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Chapter Text

"Fresh off the boat" was what they called him. When he pointed out, yes, he had only just set foot in the spire the day before, Mother told him what it actually meant in Spire Albion. However, she said, it was very rude to actually come out and say. Grimm was still only beginning to grasp Albion language and culture, so he wasn't about to argue that he wasn't new to the spire, but as a native Albion his mother knew when they were being insulted.

On the topic of his mother, the woman was still griping at the grubby young men who had jeered at them with the boat comment. Grimm curled his toes and closed his fists to stop himself from kicking at the stone floor. Mother wouldn't like it if he wore out his shiny new shoes the day after getting them. He didn't think folks who smelled as bad as these had any business trying to throw insults either, but he would've preferred to just ignore them. People were staring and his presence at his mother's elbow already attracted enough attention as it was with how different he looked.

Finally, when Mother deemed the men suitably reprimanded, the pair moved on. They were going to enroll Grimm in school. The concept seemed similar to the circle meetings he and the other children under fourteen had with the Clanship elders, except he would be learning an Albion curriculum instead of necessary skills to live harmoniously in the Clan as an adult.

Grimm already missed the refreshing open air and the familiar creaking of the colossal vessel the Clan lived in. Spires were miserable places. Stuffy, dry, and too quiet. The ceiling was too close and the only ambient noise aside from people was the grating whisper of air through the spire's vents. The worst part was there was only one exit that he could reasonably use to go outside and he wasn't allowed to use it. He was stuck inside, encased in unforgiving spirestone for the foreseeable future. It was incredible that the locals hadn't gone mad centuries ago.

"Stand up straight, Francis." His mother said, interrupting his frustrations.

Grimm straightened, sighing. He wondered, not for the first time, why his mother was so hung up on calling him by their shared first name.

"This meeting is important. You must be on your best behaviour. Am I understood?" Mother asked.

"Yes."

Mother hummed shortly before she spoke again, a distinctly skeptical noise. "Yes, what?"

Grimm fought against the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, madame."

"Very good. Ah, here we are." Mother gestured to a fairly large building with wide steps up to a double door.

They paused while she knocked - a quick, nearly frantic movement - and waited for an answer. A small metal sign on the frame, just above the doors themselves, read "B O Y S". It took a moment for Grimm to decipher the word and a baffled curiosity gripped him.

"Only boys?" He asked. "Why?"

"What?" Mother laughed under her breath until Grimm pointed. "Ah. No, that placard is very old. Boys and girls all use the same schools now, but Albions used to think of women as less intelligent than men."

"Less what?" Grimm wrinkled his nose and tilted his head until his mother repeated the word in the Clan's language.

He was still mumbling, trying to commit it to memory, when the doors creaked open. A small boy with blazing copper hair greeted them, wordlessly ushering the pair in. Just inside the doors was a wide, low hallway. It almost looked like the halls aboard the Clanship. He felt a pang of homesickness and frowned as his mother steered them into a small office. They found a well-dressed woman that looked to be waiting for them, sitting behind a desk with two chairs across from her that were clearly meant for visitors. Between wide streaks of silver, her hair was the same bright copper as the boy who stood beside her. It was a fascinating colour - he'd never seen it before arriving at Spire Albion, even on folks visiting the Clan.

Grimm quirked a small smile at the boy, who shot him a lopsided grin. A pleasant surprise. Most Albions wouldn't so much as turn up the corners of their mouths without at least a few words of conversation. The boy's eyes were a warm brown, only a few shades lighter than his own, and a handful of faint freckles dotted his face. Grimm wondered if they might become friends.

"Welcome to Holte-Bayard Primary Academy." The woman said cheerily. "You must be Madame Grimm. I am Principal Bayard."

"Indeed, I am." Mother nodded respectfully. "Lovely to meet you, and thank you for meeting on such short notice. This is my son, Francis Madison."

Grimm straightened, snapping his gaze away from the beaming copper-haired boy to the Principal and nodding as well.

"Little Francis, what a handsome lad. I see my boy, Alexander, is already trying to win you over." She smiled, suddenly looking more a kind mother than a Principal. "Why don't you two run along and play while we adults take care of these dull formalities, hmm?"

Grimm looked to his mother who nodded and waved him off.

"Go on. Stay near the school." She said firmly.

Before Grimm could respond, Alexander had wrapped a hand around his wrist and pulled him out with another crooked grin. The office door shut behind them with a quiet click.

"It's Francis, right?" The boy chirped. "You can call me Alex."

Grimm frowned. "Call me Grimm. Or Mad."

It was what his friends in the Clan called him, and the only name he could tolerate aside from his surname.

"Mad, huh?" Alex cocked his head, then nodded. "Mad it is." He pointed over his shoulder with a thumb. "There's tunnels behind the school, wanna see?"

Grimm felt his face crease as he grimaced. He hated to ask anyone other than his mother, but... "What is- what are 'tunnels'?"

"Hmm. Like... hallways, but smaller?" Alex laughed, shrugging. He hopped backward a few tiny steps, beckoning Grimm to follow. "Come on. I'll show you."

Grimm hesitated, glancing at the office door. He could hear his mother's voice behind the polished wood. Disobeying her had consequences, but Alex was rather insistent.

"They won't even know we're gone." He was saying, tugging at Grimm's wrist. "Intake paperwork takes ages."

"Alright. Stop." Grimm pulled his wrist away and followed a cheering Alex down the long hall and out the back door.

There was a small yard, with pretty flowering plants in pots full of sand lining the edges. The ceiling here was transparent but cloudy, so he could only see a hazy grey with a slightly brighter spot that he assumed was the sun. There were some strange wooden contraptions painted garish colours scattered throughout the area and a small, walled in pit full of more sand and pebbles in the near corner. A tarnished bronze fence enclosed the yard on three sides, with the building itself making up the fourth side of a perfect square.

Alex was watching him, Grimm realized, flushing for a reason he couldn't discern. The boy had hopped down the steps two at a time and was staring back up at him, another lopsided grin on his face.

"What?" Grimm huffed.

"I like your hair. How old are you?"

He toyed self-consciously at the freshly cut fuzz on the back of his head. It was irritating and he missed his long braids, but he had to admit that the curls at the top were alright.

"I am twelve." He muttered.

Alex clapped, clearly pleased. "Me too. Rather, I will be, tomorrow."

"Then... you are eleven." Grimm snorted, joining the other boy at the bottom of the stairs.

Alex stuck out his tongue, snickering. "Only for today. We'll be in the same class when school starts next week."

"Class?"

"Um, they'll teach us in the same room, because we're the same age so we're learning the same things." His nose wrinkled. "Probably. You should sit next to me."

Grimm agreed, but silently doubted his claim. The books his mother had bought him were incomprehensible and he knew he was already far behind. The Clan's elders didn't teach scientific theory or complex mathematics to children; they weren't useful on airships unless one had a specific job to do with them. Instead, children over fourteen would apprentice for folks who'd been doing those jobs their whole lives. Mother's husband had suggested hiring a private tutor until Grimm was at the same level as his age group, but Mother had refused. She said it would be healthier for him to be with other children and that school would get him comfortable with living in the spire far more quickly than being cooped up. She also claimed that the challenge of learning on his own would be good for him.

They had to climb over the fence to reach the tunnels - or Grimm did, at least. The smaller boy just slipped through the bars. The tunnels themselves were horribly cramped and rather dull, but Alex was so cheerful and talkative that Grimm enjoyed wandering with him anyway. He'd never met anyone quite as... enthused before, and it began to rub off on him until he was laughing along just as loudly. The boy had a quick wit, never tried to finish Grimm's sentences for him, unlike many Albions who seemed to be prone to impatience, and always did his best to explain things when Grimm asked.

When the pair finally stumbled back into the schoolyard, Alex's shoe caught on the fence and he shouted as he dropped like a rock. Grimm slowed, snickering. It was only when he heard a quiet sniffle that he stopped, whirling around to look at his new friend. Alex was facing away, laying on his side and curled into himself, clutching his ankle. A pang of guilt gripped Grimm's chest and he shuffled closer.

"Sorry I laugh. Are you alright?" He asked, offering a hand.

Alex's face flushed down to his collar and he nodded, swiping at his eyes with his sleeve. He took the outstretched hand and sat up, still holding his ankle. Grimm frowned and sat cross-legged in front of him.

"I will look. Take your shoe." He said softly, waving for Alex to stretch out his leg.

Alex sniffled again, squeaking out, "I'm fine."

"No, not." Grimm struggled to find the Albion words he needed. "When you are fine you smile. You are crying. Hurt?"

The other boy's lips pressed together and he reluctantly nodded.

"Take your shoe. I will look." Grimm repeated.

The words felt odd on his tongue. They were definitely wrong but Alex obeyed, setting his shoe to the side, and gingerly stretched his leg out. Grimm gently rested his friend's foot where his own ankles crossed and noticed a red stain immediately. A sharp part of the fence must have caught on the boy's stocking and had cut into the skin of his inner ankle, just above the bone. It was only a small scrape, but Grimm dug in his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief his mother had given him that morning. He held it out to Alex.

"You have this?" He asked.

Alex nodded, pulling out his own handkerchief and handing it over. Grimm folded it into a small, neat square and laid it over the scrape, wrapping his own around his friend's scrawny ankle and tying it snugly. The cut didn't really need the makeshift bandage, but Alex was rather distraught and Grimm knew from watching over younger children that receiving care helped anyway, at least emotionally. He decided to forgo a kiss to the bandage - Albions were weird about affection - but Alex seemed to feel better if his shy smile meant anything.

"Sorry for crying." He muttered weakly. "It's stupid, I-"

Grimm cut him off, waving his hand sharply. "No. Crying is fine. Good. You hurt, sometime you cry. Adults cry. All... everyone. Alright?"

Alex eyed him for a few long seconds, then offered a shaky smile. "You're... really nice, Mad. Thank you."

Grimm smiled. "We go back. Mother will be angry if... if I am going far. You need help?"

Alex shook his head, waving him off, and stood on his own. He only had a slight limp as they walked back to sit on the steps.

"Is it hard?" He asked after a time, his voice quiet. “Learning Albion?”

"Yes. No." Grimm huffed a short laugh. "A little hard. Many rules. I know Mother for one year, she teached me. Taught me. She tell me what words mean and how I talk and write. Many words and many rules, sometime a rule for one word only." He paused, then shrugged. "I forget and remember."

Alex nodded and stayed quiet for a moment before continuing. "I'll help you, too. Can we be friends?"

"Yes. Very good friends." Grimm assured him. "...I like you."

Alex laughed aloud, but he wasn't smiling. "Really? No one likes me. Why do you?"

Grimm frowned. Albions really were confusing.

"You like me. You are kind and funny. You say good jokes and tell me why they are funny when I do not know. I like your laughing and eyes and... marks on your face." He paused, wracking his brain. "Freckles. And you have pretty hair. And you are..." He stumbled over the word he needed and muttered a curse in his native tongue. "You are... waiting kindly when I am not remembering words. That is very... good? No. Very nice."

Alex was grinning, his face flushed again. His nails scratched the back of his neck. "I think you mean 'patient', not 'waiting kindly'."

Grimm smiled. "Yes. Thank you. I try but I do not always remember. I like that you are patient."

"Its only fair." He said, still red and grinning. "You're still learning. I bet I couldn't learn your language even half as fast."

"My language is very hard." Grimm agreed, laughing. "Less rules but more hard. Many from spire who are trying to learn give up. My mother cannot say many words. She learned for all my life, but I know more Albion from one year. It is hard to say the words, so... I can not be mad."

"I'll have to give it a try, then, sometime. Uh," he chuckled, flushing deeper, "you... you're, uh, kind and funny, too. I like your accent and your smile. Thanks for being my friend."

"Not for thanking." Grimm said, waving him off. "You like me, I like you, we are friends. That is the end. But no one like you?"

Alex looked down at his makeshift bandage, frowning miserably. "I dunno. I guess I cry too easy. And I'm too small to fight back when they beat me up."

Grimm straightened, his heart squeezing. "Fight? What is 'beat me up'? They hurt you? Adults?"

"No, no, only other students. I'm an easy target. Beating someone up means, uh, they hurt you until they feel like stopping. I'm too small to stop them, so they... do it whenever they want." He shrugged.

"I will fight them if they hurt you again." Grimm growled.

Alex looked at him sharply. "Really?"

"Yes." Grimm nodded, smiling wolfishly. "I am good at fighting. And you can learn."

"Oh. Alright." Alex grinned. "Thanks, Mad. Truly."

Grimm's smile softened and he opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment the door opened to reveal his mother and the Principal. Both boys stood to face them.

"Ah, there you are, Francis." Mother waved Grimm inside. "Come, now. We've just finished up, it's time to go home."

Grimm sighed. "Yes. Madame. I will say goodbye, please."

Mother hummed, but nodded. "I suppose. Be quick about it."

"How sweet." The Principal giggled. "Come inside after, dear."

"Alright, mum." Alex muttered.

The two women seemed satisfied with that and let the door fall closed. Grimm scrunched his nose up at Alex.

"Don't worry, Mad, we'll see each other soon." The smaller boy chirped.

"Yes." Grimm had to crack a smile. "I am happy I meet you. The tunnels are... bored, boring, but you are fun." He toyed with his earring for a moment. "Uh... a hug is... alright?"

Alex's jaw dropped and his face turned red again. "Oh, um, I guess. If it doesn't bother you."

Grimm shook his head and held his arms open. Alex slipped his own arms neatly under Grimm's and the two held each other tightly for a long moment. He was so thin it was like hugging a child half his age. Copper hair tickled Grimm's cheek when they shifted their weight slightly. He decided this was absolutely lovely. He'd missed being held the most out of everything he'd had to leave behind. Albions were so cold to each other. Not even his own mother would hold him very often. It was lonely, but if Alex would hug him from time to time, he supposed he could probably bear it.

When they parted, Alex's face was still flushed, but he was grinning now. "You're a good hugger."

Grimm smiled, pressing his forehead to Alex's. "You are nice to hold. Soft hair."

The boy just grinned, flushing darker. His hands slid up to rest on the back of his own neck. There were a few more freckles on the back of his arms where his sleeves rode up and a raised pink spot on his left wrist that might've been an old burn.

Grimm sighed and straightened, moving to the door. "I will tell Mother I want to be seeing you again. Goodbye."

"Bye, Mad." Alex said quietly.

--

The walk home passed in something of a haze. Grimm was suddenly overcome with an unfamiliar exhaustion; it was hard to get enough air and the ceiling seemed like it might collapse at any moment. His limbs were heavy. He managed to ask if he could visit Alex again before school started and Mother seemed pleased, promising to invite him over as soon as possible.

When they arrived, she sent Grimm up to his room to finish unpacking - the boy had fallen asleep curled up inside his wardrobe the night before - and declared she would be in her study. Grimm followed her to her door, trying to make sense of the house's strange layout. It was nothing like the Clanship with her long halls and hundreds of rooms. It seemed to be completely random at best, and deliberately confusing at worst. There was only one way to the upper level and the two floors were totally different. When he was guided out of the twins' bedroom for the second time, Grimm finally found his way back to his own room. He spent the afternoon slowly folding clothes and forcing them all into the two drawers at the base of his wardrobe.

Dinner was a quiet affair; Mother's husband had been very cold towards Grimm all day and his mood had caught on to everyone except Mother and Jasper. Grimm had beat the snot out of the boy two years his elder the day before when Jasper had been making threats, and the pair had thereafter gotten on famously. Mother was mildly amused and glad they'd worked it out. Jasper's father, however, was furious. Grimm supposed he would simply have to learn that this was how children made friends, sometimes. He was certain the man meant well.

'Real' beds, Grimm found that evening, in comparison to hammocks and bunks, were very squishy and too big. Sleeping alone was also incredibly upsetting. He ended up crying himself to sleep very late with all the lamps turned up, buried amongst a suffocating nest of pillows and blankets on the floor.

--

Grimm slept fitfully, well into the morning, and woke to a quick three knocks on his bedroom door. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Come! I am awake." He called after a moment.

The door opened to reveal a shock of copper hair and a lopsided grin and Grimm leapt to his feet in a surge of excitement.

"Alex!"

"Mad!"

The smaller boy rushed in, throwing the door closed and tackling Grimm into his nest of bedding. The pair went down laughing and squeezed each other hard enough to hurt. Alex's breath was warm on Grimm's bare chest.

"I didn't think we'd be seeing each other this soon." Alex said, pulling away enough to look Grimm in the eye. His face was red.

Grimm grinned. "Mother tells me friends are... a portent. Make me not missing home so much."

"Important. And I guess that makes se-." Alex sneezed, cutting himself off and accidentally spraying Grimm in the face.

"Mm." Grimm blinked, more surprised than disgusted. "Bless you."

Alex looked horrified. "God in Heaven. I'm so sorry. It's just that it's dusty in here." He sniffed, flushing a deeper red.

"I forgive you. Only sneeze." Grimm rubbed his face into the blankets.

"It's gross. I'm sorry."

"Yes, it's gross." Grimm agreed. "Not mean. I do not mind."

"Oh." Alex relaxed, eyes wide. "Well, good. That is, um, I'm glad. Anyway, your mum came over first thing this morning and invited me for a play date and lunch." Alex sniffed and raised a hand to cover his sneeze this time, but it didn't stop everything.

"Bless you." Grimm rubbed at his face with his arm. "One more and it is a curse."

"What? What kind of curse?" He looked genuinely worried.

"Curse that I fight you for sneezed on me." Grimm snickered.

"Oh!" Alex laughed. "Sorry again. Truly. Why are you still in... uh, bed, I guess?"

"Bad sleep. Bed is very soft. I sit and it eats me." He paused, grinning, while his friend laughed again. "I will make... get clothes and we can go in garden. ...Alex?"

"What?"

"I know play, what is a play date?"

Alex grinned. "It's when your parents arrange for you to visit someone to play."

"Arrange?"

"Uh, it's like planning. Making a plan."

Grimm hummed. "I like that. A play date. Move. I will get clothes and we will play."

--

The garden door screamed like a fighting cat as it closed and Grimm laughed when Alex jumped. Everything that moved on the Clanship had made noises, they didn't startle him easily. The pair found Jasper reading on a bench just outside the door and he waved. A spectacular bruise had bloomed on his cheek, just below his eye.

"Fran- Mad." He corrected himself hastily. "Good morning. Who's this fine young fellow?"

Grimm watched Alex offer up a shaky smile and dip into a bow. "Alex. Him- he is my friend."

Jasper snorted, asking, "Shouldn't you be friends with boys your own age?"

Alex huffed indignantly and walked into the garden, hands in his pockets. Grimm glared at Jasper.

"Yasper, stop. I can fight you again. Alex is twelve," he recalled, smirking, "only today. Small, but same as me now."

Jasper grimaced. "Ah. I see. Will you tell the lad I'm sorry? And don't forget to say 'Happy Birthday'."

"I will not tell sorry," Grimm snorted, turning to follow his friend, "you have mouth. I will say 'Happy Birthday'. I did not know how it is called. Goodbye."

Jasper chuckled and went back to his book. "Farewell for now."

Grimm found Alex sitting on a ledge at the little fountain in the middle of the garden. He called the boy's name and saw him glance up, then grimace at his own feet. Grimm sat down next to him and spoke again.

"Yasper is mean, but he can be kind. I fight him... fought him, on the day I was arrived here and he likes me now. Maybe I will 'beat him up' for a gift."

Alex smirked, then let out a surprised laugh. "A gift?"

Grimm nodded. "You are twelve today. You call it 'Happy Birthday', yes?"

"You remembered!" His grin looked like it might split his face.

"It was not hard." Grimm shot his friend a big grin and earned a laugh. "If you want, I will fight Yasper for you, for a gift. He is a pest."

"Don't bother, Mad." He said, waving it off. "It's fine, I just hate people thinking I'm younger than I am just 'cause I'm short. Everyone jokes about it. I know I'm tiny, I'm in my body all the time. I'm tired of hearing it."

Grimm thought that over for a moment before he spoke, watching dust motes drift through the air on nearly imperceptible currents. A word from the day before came to him suddenly.

"My mother taught me 'in-tell-i-gent' on the day I meet you. She say it in my language, so I know." Grimm paused, trying to translate his thoughts. "I think you are intelligent and that is important. Tall is nyet- ...nothing. Use it for what? Get a jar from up? Nothing. Intelligent is more. If you are stupid you die, short or tall."

Alex was looking at him strangely. Grimm looked away, his face warming. He knew most of what he'd said was broken Albion and he'd let a word of his own language slip in, but it was hard to string fluent sentences together. The other boy would understand.

"Thank you." Alex said, finally. His voice wavered. "That's... that means a lot. I... thanks." He sniffed, swiping hastily at his face.

"Crying is good, remember." Grimm frowned, watching a tear roll down his friend's cheek. "I cry for sleep alone. Hurt is not always cut or bruise. Cry on me, if you want."

Alex's mouth quivered and he nodded, reaching for Grimm. The boys embraced and Grimm hooked his friend's knees over his lap so he was sitting sideways, at a better angle to hug. Alex whimpered and squeezed him, then sobbed when Grimm squeezed back, pressing his face into Grimm's shoulder. He was so gentle, Grimm thought, his chest tight. He'd be better suited to the Clan than any spire.

--

Alex sniffed as he leaned back, pulling out a handkerchief to blow his nose. He sighed and swung his feet back to the floor.

"Thank you." He mumbled. "You know a lot of things, huh? It sounds like school where you're from is better than what we have here."

Grimm hummed, nodding while he ordered his thoughts.

"Maybe. We learn things that are useful for the Clan. Good for friends. Family. Living in airship. Not for spires." Grimm snorted, his lip curling. "Spire is full of nothing. No wind here. No work to do. No sky, no mist, no sun, no stars. Many rules. No touching. Sleep alone. No going far. No talking in my language. Albion is hard. I have to think all times. Still bad. Only two patient is you and Mother." He swallowed thickly, pulling his legs up to his chest and hugging them. "I miss home."

Alex was quiet for a long time. Grimm glanced at him apologetically but he just returned a sad smile.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening, why you're here, but I'm sorry it's so hard for you. I don't really like it here either. Almost everyone's mean, even if they're nice at first." He sighed, bringing one foot up to rest his arm on his knee. "Not speaking the language easily... I can't even imagine how hard it is. If you ever don't want to talk, I don't mind. If I really have to know something I can just ask you questions you can answer with 'yes' or 'no', alright?"

Grimm closed his eyes for a moment, nodding. It wasn't a lot, but it was thoughtful to offer. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

"Thank you. Kind. Sorry for sad 'Happy Birthday'."

Alex exhaled sharply, giving Grimm a wry smile.

"All my birthdays are sad. This one is the best one in a while."

Chapter Text

"Aw, he's falling asleep, Maddin, look." Mother whispered in Albion, raising her voice slightly over the ambient sounds of the evening.

"Sweet child. Good he trust you so soon." Oba replied, his voice low and gravelly. Familiar, like home.

A warning sounded somewhere in the back of Grimm's mind. He ignored it and shifted, nuzzling into his mother's shoulder. He did trust her. She felt safe. Grimm recalled that his oba - his father - had been helping her practice the Clan's language on the upper deck of the Clanship, sitting with their backs against the rail and cuddling under the stars. He must've drifted off while Oba was explaining something.

Mother laughed softly. "Good God in Heaven, he's so cute."

"Glad you visit?" Oba asked. He grunted, standing, and Grimm heard a few pops as he stretched.

"It was a good decision. It's been far too long. He doesn't even remember the last time I was aboard."

Oba hummed and the railing behind Mother's head creaked as he slid up to sit on it. "I think heart remembers. Maybe not knowing how, but he trust you very fast."

Grimm's brow furrowed despite the comfort he took in his parents' quiet conversation. Alarm bells were ringing in his head. He knew this moment. Something... very, very bad was about to happen. Mother said something else, laughing again, but Grimm didn't hear it over his pounding heart. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak.

A bright flash blinded him and the entire ship jolted with a boom so loud he couldn't believe it was real. His mother was slammed against the railing and he against her torso. She screamed Oba's name, a blood-curdling sound. Her long nails dug into Grimm's skin. The deck under their feet was trembling as more explosions rocked the ship through her freshly raised shroud. A nearby woman with white beads in her braids - a Watcher, Grimm thought dimly - wrenched the two of them to their feet and yelled over countless terrified shrieks, something about getting inside.

Mother was shaking and muttering frantically as she pulled him down the stairs to one of the hatches.

"We have to go, Francis, come this way, wake up-"

Grimm blinked. What had she said?

"-down here, baby. Wake up, Mad." Mother was shaking so hard she shook Grimm as well. Her voice changed, rising an octave, and everything looked wobbly, as though he was seeing it through an old, thick pane of glass.

"Come on, Mad, you're having a nightmare. Wake up, please?"

His eyes snapped open and he gasped, grabbing the arms that held him. Alex was leaning over him, face creased with concern. It was light in the room - Grimm's room, he recalled, trying to stop panting - and there were voices in the hall. Mother was talking to someone, a man Grimm couldn't hear well enough to identify. Alex pulled out of his grasp.

"God in Heaven, Mad, what was that?" The redhead sighed, leaning back. "You were whimpering like you were in pain. I was about to call your mum in. What happened?"

Oba's voice echoed in Grimm's mind and his eyes welled with tears. He shook his head and sat up.

Alex scrambled to sit in front of him, speaking slowly. "Woah, steady, Mad. It's alright. It was only a dream."

Mother's scream and the distant shrieks of the rest of the Clan were the next sounds Grimm remembered. Fear gripped his throat like a vice. He shuddered with a desperate sob. The voices outside his room cut off and the door opened. Hands pulled him off the floor and suddenly he was sitting in Mother's lap again, wrapped in her arms. She rocked him and murmured in the Clan's language while he clung to her; he was safe, she was there, she had him. His entire body shook with every sob and his heart felt like it might tear itself out of his chest.

When he finally managed to start calming down and his cries had faded to hiccups and whimpers, he realized he and his mother were alone and the door was closed. She was rubbing circles into his back and singing a lullaby that Oba used to sing, a song about a little boy with his own tiny, launch-sized airship. Her pronunciation was shaky at best and she didn't know all the words, but it still soothed him. Grimm mumble-sang along between sniffling. His voice sounded very small in his own ears, but the lyrics describing the boy's adventures were familiar and comforting.

Finally, he heaved a deep, shuddering sigh and leaned back from his mother's embrace.

"Alright, Francis?" She asked. Her face was wet, too.

Grimm shook his head. He tucked a stray lock of thin, brown hair behind his mother's ear.

"Didn't think so. Want to talk?"

His chest ached and his lip trembled, but Grimm swallowed hard and nodded.

"What was it about, baby?" Mother asked gently.

"When-" He gasped, sniffling again. "-when Oba fell."

Mother's brow creased and she pulled him back into her arms, steering his face to the shoulder he hadn't already soaked. "Ohh, baby, I'm so sorry." A sob wracked Grimms chest again and he buried his face in his mother's shirt. "I know, sweetie, I know it hurts. I'm so, so, so sorry."

She continued talking for a long while, switching languages a couple more times. Grimm couldn't seem to stop crying. Every time he started to calm down again, something from the dream-memory would flash through his head and the fear and pain would return full-force. Finally, when Grimm had exhausted himself to the point of only being able to let out tiny hiccups and whimpers, Mother's husband slipped in the room. They spoke quietly for a while, something about breakfast, and then whether Alex should go home. Something in their words reminded him that the boy had been over for two days already.

At first, Grimm's mind was too fried to translate most of it but at the mention of his friend, he managed to rouse himself to choke out a garbled plea that Alex be allowed to stay. A third, larger hand joined his mother's on his back.

"Alright, lad." The man sighed. "I'll bring up some tea for the two of you, Fran. Sit tight."

"Thank you, Eddie." Mother said. "Chamomile and cream for him, if you please." She sounded just as drained as Grimm felt.

"Right, then." The door clicked shut.

Grimm sighed, readjusting in his mother's lap. "Miss Oba."

Mother nuzzled his hair. "I know, baby. I miss him, too. He was a great man and a wonderful father to you."

"I miss him. I miss home." Grimm whimpered, his vision blurring again.

Mother just sighed and rocked him gently. The motion reminded him of sleeping snuggled with loved ones in hammocks and the way the Clanship would sway during a storm, but Grimm didn't have enough energy to properly cry again. Tears streamed silently down his face. He clung to his mother as tight as he had on that horrible night.

The tea helped tremendously, as did the fruit and porridge Mother's husband brought up with it. Grimm still felt a bit fragile when he and his mother went down to the kitchen to return their dishes, but his face was dry and his eyes barely hurt anymore. Mother kissed his hair and straightened his collar before she went back upstairs to change.

Alex was happy to see him and perfectly content to just share an armchair and read in the family's small library. His company was grounding. The press of his shoulder and hip against Grimm's staved off the worst of the numbness the boy felt and his quiet breathing and occasional noises were pleasantly comforting.

After a couple hours of this, Alex nudged Grimm's shoulder with his own. "Oi." He whispered.

Grimm blinked, turning to his friend. The boy was giving him that lopsided grin that was becoming so familiar.

"Look at this drawing." Alex pointed to a break in the text of the book he was reading, where a poorly-rendered depiction of a cat in a saddle was riding an even worse sketch of a silkweaver. The cat was holding a paring knife like a sword and had a chipped dinner plate for a shield.

The absurdity of it made Grimm snort, then snicker. Alex laughed with him.

When they fell silent, Alex leaned more heavily into Grimm and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

Grimm nodded. "A little better." He shifted, tucking his legs under his friend's. "It was... a very bad memory. Why I cry."

"Ah."

Alex was quiet for a long time. Grimm had gone back to slowly reading his Albion storybook about a girl raised by cats when the boy finally piped up again.

"I'm... curious. If you're alright to talk about it." He said quietly, then hastily added, "it's fine if you can't."

Grimm breathed in slowly. It was painful to think about, but maybe talking would help. After a moment, he sighed and nodded.

"The Clanship got hit by a..." He tried to remember the word his mother had used. "A... an ambush. Four months before I come here. My oba - my father - fell off."

Alex's brows furrowed with concern. "He's... gone?"

Grimm nodded. His gaze dropped and he hugged himself. Alex's arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"My dad passed last year, right before my birthday." He sighed, curling into Grimm's side. "He was sick my whole life, but I never thought he was actually going to die."

Grimm frowned. "I'm sorry."

Alex rested his head against Grimm's. "Thanks. I'm sorry about your... your oba. I bet he was really nice."

"Yes. Long braids with yellow string. Soft belly. Nice voice. Play with me every day. He give me... little boxes to play with." Grimm scratched his cheek, looking at the open book in front of him to see if it had the word he was forgetting.

"Little boxes?"

Grimm shrugged, muttering the word in his language. "Hard to open. No key, only moving pieces. Move them around until box open. Always sweets inside."

"Oh!" Alex gasped. "A puzzle box?"

The corner of Grimm's mouth quirked up. "Puzzle box. Yes."

"Huh." Alex started playing with a loose thread on his pants. "That's... really nice of him. Did he make them?"

"Yes. His job is make toys." Grimm sighed, grimacing. "...was make toys. Before, his job was on a battle ship, but he stop for me. When Mother had me. So he can- could care for me."

"Mad, he sounds... amazing."

Grimm nodded. His bones felt heavy and his chest was empty. He closed his book and let it tumble to the floor. It occurred to him that it was bad to treat books so poorly, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"My dad was a Marine until he got sick. Then he mostly stayed in bed. I don't remember when he was healthy. Mum was always pretending to be happy, but we all knew she wasn't. Me and my brother used to stay with him a lot, just sitting and playing or something." Alex put his book aside and pulled his legs up to rest against Grimm's chest. "He liked to tell us stories before he got too weak to talk that much. He was excited for my eleventh birthday. But he didn't... make it."

Alex's voice broke on his last words and he turned his face into Grimm's shoulder. Grimm nuzzled his cheek against his friend's hair.

"Sorry. He sounds like a good father. Care for you."

The redhead nodded, sniffling. Grimm couldn't think of anything else to say, so he pulled his friend into his arms and held him while he cried.

Chapter Text

School was in full swing and Grimm was stressed almost to tears nearly every day. He was expected to do seven years of curriculum in just one. History was the worst of it. Albion names were awful, quite often not spelled remotely the way they sounded. Even numbers had different names with pesky rules around dates. Trying to memorize both and failing over and over was a special hell that often infuriated him enough to become completely nonverbal for the rest of the day. His tutor, Mister Wick, learned to teach him history in only the final class hour. Grimm's mother had relented and hired the man when Grimm failed out of nearly every entry test he took down to half his age level.

Grimm's only saving grace was Alex. He was always so patient and friendly. Grimm had rapidly made a strong reputation at school for taking no nonsense from any other children. As a result and for both protection and good company, Alex was only a step away at any possible moment. Outside of class time, at least, since Grimm had to stay in a small study room with his tutor and Alex had to attend regular classes. They met in the yard at the end of each day to seek some time alone together.

After walking him to and from school a few times, Grimm's mother decided to leave him to his own devices. Providing he was home for dinner, or informed her that he'd be supping at the Bayard residence, he now had some limited freedom. Alex was always with him, anyhow. The boy had grown up wandering the habble, so the pair wouldn't get lost. This arrangement resulted in a wild chase through the tunnels behind the school every day, ending in a play fight or sometimes just Grimm teaching Alex to defend himself. Alex demonstrated, to Grimm's surprise and delight, that he was actually a decent match. Occasionally too decent, as Grimm's bruises could attest.

This afternoon, the pair had run and wrestled for over an hour before they dropped side-by-side, panting and laughing, to the floor of the side tunnel they'd found. Alex's eyes sparkled in the dim light of a lumin crystal in the main tunnel and Grimm could only stare and sigh.

Alex flopped a hand over to rest palm-up on Grimm's chest and patted him awkwardly.

"What's happening in that head of yours?" He asked.

Grimm gave him a wry smile, mulling it over before speaking, his voice echoing in the dim tunnel.

"I am... little sad. Mother say... no touching, I must ask first. I ask if touching is alright for playing. She say take care. Alright to play, sometime little fight. But no hug or kiss. Only alone, if I am not touching first. Why? I see... I see how Albions are, only talking. But why no touching? Mother did not say."

The smile dropped off Alex's face while Grimm spoke and he sat up. He opened and shut his mouth once, then shrugged.

"It's not... it isn't common here. To hug like we do. People don't like seeing stuff like that. My dad used to get angry about it."

Grimm sat up quickly. "Is it bad? We must stop?" He asked, alarmed. He didn't want to stop, but if he had to...

"No! No, it's- it's fine, it's just... you do it in private." Alex pressed his lips together. "Like you said, alone. And you have to take care not to hug the wrong person or they might be cross with you."

Grimm frowned, his face crinkling. "Many rules. I like you. I want to hug you all times."

Alex smiled sadly. "I know. I do too."

"I was look at your eyes." The older boy blurted, his face warming.

"Huh?"

"When you ask me what happen in head. I look at your eyes and think I..." He sighed, waving his hand erratically. "I very like you. How is it called?"

Alex flushed, wide-eyed. "Um, you mean, you- you..."

"I want to kiss you." Grimm straightened, wide-eyed, and hastily threw his palms up towards the other boy. "But! When you want, only. I very, very like you."

"Oh. Oh." Alex brought his knees up to his chest, grinning, red from the tips of his ears to his collar.

"Please, tell me how is it called?" Grimm urged.

Alex giggled, squirming. Grimm couldn't hold back a smile.

"Um, it's..." The redhead huffed, then giggled again. "It's... love."

"I love you. Is it right?" Grimm asked.

Alex buried his face in his arms, nodding.

Grimm smiled wide, pleased. "You are very good. You make my heart happy. Pretty eyes. Copper hair. Freckles face. I love you."

Alex let out a choked laugh, then scrambled to sit between Grimm's legs and clung to him, pressing his face to the other boy's shoulder. Grimm straightened and held him tightly. His own heart was pounding and he felt too hot, but Alex's fingers were bunched in his vest and the boy was giggling again.

"Mm, I like this. I love you." Grimm nuzzled his nose into soft locks and hummed again, rocking them both gently, side to side.

"I love you, too." Alex squeaked, muffled by Grimm's shoulder.

A grin split across Grimm's face and he laughed. "Good. Make me very happy. We stay? What time?"

Alex let go of the vest with an "oh" and fumbled for his cheap pocket watch, flipping it open. "Yes. I think another... half hour? Wait, are we going to your house?"

"Yes and no." Grimm said, waving Alex back into his arms. "Your mother say we have dinner my family, sleep your house for early speech tomorrow."

Alex put away the watch and tucked himself back into Grimm's embrace with a sigh. "Right, I remember. Then we only have a few minutes. Your house is a longer walk."

Grimm clicked his tongue, grimacing. "Bad. But more hugs tonight, yes?"

Alex leaned back to look at him. He was grinning ear-to-ear and his face was still very red.

"I can't believe you're serious. You love me? We're talking about the same thing, right?"

"I think yes. I mean I want to kiss you, when you want. I want to be with you all times. Now, and when we are very old." Grimm hesitated. "Other word for this? Or only love?"

Alex laughed, a sweet, breathy sound. "I suppose you could say you adore me, if you want to be dramatic. Most people just say 'I love you.'"

"I will say adore you when you see stars and moon. Very pretty, like your eyes." Grimm smirked, pressing his forehead to Alex's.

Alex let out a choked noise and buried his face in Grimm's vest again. His voice was muffled and squeaky when he spoke.

"Mad... I really love you. God in Heaven. I love you so much."

Grimm laughed, pulling him closer. "I am being more good at Albion now. You are very funny. Pretty red face. I love you."

Alex snorted, squirming even more tightly against Grimm.

"Let's be late, Mad. Just this once."

"Alright."

Grimm nestled his nose in copper hair and sighed.

Chapter Text

"Francis!" Mister Wick called as Grimm tried to leave the room.

The boy halted reluctantly, groaning. The end-of-day bell had rung, he needed to meet Alex in the yard.

"Yes, sir?"

"You're not leaving yet." The man scolded. "We need to talk about your grade on the last history paper. Sit down, please."

"History is hard. It's bad again?" Grimm asked, trudging back to collapse in his chair.

"Actually, you've begun to improve." Wick smiled, pulling out an envelope. "The fact cards are working marvelously. I want you to take them home, along with this letter for your mother, and spend an hour both tomorrow and Sunday reviewing them."

Grimm sighed, baring his teeth. "Fine. I will burn them after."

"Please don't." The man chuckled. "We need them for Monday."

Grimm stared at his tutor, unimpressed, but laid his bag on the desk. Wick tucked the box of cards and his letter inside and patted it happily.

"There you are. Enjoy your weekend."

"Goodbye." Grimm huffed, finally standing and shuffling out of the dreadful study room.

It was nearly the end of the school year and Grimm had managed to scrape together mostly acceptable grades, though both the History of Albion and Speechmaking weren't quite there. The former because the names and dates he was to memorize swam in front of his eyes with his constant revision, the latter simply because he wasn't fluent in Albion yet. Mister Wick said his ideas were commendable, but his wording - as always - needed work.

The main hall was already packed with students of all ages slowly filtering out the front doors. Grimm battled the flow, growing more and more irritated, and eventually managed to escape through the back exit. He found Alex up against the wall to the left of the door, boxed in by three large boys a year above him.

"Do you understand me, rat?" The tallest one was asking.

Alex swallowed, his voice small. "Yes, I do, just-"

"Excuse me." Grimm snapped. "We are leaving."

"Mad!" Alex cried.

He tried to run to Grimm, but two of the boys grabbed him before he could take more than a step. They pushed him back and Grimm's fists closed when the small boy's head hit the wall and he whimpered.

"Shove off!" Grimm shouted, storming towards them.

"Or what, boat boy?" The largest boy sneered. "Are you going to fight all three of us?"

Grimm's nostrils flared. He didn't like the odds, but there wasn't much of a choice, now.

"I am not threaten a boy half my size." He said. "Cowards."

The 'leader' snarled. "Mind your tongue. I've a mind to rip it out so I don't have to hear your shoddy Albion."

Grimm flushed, glaring. "Try it. I will send you crying to home."

"Mad, don't-" Alex cried out as one of the boys holding him to the wall kicked him in the shin.

"Shut up, rat."

"What is the meaning of this?" Mister Wick called from the door.

All five boys turned to find the man striding over, furious.

"Sir, uh, we were- we were just talking." The tall boy stammered.

"You call that-" he pointed to Alex "-'talking'? This is completely unacceptable. You three will march to my study right this instant. I want each of you to write up a full page apology."

"But-"

"Now." Wick snapped.

The smaller two of the older boys groaned but obeyed, trudging back inside. The tallest snarled at Grimm before he followed.

"Watch your back, Francis."

Grimm snorted. "No need. Smell is enough."

"Boys." The tutor warned.

He waited until the door fell shut again, then sighed. "Are you alright, Alexander?"

"Yes, sir." Alex mumbled. He looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Let me look you over." Wick said gently. "Come here."

Alex shook his head and ran to Grimm instead, clinging to the back of his friend's vest and burying his face in his shoulder. Grimm held the redhead tightly, hushing him when he began to cry.

Mister Wick inhaled sharply. "Ah, dear boy, there's blood in your hair. What happened?"

"They push him at wall. Hit his head." Grimm nodded to the smear of blood on the stones.

"Good God in Heaven. Well-"

"Then kick his leg. Threaten me." Grimm muttered bitterly. "They do this all times."

Wick grimaced. "Well, let's begin with having Alexander seen by the nurse. I will have a talk with those boys."

Grimm shook his head. "Will not help. Professors talk before, many times. Make them angry only."

"I see." The tutor's lips pressed into a tight line. "Be of good hope, Francis, I will find a way to handle this. You focus on your history cards. Speaking of which-"

He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a card with one of the names of past Albion spirearchs on it.

"We missed this when we were tidying up earlier. Tuck it into your bag and take Alexander to the nurse, please."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, dear, you're well enough." Nurse Hawkinson chirped as she ushered Alex out of her office. "Thank God in Heaven you don't have a concussion. Try to stay away from those boys, now."

"Yes, Nurse. Thank you." Alex mumbled just before the woman pulled her door closed again.

His head was wrapped in bandages and he was still limping, but he managed a weak smile for Grimm when the boy stood up from his spot on the floor.

"It hurts?" Grimm asked.

Alex shrugged, frowning. "Some. Thanks for trying to save me."

Grimm frowned and waved it off. "Sorry I come late."

"It wasn't your fault, Mad." Alex muttered. "Let's just go."

"Alright."

They made it to just inside the front door when the redhead stopped, sighing harshly. He gestured towards the narrow door nearest to the exit.

"Hold a moment. I need to use the restroom."

Grimm snorted. "Stop. I will check. If the pests are in, you can get Mister Wick."

He didn't wait for a response, shoving the door open roughly. The room stank, as usual, but there were no occupants. Grimm spat into the sink and left.

"Empty. I will wait." He declared.

Alex was smirking. "Thank you, oh, brave hero."

Grimm snickered. "Quickly. I want to leave."

Alex's teeth shone in his lopsided grin and he ducked into the restroom. A door slammed down the hall, immediately catching Grimm's attention. One of the smaller bullies stormed by, sneering at Grimm as he left the building. He watched Wick escort the other two out and waved back when the tutor nodded and slipped out as well. A few moments later, Nurse Hawkinson clicked down the hall to the door.

"Close it firmly when you leave, please, dear." She fumbled with her keys. "You're the last one in."

"Yes, Nurse."

She smiled and stepped out, leaving one door ajar. The empty school was eerily silent in her wake and Grimm was grateful when the restroom opened and Alex emerged.

"I heard the nurse. Is everyone gone now?" He asked.

"Yes." Grimm nodded. "We will go as well. Come."

"Wait." Alex said softly.

"What?"

"I wanted to thank you properly." He muttered, eyes downcast.

Grimm moved closer to stand right in front of his friend. "I do this because I love you. Not for thanking."

"Well..." Alex looked up at him, his face turning red. "I want to, anyhow."

Before Grimm could respond, the smaller boy planted his hands on Grimm's shoulders, rose onto his toes and pressed a kiss to the taller boy's cheek. Grimm's jaw dropped and his clothes were suddenly too warm.

"Oh." He managed.

Alex shot him a shy smile. "Thank you. Truly. I love you."

Chapter Text

Alex woke to a vague noise and blinked sleep out of his eyes. All was quiet and the lights were off but for a single dim lumin crystal lying on the floor above his head. He frowned for a moment until he remembered he was in his boyfriend's room. A little thrill ran through him when he remembered they'd been using that word for a few weeks now. In any case, the pair had always slept on the floor here, in a nest of bedding, since the bed itself was soft enough to suffocate them.

The noise that woke him reached his ears again and he traced it back to Grimm, who then let out a somewhat clearer mumble and winced. Alex smiled sleepily. It wasn't anything the redhead understood, so either he was just saying nonsense or he was speaking his Clan's language. Alex reached up to smooth out the crease in his boyfriend's brow, watching the boy's face relax as though his touch was magic. Grimm sighed and a nearly imperceptible smile twitched at his lips.

"I love you." Alex whispered.

Grimm was quiet. He seemed to be finished with whatever dream had disturbed him. Alex curled up and drifted back to sleep.

Grimm nudged him awake around mid-morning. Light from the spire's translucent roof above his house streamed in through his small window. The pair had ended up with their limbs tangled together under a particularly cozy duvet. Alex yawned, closing his eyes again.

"Just a few more minutes." He murmured.

Grimm chuckled. "I only wake you for company. Stay."

Alex cracked one eye to find Grimm's smiling face half-buried in the duvet. "Hmm. Lovely morning." He said.

"No school for two months. Very lovely." Grimm agreed.

Alex shut his eye again and sighed contentedly as he recalled that summer break had begun the afternoon before. Grimm's mother had explained at dinner why children didn't learn during summer in most communities; the warm weather brought more concentrated etheric currents which made airships faster and more efficient. This caused a boom in trade, so children who could work were brought into their parents' jobs to help out while demand for goods and services was high.

The two of them, however, were not part of families in production or trading. Alex's mother had less work to do with school being out and his brother was a ship's cook and insisted that an airship's kitchen held too many dangers for a child, the least of which being the language that aeronauts used. He'd refused to elaborate, even once Alex demonstrated that he knew a few choice curses himself.

On Grimm's side of things, his mother and her husband were scholars and their work rarely had a place for him aside from the very occasional translation that his mother couldn't quite manage. This resulted in a rather spectacular break from the stresses of school and far more time to spend together without torment from older, larger children. Aside from Grimm's brothers, of course, but they were typically harmless.

"Don't sleep. I want to see your pretty eyes." Grimm whispered.

Alex cracked a smile and looked at his boyfriend.

"Ah, there. I see you." Grimm said with a smirk. "Perfect boy. Eyes made of stars."

The redhead let out a breathy laugh as his face heated. "You're always flattering me."

Grimm snorted, rolling to his back. "Stupid word. I know it, but it sounds like making you flat. Anyhow," he winked, "I only tell the truth."

Alex's heart fluttered and he yanked the blanket up until it concealed all but his eyes. Grimm gasped in mock despair.

"Nooo," he tugged at the cover gently enough that it didn't move, "I miss your freckles. Can I kiss them?"

Another laugh escaped Alex. He freed his face and pulled Grimm closer. The older boy beamed and rose to one elbow over him, laying tiny pecks over every inch of Alex's face, much to the redhead's delight.

"You. Are. So. Cute!" Grimm exclaimed between a handful of particularly firm kisses.

Alex couldn't fight a fit of breathless giggles until finally, the onslaught ceased. Grimm rested his brow against Alex's. His eyes were sparkling and crinkled at the edges.

"Mad?" Alex murmured.

"Alex."

"I love you."

Grimm hummed warmly, eyes closing. "I love you, too."

A thought occurred to the redhead and his heart sped up. He closed his eyes and tilted his mouth up to Grimm's.

When their lips met, Grimm inhaled sharply and turned his head just so. The pair melted into their first kiss for what felt like half an eternity. Just as Alex was running out of air, Grimm pulled back a bare inch, his smile absolutely radiant.

"God in Heaven," he said, laughing softly, "this is a lovely morning."

"It could be lovelier." Alex grinned, gripping his boyfriend's sleeve. "Kiss me again."

"I will, many times. All my life." He promised, then brought their lips together again.

Chapter Text

Grimm woke to a knock at the front door. He blinked at the ceiling, trying to remember if he should concern himself with it. Alex stirred next to him but slept on. His boyfriend's copper hair seemed more vibrant than usual against the crisp white bed sheets, but Grimm supposed it could've just been the sun prying his way through a hazy exterior skylight nearby. He wondered briefly what the weather was like.

Alex's mother's trademark heels clicked on the tile floor, passing Alex's door without slowing. Grimm sighed quietly, relaxing. The door wasn't his to answer, but he was curious. The Bayard family didn't get many visitors who wouldn't just walk in and make themselves at home; all three were simply too friendly to do relationships in halves.

"Ah, good morning, Francis!" Principal Bayard - no, Grimm told himself, she'd said he could call her Eliza or Mum - said cheerfully. He wondered what his own mother was doing here.

"Good morning, Eliza, dear. You're looking well." Mother said, a smile clear in her voice. Some tension Grimm hadn't noticed in his muscles suddenly released at the sound of her.

"I am well!" Eliza tittered and slammed the door. "I was just about to start breakfast, do you fancy a cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely, thank you." Their voices grew quiet as they walked away from the entrance.

Grimm told himself to go back to sleep. He curled up facing Alex and admired his hair, his freckles, the little scars on his hands from their wrestling matches.

"Sleep." He said under his breath, focusing on how comfortable Alex's bed was. More like a bunk than the overly soft monstrosities in his mother's house.

Grimm pursed his lips and swung his legs out from under the covers. His bare feet sunk into the carpet when he stood and walked to the bedroom door, easing it open. Eavesdropping was bad in Spire Albion, but no one had particularly minded aboard the Clanship. The Clan held no secrets, not really. He didn't care what Albions thought about his sneaking around. He didn't.

The women's voices became clearer with every step as he turned the corner into the stairwell, crept down the stairs and slipped silently through the hall to the den. He paused just outside the door. It was ajar and he could hear his and Alex's mothers almost like he was in the room himself.

"I'm so glad my baby found such a dear friend so quickly." Grimm's mother was saying. "I was worried he'd fall into a depression from the cultural isolation, but Alex has him running all around the habble every day of the week. It's remarkable, seeing how close they are already."

"They certainly are inseparable." China clinked as Eliza spoke. "It's an enormous comfort to me. Before Francis, my poor Alex hadn't brought a friend over since year 1 at school. Albert was independent at his age, too, but not to the extent that he isolated himself. I'd begun to worry."

Mother's tongue clicked sympathetically. "Aw, he's too sweet to be that lonesome. A lucky coincidence you happened to have him along when I was enrolling Francis. They're so cute together."

Grimm nearly snorted. Of course they were talking about him and Alex. He dug his toes into the hall runner, listening with a smirk and a fluttering heart.

Eliza sighed, choked up all of a sudden. "Truly. I've not seen Alex so happy in years, especially... especially since Warren passed."

"Oh, dear. Here, my handkerchief."

Grimm frowned. There was a quiet sniff before Eliza blew her nose. It was a strange, unsettling sound. Alex's mother was always cheerful and smiling, she never cried.

"Thank you, Fran. I just get so emotional. Have- have you tried the scones? I made them yesterday."

Mother chuckled. "Yes, they're quite tasty. The jam is exquisite."

"Oh!" Laughter made Eliza's voice warm again. "Well, thank you!"

A breath Grimm hadn't realized he'd been holding escaped his nose with a near-silent hiss.

"Our boys have talked about their fathers together, did you know?" Grimm's mother continued, pausing to sip her tea. Grimm himself recoiled. "I caught the tail end of a conversation one morning shortly after they met."

The boy flushed. She'd been listening, maybe watching, while he and Alex had that heart-to-heart so long ago now. He'd thought they were alone, remembering their beloved fathers together. Grimm's fists clenched in his shirt.

There was a long pause, then Eliza hummed. "It's truly a heartbreaking loss for both of them, but it's good to hear they can support each other."

"Indeed." Mother was silent for a moment. "Anyhow, I've come to take our sweet little beasties off your hands for a few days."

That snapped Grimm out of his frustration. He realized he'd been at the Bayard residence all week and he did, admittedly, miss his siblings and mother a bit. It was quiet here. A good place to have privacy, but not so much to have other children to play with. Albert was six years older than them with a new job aboard a barge and, while always very kind, Eliza was usually busy as well.

Both women laughed, drawing Grimm back out of his head.

"Would you like to stay for breakfast?" Eliza asked.

"That sounds lovely. Allow me to assist."

"Thank you, dear. Shall we?"

Grimm heard fabric shifting. He scurried back up to Alex's room on silent feet. Once safely behind the closed door he let out a long breath. A curious hum came from Alex's bed and Grimm turned to find his boyfriend peering at him groggily, his face almost entirely obscured by pillow and quilt, hair sticking up at odd angles.

A smile pulled at Grimm's lips. "Good morning. You are very cute."

Alex made a happy noise, his eyes squeezing shut. Grimm chuckled and padded over, crawling back in beside him. As soon as he was settled, his bedmate wriggled forward until their limbs were tangled and their faces were barely an inch apart.

"You were gone for a minute." Alex said, his voice soft from sleep. "Restroom?"

Grimm hummed a negative. "I don't have a word for it. I was very quiet, listened our mothers talk about us."

Alex's eyes went wide. "You were eavesdropping? Mad!"

"Ah." He grimaced. "If I know you don't like it I... would not have done. Sorry."

"Mmn..." The redhead sighed. "It's... it's fine, I just don't want you to get in trouble." He tilted his mouth forward to lay a brief peck on Grimm's lips. "...what were they... saying about us?"

One of Grimm's eyebrows quirked and he snorted. Alex flushed but didn't speak.

"They say they are happy we are friends. They worry us. About us." He murmured while Alex listened raptly. "My mother say she hear us talk about our fathers, when we meet."

His boyfriend scoffed, curling his lip. "That was private."

"Yes." Grimm said. "I am angry, too."

"Although..." Alex pressed his lips together, glancing at the ceiling.

"What?"

He winced. "You... only found out by doing exactly what she did."

"Ah, yes..." Grimm scratched at the back of his head. His hair was fuzzy again since Eliza had cut it the first night of the week.

"Anyhow...", Alex stretched out the 'A' sound, "did... did they say anything else?"

"Alex." Grimm snorted. "You confuse me sometime. I love you."

The redhead grinned, then stuck out his tongue.

"Eliza say- said." Grimm closed his eyes for a moment, berating himself. "She said that you were alone before I come. She is happy to see you happy."

A shadow seemed to fall over Alex's features and he sighed. "Good. It truly was lonely before we met."

"...Alex?" Grimm asked very quietly.

Alex met his eyes again, his forehead creasing.

The older boy studied his boyfriend's face before he spoke. "Why... why did no one like you? You are very, very kind. Very cute. Very funny and smart. How can they not love you like me?"

Alex's mouth opened and closed once, twice. He shrugged. "I don't know. I tried to be nice. The best friend I had before you was only nice to me because she was nice to everyone. She never had time to play with me. I just... spent time with dad instead. I gave up on making friends after a while."

"But you smiled at me." Grimm murmured.

"Huh?"

"When we meet. Met. I smiled at you because I hoped we can be friends. And you smiled back."

Alex flushed. "Well, um. It's going to sound bad."

Shrugging, Grimm made a small noise to urge him on.

His boyfriend sighed and squeezed his hands. "I knew you weren't Albion. I'd hoped, maybe, if Albions didn't like me, that someone from elsewhere, who didn't think the same way, might. And you looked so nice when you smiled at me."

Grimm raised a brow and smirked. "It's not bad if it's true. My Clan think very different from Albions. And I do like you."

"Well, I know that now." Alex huffed, smiling. "But it still seems a rude thing to think, looking back."

"You think as Albion, also." He grinned. "Forget 'rude'. There is only mean and mistaken. You wanted to be friends, I did as well, and now... we are friends, and in love also. You did nothing mean, and you were right, so no mistake."

Nodding slowly, Alex hummed with a thoughtful expression.

"Maybe if you think... thought, that Clan folk are dirty." Grimm continued. "That is mistaken. Or if you thought we are stupid. We are not, it is a mistake. And if you did not accept these are mistakes, it is mean. But you did nothing mean or mistaken. Your thoughts were true."

Alex met his eyes again with a small half-smile. "That makes sense, somewhat. Albions are so wrapped up in manners, we don't notice when things are wrong, or mean. We only see whether they're proper or improper."

Grimm recalled a lesson from his circle, years ago, now. "It is easy to be kind. Everyone can feel happy and sad, like you, and when you know that, it is nice to make someone smile. You know they are happy, you know what happy is. It is good. Feels good.

"But you know what hurt is, too. If you make someone cry, you know they hurt. You know hurt, you know is bad." He paused. "It is bad. No reason to make someone hurt but if they are mean and do not stop, and that is only here. In the Clan, adults talk to children who are mean. Make us understand hurt, how mean causes hurt. I do not know a Clan adult who is mean."

Alex listened raptly, though Grimm knew his words were overly simple and even still, not completely fluent.

"That is how we learned, no science or algebra. We learned to care for others. Mother calls it 'emotion intelligence', I think." He smirked. "Maybe I make a mistake, but... I think the children who do not like you are 'emotion stupid'."

The laugh Alex let out warmed Grimm to the core.

Chapter Text

Grimm's fifteenth birthday had come and gone, and Alex's was coming up at the end of the approaching summer. Sleepovers had become a constant between them and the pair snuck in countless sweet, lingering kisses in the quiet hours of the morning while their families slept just down the hall.

Alex's tormentors had all but completely ceased their bullying since the worst of them had been expelled. Mister Wick, now back in his normal role of guidance counseling, explained when Grimm asked. He'd spoken to each of the professors who'd had a word with the older boys and compiled a list of incidents that matched the nurse's patient records. The man urged Grimm to come to him with any further instances of bullying or abuse. Rumours were still often cruel, but all direct assaults had thankfully stopped and Alex had begun to develop a cocky sort of confidence that his boyfriend openly adored.

Grimm attended regular classes after his first year and the two boys now competed for top of their class in a couple of Grimm's better subjects. Now being in their 9th year, they were included when a recruiter for the Albion Etherium Fleet came to give a speech. Grimm nearly leapt at the chance to get back aboard an airship again, until the woman clarified that the minimum age for the Academy was sixteen.

Grimm had deflated and gone quiet for the rest of the speech. He'd remained quiet through their final class of the day, for the entire walk to the Bayard residence, and all the way to Alex's bedroom. There, he took off his shoes and sat neatly on the bed, staring at his stockings. Alex flopped down next to him and kicked his shoes off as well.

"Talk to me, Mad." Alex said finally, having waited silently for as long as he could bear.

Grimm let a huff of air out through his nose and frowned.

"What to talk for?" He said, his voice clipped. "Angry. Miss outside. You see. Know it."

Alex watched him for a moment, noting how frustrated he must be to be slipping into broken speech, then spoke calmly.

"Yes, I do. I also know that talking helps. Was it that lady, the recruiter from Fleet?"

"Yes." Grimm snapped.

"You want to join up but you're too young?" Alex suggested.

"Stop. I know it."

Alex snorted. "Well I didn't know for sure, because you hadn't said it."

He reached over to prod at the older boy's side. He was rewarded with a slap to the offending hand and a frustrated growl.

"Alright, ow. Relax." Alex flexed his stinging fingers.

Grimm stayed maddeningly silent, gaze on the floor.

"Listen." The redhead sighed. "If you would just talk to me, I wouldn't be asking all these questions. That was the deal, remember? I need to make sure you're alright."

Grimm turned to glare daggers at his boyfriend, who made a valiant show of staring back and appearing entirely bored. After a long handful of seconds Grimm huffed, baring his teeth, and finally gave in.

"Fine. Fine! God in Heaven. Pest." He snarled.

"Your pest." Alex smiled. "You love me."

"Obviously. Terrible nag. I only do this for you." Grimm said, falling back with a grunt.

"...Sooo?" Alex said, gazing down with his lopsided grin.

Grim couldn't stop a smirk and looked away. "Stop making me smile. I'm angry."

Alex just snickered and laid down next to him. The boys stared at the ceiling for a few quiet minutes, legs dangling off the bed. The front door opened and slammed. Alex's mother muttered to herself, something about paperwork. Her shoes clicked as she walked upstairs, passed Alex's closed door and continued down the hall. The last door, her office, shut with a quiet thump.

Finally Grimm sighed, then spoke.

"I just... miss home." His voice wavered and he swallowed hard. "When that woman said what the Fleet was... I thought I had a chance to get out of this awful spire and back in the sky. It's not home, or freedom, but at least it's not an oversized crypt."

"It's only another year." Alex reminded him gently.

Grimm waved a dismissal. "A year until I am sixteen. I can't leave without you."

"Me? What?" Alex sat up hastily, leaning over Grimm to better see his face.

The older boy regarded him blandly. "Yes, you. Use your head. You're too smart to waste away in this pile of rocks."

"Ah. I see." Alex let out a nervous chuckle. "You're joking."

"No," Grimm said firmly, "I'm not."

The redhead's shaky smile dropped. "Truly? Me, in the military? You know I wasn't serious when I said that, right?" He paused, grimacing. "Not entirely, anyhow. You... have seen me? You aren't secretly blind?"

"Yes, I was always blind." Grimm laughed dryly, shaking his head. "Look in my eyes, Alex, look how I can't see you."

Alex just scoffed, glancing away.

"Your hair brushes my cheek when we hug," Grimm snorted, "and I have to lean down to kiss you. I would know anyhow."

Alex's face heated, but he still said nothing.

"You're short and slim. I know, you know, everyone knows. You're small. You can't change your height."

"Alright, Mad," Alex warned, glaring, "I get it."

"No, listen to me." Grimm sat up, meeting his eyes. "You can't give up just because you think you're too small. You're good at everything you do. You'll be good at this."

Alex's mouth opened and closed, but all he could do was shake his head and look away.

Grimm sighed, continuing. "You will. Anyhow, it doesn't matter. The Academy is for officers. They teach you to fight, but you don't have to be tall or very strong to fight with weapons. Especially if the weapon is a warship."

The redhead stayed quiet, his eyes on the far wall. He heard Grimm chuckle.

"And you get to boss around idiots. Even the biggest men have to listen when you're a Fleet officer."

Alex cracked a small smile, then shook his head.

"Mad, I..." He frowned again, trailing off.

"You will be..." Grimm paused, waving his hand in a circle while he recalled a word. "You will be... ah, captaining ships before you're thirty. More than one. I know it."

"Before I'm thirty?" The younger boy scoffed. "And how do you know this?"

"I know it because I know you." Grimm said firmly. "You're smart. Brave. Clever. You're good with words and you have a good memory. Fleet will love you."

"Mad..." Alex covered his blush with his hands.

The older boy hummed. "I also know that you're a gentle soul, inside."

The redhead peeked above his fingers. Grimm was looking at him squarely, eyes intense. Alex's voice was muffled when he spoke into his palms.

"I am?"

"Yes. Your feelings are strong. You call it, what, having a heart on your... shirt arm? How- What is this called, again?" Grimm tugged at his cuff.

"Shirt... arm?" Alex barked a laugh. "Sleeve, Mad. It goes, 'You wear your heart on your sleeve.'"

Grimm quirked a smile. "Ah, yes. I mean that you laugh and cry easily, you get scared and run if I'm not there to fight for you. It will be hard sometimes." He leaned in, rubbing his boyfriend's back. "But you're also brave, I said before. You take risks when you have to. If you decide to join, you'll do great things. And I'll be with you, obviously."

Alex sighed. "You make a strong case. I'll... think about it."

"All I want. Think. We still have two years. Now," Grimm clapped, startling the smaller boy, "I am starving. Is your brother home today, or only Mum? Who will we pester for dinner?"

"God in Heaven," Alex laughed, "it's barely past teatime. And we still need to talk about you."

Grimm snorted, waving him off and getting up. "Later. I know you have biscuits. Do you want some or am I eating them all?"

"Mad-"

"I will eat them all if you don't come with me." He teased, walking backwards to the door.

"Mad, wait-"

He was out of the bedroom now, calling behind him. "You're so slow. No biscuits for you. Poor Alex."

Alex rested his head in his hands for a moment, letting out an exasperated laugh. Finally, he stood and hurried after Grimm.

"At least save me one!"

"Too late!"

"Mad!"

Chapter Text

Light pierced his eyelids. Alex groaned.

"Good morning!" Grimm's voice rang out from across the room.

He grimaced, then yawned. "Mm-ahh-duh... I'll get you for this. I was having such a nice dream."

"Get out of your pretty head. Real life is better than any dream, today." Grimm said, falling into bed beside him.

Alex finally opened his eyes to find his boyfriend fully dressed, cravat poorly tied and crooked as usual. His curls were getting long and might've looked unkempt on a less attractive boy, but Grimm made the shaggy mop look intentional.

"And why is that?" Alex asked.

"Well, it's my birthday for one." Grimm smirked. "I'm so glad you remembered."

Bringing his palm up to his forehead, Alex groaned. "Ahh, I'm sorry, Mad. Happy sixteen."

"Thank you." Grimm rolled closer to press a quick kiss to Alex's nose, then his cheek. "It's hard work being so much older than you."

"I can only imagine the stress you're under." Alex deadpanned, pulling a laugh from Grimm. "What else, then?"

"It's Saturday."

Alex quirked an eyebrow at him. "How exciting."

Grimm snorted. "Aaaand..." he planted one last kiss on his boyfriend's lips, "your brother is taking us outside!"

After a moment Alex laughed, his mind finally starting to work properly again. "Right! I remember seeing new goggles in his room last week. I knew he'd planned something like this."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Grimm collapsed to lay beside him again, overacting shock and putting on an exaggerated Albion accent. "A terrible betrayal. I can't believe my own lover would do something so cruel."

"Ha!" Alex grinned. "You're rather enthusiastic today. I'm looking forward to seeing your face when we get out."

"I'm sure you'll be very amused." Grimm turned to him, sighing happily. "Apparently it's raining. I had never thought I would miss rain, of all things."

Alex's chest swelled. He shuffled around until he was lying against Grimm's side, tucked under his arm, head on his shoulder.

"Tell me about your favorite weather." He murmured, toying with a button on his boyfriend's vest.

"Ahh..." Grimm was silent for a long moment. "It would have to be when a storm ends just as the sun is setting. The entire sky goes all sorts of colours. Red, orange, pink, violet. It's breathtaking."

Alex sighed, nuzzling into the crook of Grimm's neck. "I'd love to see that. Do you think it might happen tonight?"

"Good God in Heaven, I pray it does." He said, almost reverent. "I'd be the luckiest person alive to watch a sunset like that with a boy as lovely as you."

"Aw, Mad, you're such a sap." Alex teased, tangling his legs with Grimm's. "Would you kiss me, as well?"

"I thought that might be obvious." He replied softly. "You're as nice a sight as any sunset ever was, and I can touch you."

Grimm brought his hand up to run his fingers through Alex's hair. His nails scratched just enough to send pleasant shivers down the redhead's spine and prickle the hair on his arms.

"I love you." Alex crooned, stretching luxuriously.

"I love you, too." Grimm murmured. "You like this?"

"Mm-hmm..."

Alex's body felt like it was melting in the best way. He'd begun to resign himself to the life of a ginger-tinted puddle when a bit of drool escaped the corner of his mouth. Hastily, he propped himself up on his elbows to wipe it away.

"That good?" Grimm chuckled.

Alex scoffed and covered the older boy's smirk with his own mouth. The kiss was chaste until Grimm hummed and parted his lips. They began an unhurried back-and-forth; Grimm would suck Alex's lower lip between his and run his tongue along it, then Alex would gently nip at him and return the favour.

There was often a point, however, where Alex realized a kiss was about to change, morph into something the slightest bit more intense than he was ready for. This time, Alex tilted his head just so, trying to pull some more sounds from Grimm. Their kiss deepened for a thrilling moment before the redhead pulled away, running a placating thumb across his boyfriend's cheekbone. His heart was stuttering and it made his arms feel weak.

Grimm breathed in deeply and let out a long, satisfied hum, eyes still closed. His voice was very low when he spoke.

"Alex... you're perfect."

Tucking his face back into Grimm's neck, Alex moved his hand down to rest on his boyfriend's chest. "You don't mind that I always stop?"

"No." Grimm replied slowly, firmly. "Never. Remember the day you taught me 'love'?"

Alex nodded. The corners of his lips quirked up at the memory.

"I didn't have the words or mind to say what I meant then, so I said I wouldn't kiss you until you wanted it. I want you to be comfortable with everything we do. Every hug, every kiss, and everything else, too."

"Even this tiny thing?" Alex asked. "It's really not much, and I like it, I just..."

Grimm squeezed him tightly. "Especially this. I want you to be able to say no to even the smallest thing, so when you say yes I know you truly mean it." He paused to nuzzle Alex's hair. "If we stay where we are for the rest of our lives... I'm perfectly happy with that."

Alex nodded silently. He moved his hand up and toyed with Grimm's earring, spinning it until the opening was at the back. Then he trailed his fingers down to adjust his boyfriend's cravat one-handed until it was mostly straight. Satisfied, Alex pressed a chaste kiss to Grimm's jaw and felt the boy's rumbling hum on his lips.

"I like that." Grimm murmured.

Alex blinked, his brow creasing. "When I fix your clothes?"

"Mm. It feels nice." He sighed deeply. "I think the word is 'domestic'."

A smile tugged at Alex's lips. "You'll have to learn to tie a cravat eventually."

That earned him a bark of laughter and a firm kiss to his forehead.

"I'll tell you a secret, Alex." Grimm whispered.

The redhead closed his eyes. "Oh?"

Grimm brought his head forward until his mouth was less than an inch away from Alex's ear. When he spoke it was barely a breath.

"I tie it wrong on purpose."

Alex snorted and propped himself back up on his elbows to find his boyfriend grinning widely.

"You're ridiculous, Mad. Shall we get up?" He asked. "When are we leaving?"

"When your brother comes back. I, ah, I made breakfast, though." Grimm smiled and winked. "And it's not bad this time."

"Just now?" Alex asked, eyebrows raising. His empty stomach abruptly made itself known.

"A few minutes ago." Grimm ran a hand through Alex's hair. "Come eat."

"Be safe, boys! I love you!" Eliza called from her office. "See you tomorrow!"

"Bye Mum!" The trio yelled back in unison.

Albert continued after the teenagers fell silent. "They'll be home before noon! Enjoy your night off."

"I certainly will, thank you!"

The front door slammed and the group started making their way to the spire's exit. Albert had hooked a pair of goggles around each of the boys' necks before they left. The unfamiliar weight made Alex giddy.

"I hope it clears for you tonight." His brother piped up to his left. "I'd hate for you to miss out on the night sky."

"Rather a waste for you to not see what your own eyes look like." Grimm teased from his other side.

Alex swung a fist at him softly enough that it wouldn't really hurt. "Is that why we're going? I thought this was for you."

"If he only needs to see his eyes, shall we save some time and find a mirror?" Albert asked, chuckling.

"And miss feeling the rain?" Grimm said. "Never."

Alex snorted. "Is it that pleasant?"

"It's awful-"

"It's lovely-"

Both Albert and Grimm started talking at once, then glanced at each other, grinning. A laugh escaped Alex from his spot between them.

"I'm hearing mixed reviews." He said, "I suppose I'll have to find out for myself."

A group of drenched aeronauts shuffled in as Albert was presenting their papers to the marine on gate duty. A few of the men and women nodded or offered a half-hearted wave. Alex waved back with a tense smile, but Grimm was fidgeting with his goggles and hadn't seemed to notice them. The redhead shifted his weight to bump shoulders with his boyfriend and earned a smile and an affectionate shove in return.

The marine grunted at the papers in his hand. "Purpose for exit?"

"Just acclimating my boys before they join up with Fleet." Albert explained genially. "You know how it is."

The marine snorted. "Aye. How long will you be out and where are you staying?"

"Until tomorrow around brunch, if all goes well. Ah, thank you." Albert took the papers back and tucked them away. "They'll be bunking with me aboard ATS Lady Charlotte."

"The barge?"

"Yes, sir." Albert confirmed. "The very same."

The marine frowned. "They're minors without employment permits. No labour, paid or unpaid, and you're to provide adequate amenities."

"Right." Albert said. "Lottie's stationed here for the weekend and her nonessential crew are all on shore leave until tomorrow night. Here-" he pulled out a folded paper "-I have a note from her captain about their accommodations."

"Let's see, then." The marine accepted the note and squinted at it. "Ah, old Prichard. Commons... food, drink... uh-huh... seems fine to me. Go on. Best of luck to your boys with their first outing." He handed the page back to Albert and waved them along.

"Thank you, sir. Good day to you."

Alex nudged Grimm again as Albert joined them in the dim, diffused outside light coming from the gate. His early greys reflected it strangely, making them appear to shine like actual silver. The trio climbed the final stretch of ramp as the enormous metal grate began to rise.

"Goggle up, both of you." Albert said over the gate mechanism.

"I'm fine in the rain, Al." Grimm assured him.

"You're not." Albert brought all three of them to a halt. "You've been inside for years now, Mad, your eyes won't be used to the sun at all anymore, even as dim as this."

Grimm sighed. "Fine, alright."

While the other two talked, Alex fumbled with his goggles. He eventually managed to tug them on well enough. Looking to his right, he found his boyfriend already gazing back through his own dark lenses. Grimm smiled fondly and made a couple small adjustments to Alex's goggles that laid the leather pads more comfortably against his skin.

"Keep your pretty eyes safe, sweet boy." Grimm teased, tweaking Alex's nose.

Alex smirked and opened his mouth to thank him, but Albert spoke first, sternly.

"Break it up, lovebugs. We're in public. Have some decency."

Grimm scrunched up his nose, frowning, but complied. Alex scoffed instead.

"Jealous."

Albert just laughed. "I have my own sweetheart down in the habble. Of course, we can't possibly compare with your epic childhood romance."

Just then, the gate stopped and the trio was waved through. Alex swallowed hard, but kept pace with the other two as they strode out towards the sound of falling water.

"Don't fret, Alex." His brother said, patting his shoulder. "Everyone reacts differently, but remember that you're perfectly safe. You've a sturdy boy and your big brother both here for you."

"Shove decency. If you're scared, hold onto me." Grimm added.

The water was loud now, and Alex had to blink against the growing light a few times to make out the floor in front of him. The smell of smoke, humidity and something crisp that he couldn't identify hit him and he sneezed. Suddenly, the ceiling ended. Above them was only a misty grey. His heart skipped a beat and he felt queasy, but after a moment he realized it was rather like the translucent sections of the spire.

Droplets were landing on their coats with little tap-tap-taps and Alex felt a few trickles of water running down his scalp. He jumped when Grimm laughed and flung his arms open towards the heavens. Albert chuckled at the display and guided the two boys off to the side of the walkway. They were surrounded by mist and Alex could only clearly see a dozen or so feet around them.

"Visibility's shoddy today, eh? How are you feeling, little man?" His brother asked, leaning on a low stone wall that lined the exit path.

Alex glanced off in the direction his boyfriend had been a moment before. Grimm was now a short distance away, wrapped in an ethereal shroud of mist. He still had his head tilted back and was making a fool of himself, apparently trying to catch the rain in his mouth. Alex couldn't fight his grin.

"I'm alright. It's a bit... wet." He said, shivering. "He's so happy."

Albert snorted. "He grew up out here. Well, not here, but outside. You knew that, though." He paused, adjusting his goggles.

After a moment, he continued, "I suppose it's like if you or I had to spend four years in a tiny room with a low ceiling. Even though he found you there, he still hated the room. He's meant to be out here... breathing fresh air and... drinking rainwater, I suppose."

"Are you talking about me?" Grimm called back to them.

Alex snickered. "All bad things, I assure you."

Grimm laughed once and practically skipped over, planting a kiss on Alex's cheek. Their goggles bumped and both boys recoiled, chuckling.

"Right, then, lads." Albert said. "Shall we get to Lottie and shelter from this deluge?"

"It's not so bad." Alex huffed. "A little chilly."

Grimm rubbed the redhead's arms roughly. It helped a little. "Then we should go. You'll catch cold."

"Alright, follow me."

Lunch was adequate, if only because Albert had impatiently shooed a pair of aeronauts out of the kitchen and salvaged whatever they'd been trying to make on their own. The two - a man and a woman with almost white blonde hair, both of an age with Alex's brother - stayed in the galley and chatted with Albert while he cooked and throughout the meal. Alex tuned them out after confirming at length that they were only going to discuss the barge's next shipments and gossip about fellow crew members.

His focus was drawn instead to the tinted porthole windows lining the exterior wall. He wasn't certain, but it seemed the light coming from outside was dimming.

"Mad." Alex nudged his boyfriend.

Grimm's mouth was full, but he hummed an acknowledgement.

"Is the sun going down already?" He asked, hesitant. Alex knew the light didn't fade this early from the skylights inside, but he couldn't fathom why it was suddenly so dark.

Grimm quirked a brow at him and followed his eyes to the windows. He shook his head and finished his bite of food.

"The clouds are just getting thicker." He explained gently. "This rain will get worse soon, you might even see lightning and hear thunder. Don't fret, it can't hurt you in here."

"I've seen storms from the spire." Alex huffed, indignant. "... it's not that much worse out here, is it?"

Grimm opened his mouth to answer, but there was a flash of light brighter than anything Alex had ever seen from inside the spire. A beat later was the unmistakable crash of thunder. Without a thick layer of spirestone in the way, however, it was infinitely louder and Alex thought he felt the air itself tremble with the sound. He managed to only flinch a little and firmly stopped himself from burying his face in Grimm's coat. His heart unfortunately couldn't be restrained and hammered at his ribs.

Grimm snorted, seemingly unphased. "I suppose that's your answer."

"Ah. Fascinating." Breathing slowly, Alex tried to calm himself. His hands were shaking. "You're sure it's safe in here?"

"Does your brother seem concerned at all?" Grimm asked. "He would know best, he works here."

As one, the pair turned to look at Albert, sitting a few feet away at another table. He was stretching and yawning, the picture of boredom. One of his aeronaut companions was shuffling a deck of cards, looking entirely uninterested in the task. The sound of rain swelled in waves. Another flash lit up the windows with thunder following shortly behind and not one of the adults so much as blinked.

"How can you all be so calm?" Alex asked, looking to his boyfriend. "It's terribly loud. Has it deafened you or something?"

A smile warmed Grimm's features. "We're perfectly safe, and you'll get accustomed to it in time. It's relaxing, to me. I've fond memories of the Clanship rocking in big storms like this."

"Fond memories?"

"Mhm." His eyes unfocussed as though he was seeing something a great distance away. "The hammocks would swing gently on their own in a storm. It was nice to share one with my father, or a friend. We would trade stories and sing, perhaps play games on occasion." He raised his voice a touch, then. "Al?"

Albert looked over, startling as if he'd dozed off in his seat. "Hmm?"

"Does Lottie have hammocks, or only bunks?"

"Wh- hammocks?" The man squinted at Grimm. "No Albion ship has those things, you'll find ‘em aboard, say, Dalosian or Auroran vessels."

Grimm made a dissatisfied noise that was immediately drowned by another crack of thunder. "Those things." He scoffed, then muttered under his breath. "That makes sense. Albions're too stiff for a hammock, give themselves a cramp trying to lay flat."

"I'm an Albion." Alex snickered.

Grimm snorted. "Maybe I'm mistaken." He turned to look his boyfriend in the eye. "I'll share a hammock with you someday. It's very cozy."

A smirk pulled at Alex's mouth. "Not like your bed I hope?"

That earned a short bark of laughter. "I said cozy, not suffocating. Perhaps I could make one and hang it in my room. I'm not sure why I never thought of that."

Alex turned back to his food. "Would it be difficult?"

A less severe but longer series of flashes streamed into the galley before Grimm could answer. Rather than one big crash, this one preceded a lingering rumble that raised to a bone-shaking crescendo and slowly faded.

Shuddering, Alex inched closer to Grimm. "It sounds like a horrible beast. Do mistmaws come this close to the spire?"

Grimm's initial response was just a shrug, but after a moment he elaborated. "They'd come right near us when we were in the mist. Some days you could see great shadows from the windows. I wouldn't want to tangle with them in any normal vessel, but they never bothered our Clanship, she's too big. I'd imagine it's the same for spires."

"What about spires?" One of the blonde aeronauts piped up.

Grimm opened his mouth to answer, but Alex cut over him. "Do mistmaws come close? To the spire?"

All three adults laughed and the aeronaut that had butted in answered him with a teasing croon. "Aww, does the thunder sound scary, love?"

Albert scoffed. "Oi, give the lad a break, Mary."

Alex folded his hands on his lap and glared at his food, a tangle of shame and indignity gripping his chest. His face flushed and he could hear the woman tittering about it before her voice was drowned out by another roll of thunder.

"Aww, don't be such a wet blanket." The man spoke this time, chuckling. "Children need to be embarrassed or they'll grow to have a swelled head."

"I've not found that to be true. Don't tease my brother, eh?" He replied evenly.

"Don't have a delicate child out in the shipyard. He obviously can't handle it, Albert." The woman, Mary, laughed.

Grimm stood abruptly, picking up his and Alex's food. "We'll eat elsewhere since you're so removed from common courtesy. No need to associate with the uncivilized."

"Uncivilized? Just who do you think you are, boy?" Mary snapped, straightening in her seat.

"Now, now," Albert held his hands out towards the aeronaut, "he's just a lad, let it go."

She waved him off and peered at Grimm while Alex was scrambling out of his seat. "You've got the face of a nomad. You oughtn't throw stones, you little sun-touched thing."

"Mary! Enough." Albert scolded harshly even as Grimm bristled. "I'll not have you fighting with one of my boys. Be the adult you are, here, woman."

Alex laid a hand on his boyfriend's arm and his gaze turned towards him. "Let's just go, Mad."

Conceding stiffly, Grimm let a long breath out through his nose. He followed right behind when Alex left the room, though the boy hadn't a clue where to go. After only a minute of wandering in search of a place to eat, Albert caught up to them.

"Just duck into one of the rooms here." He instructed gently. "No one's around to mind."

In the random bunkroom, Grimm set their food neatly on one of the pair of desks flanking the door and pulled out the chair for Alex. As soon as his boyfriend sat, he lowered himself to the floor and laid his head on Alex's thigh, arms and legs crossed tightly. Alex gently rested his hand on Grimm's neck and the boy relaxed a measure, leaning into him heavily.

"Look, I'm truly sorry, Mad, she escalated to a point I didn't know she could." Albert sighed, seating himself on a nearby bunk. "You can't talk to people like that, though. You say the wrong thing to the wrong aeronaut and you'll find yourself battered or challenged to a duel."

"He was only defending me." Alex muttered. "He didn't deserve that."

Grimm watched him inscrutably from his lap. It struck him how lovely his boyfriend's lashes were and he brushed an unruly curl aside to better admire them.

Albert sighed deeply. "Be that as it may, a man has to choose his battles. Don't be foolish, here. Words won't kill you and if they'd gone any further I'd've sent them off myself."

Grimm tensed, stony-faced, but his eyes welled silently with tears. Albert couldn't see him from his place on the bunk and continued speaking.

"Light ribbing like that isn't a good reason to call someone uncivilized, either, no matter how intolerant they turn out." He sighed again, waving an arm erratically for a moment. "Just... mind yourselves out here. I don't want to bring you back inside early because your pride got you into a pointless scuffle."

Grimm swallowed thickly and turned his face into Alex's thigh. His eyes shut and the unshed tears wet the fabric under them. A surge of anger forced words out of Alex's mouth.

"Albert, lay off. Just because you want to defend your little friends doesn't mean we need to tolerate mistreatment." His brother opened his mouth with some retort, but Alex leveled a glare at him and continued. "They openly mocked me for being a bit scared of something I've never experienced. If that isn't uncivilized, I may as well set out onto the surface, because I don't want any part in a society that encourages adults to target children in such a way."

Albert seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "You're blowing this out of proportion, laddie-"

"No, I don't think I am. You aren't giving this proper consideration." He paused, hands trembling in Grimm's hair. "If you find yourself so upset at how we treat bullies, perhaps you should think over why you're so much more worried about their feelings than your own kin's."

"I told them to stop, Alexander." He snapped. "What more do you want from me?"

Alex bristled and snapped right back. "Maybe some basic protection, you know, like how a man might protect his younger brother? Have you considered I'm not even sixteen? It's one thing for you to tease me, but to allow strangers at me like they know me? And to let that Mary woman speak in such a way to Mad? Why would you do that?"

"Oi, now, I didn't 'let' her throw that remark." Albert warned.

"Oh yes, thank you so much for, what, encouraging your mate to be an adult?" Alex laughed coldly. "Come now, Al. Really?"

"Sweet boy." Grimm murmured from his lap. "Please, don't fight with your brother over me. I've thick enough skin to bear a few insensitive words."

Pursing his lips, Alex frowned at his boyfriend. Grimm's big, brown eyes closed when he ran his fingers through those lovely curls. "You shouldn't have to. Maybe once we're adults, but we're just boys, Mad, and that woman is grown. It's hurtful enough from other children."

Albert let out a long breath, head in his hands. "You're right, of course, Alex. You're too clever for your own good. I haven't a clue where you got your capacity for reason, but it wasn't Mum or Dad, and certainly not me." He raised his eyes to meet Alex's. "I'm sorry. Both of you. I let social pressure silence me. It won't happen again."

Alex gazed at him for a long moment, then looked at Grimm. His boyfriend nodded. When the redhead's eyes returned to his brother, he frowned.

"Fine. Thank you."

Albert's lips pressed into a thin line, but he nodded and stood. "I'll let you two alone. Go left out of here, then just walk straight and you'll get back to the galley. I'll wait there, I've got some inventory to finish anyhow."

"Alright. Until later." Alex said shortly.

When the door shut behind him, Grimm let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around Alex's waist, pressing his face into his boyfriend's hip.

"I'm sorry, Mad."

Grimm shook his head and sniffed to compose himself. His voice was still unsteady when he spoke. "He's right. I shouldn't have snapped so readily."

"Well," Alex winced, "you have got a bit of a temper, sure, but you'll grow out of it. Besides, like I said, she's much older than us, at least as much as Al. She shouldn't be fighting with boys our age and she certainly shouldn't be insulting you for not being native."

He felt Grimm's arms squeeze him and met his eyes when he looked up. "I just want this to be nice for you. It's a relief to be outside again, even cooped up in a barge, but if you're not enjoying it, it's wasted on me. I can wait until we join Fleet."

"Mad, God in Heaven." Alex huffed fondly. "I'm fine. It's just a noise, right? And Albions can be mean wherever we go. That's nothing new."

The pair simply gazed at each other for a long minute. Finally, Grimm sighed and stood, dragging the other chair over to eat next to Alex.

"Storm's lifted off." He nodded at the single window in the room. Bright sunlight was streaming through the tinted porthole, casting a circle of reddish light on the floor. "You should get a peek through the glass before we set foot on deck."

Alex watched the edges of the bright spot waver. "Do I need goggles to look out there?"

"Doubtful." Grimm squinted at the brightness. "It looks tinted. I can't imagine even Albions would have unfiltered windows in a bunk room."

Alex snorted, then paused apprehensively. "Will you... um."

Grimm had taken a bite of food and simply hummed to encourage him.

"I know it's just there, but..." Alex grimaced, flushing. "Will you come over to the window with me?"