murmured.

The Martins' company is not huge yet but a lot of companies have their eyes on them. They believe that the CEO of Falling Comet is a genius causing people to praise and be threatened by Sebastian's presence. Most of the investors are big names too.

"Leave him alone," Sebastian said. Teo couldn't see him because the bodyguards were so huge.

Who is that? Why do the guards sound scared? He asked himself and tried to peek but he couldn't see who it was.

♡♡♡

"I WANT THAT PASCAL KID EXPELLED" He screamed. It was Laurent's father. His mother is sitting, quiet and emotionless. The complete opposite of his spouse.

"Sir, you don't have an appointment, please leave and set an appointment first" The secretary apologetically said, she was sure she was gonna get yelled at again.

Laurent's father scoffed and paced around the room "I want to see that Pascal kid now" 

Someone came in, panting and yelled "A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SURROUNDED ME" it was Teo, panicking as he looked at the secretary. School was horrible but at least the secretary and the principal were a bit nice to him. Though, he could never really tell them about the bullies knowing it would just make things worse.

The secretary sighs, "That's Mr. Pascal'' She said, then the principal came out of her office.

"What's with the ruckus?" She asked, staring at the Rañins and at Teo.

♡♡♡

"Alright, what's the problem?" The principal asked, putting her glasses on "I must remind you, I have an appointment with a student in a few minutes" 

Teo glared at Laurent's father "So you're Mr. Rañin?" 

Mrs. Rañin coldly replied "How dare you speak to us?" 

Mr. Rañin pointed at Teo disrespectfully "This kid, brainwashed my kid into quitting school and even escaping from home!" 

"How'd you know it was me?" Teo asked, raising his brow and crossing his arms “I’m sure you know where I live… Afraid to go to the slums? Afraid to be seen there?”

Mr. Rañin replied "You were the last one he was seen with! Shut up! Bring him to us!" he starts getting agitated again. Truth was, he had eyes everywhere for Laurent.

The principal tried to calm him down "Sir, I ask you to remain calm. Teo, can you tell me what happened?" 

Teo thought to himself,  Laurent’s been gone for a week but they’d rather do this shit than to get him in our house. Aren’t they the least bit worried about him?

Teo smirks and looks at the father with disgust "Are you sure? I know everything. Should I tell you everything? Should I air it out for everybody?” The only reason he couldn’t expose them was because Laurent didn’t want to be the center of everyone’s attention, pitying him.

Mr. Rañin quickly turned his head towards Teo, "No!" he was shocked, he knew exactly what Teo was talking about "What do you want, money?!" 

"Sir, please, that is a student!" The principal stood up and shouted at the father.

"Should I say it? Should I also tell them earlier? The men? I’m a minor too and ah– Ouch, they hurt my arm!" Teo threatened him with a lie, acting, standing up and leaning closer to his face. The principal kept talking to them but they completely ignored her.

Mr. Rañin panicked. Especially with the principal watching his every move, his every word. He was silent and trembling. His wife was as cold as ever but she spoke.

"Let's make a deal then" 

Teo looked at her, paying attention "Finally, someone with common sense" 

"You don't tell anyone. You make him go back. THAT never happens again" She said, her face was like stone, no emotions. By THAT she refers to the father hurting Laurent.

Teo pondered for a second "Deal" 

"But it is your word against ours. So I wonder…" She smiled. The first time she did, it gave Teo chills.

She was right. They can easily lie their way out of this because they're influential people with a lot of connections and he was just a nobody. He sighed, wracking his brain for another comeback.

Then someone knocked. The principal looked at her clock "The appointment with–" 

The door opened.

"Sebastian Martin" Mr. Rañin gasps, he covers his mouth from shock. He couldn't believe influential people were seeing him in that state. His wife, the principal and Sebastian. He felt utterly small and meaningless.

Sebastian looked at Teo and was supposed to talk to him about earlier with the men in black but he was cut off immediately. Teo placed his arm around Sebastian’s shoulders, trembling, and said…

"He also knows. So it's OUR words against yours" Teo took a risk and bluffed, he glared at Sebastian as if signaling him. He saw Mr. Rañin's reaction towards Sebastian so he thought maybe he's someone he feared or at least someone in his family did. He only hopes his classmate stays as quiet as he was in the classroom.

Sebastian was dumbfounded, a bit scared of Teo actually. Fortunately, he didn't utter a word, more like he couldn’t, he felt giddy and frightened at the same time. Teo only hopes the Rañin's don't see through his bluff.

♡♡♡

"I'm coming with you," Teo said, helping Laurent with other tupperwares. Now that he's going home again, Mary cooked him a lot of meals including his favorite, coffee jelly.

Laurent hugs Teo "Not to be sappy, but thanks" he then let go and smiles "I really love the coffee jelly auntie makes" 

"I'll remember that," Teo smiled back at him. He knows what he did isn’t nearly enough. He needs to get Laurent out of there but… what can he do? He’s just a boy from the slums.

Since then, the two have become inseparable with Teo watching him closely and the Rañin’s men watching them both.