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A pale white ceiling speckled with dark blue paint. He would never wake up to it again. He wrinkled his nose at the thought as he sat up. Moving day, from Seville to Barcelona, to a school he had frankly never heard of:
The Benjamin Franklin International School. It was for the generally more gifted students, he was told : the brainiacs, the artistic, the athletic, the theatrics. His dad told him to approach it as if it were a modern Hogwarts with no magic and more exams. He wasn't looking forward to it.
Gavi slid out of bed and wiggled into some dark jeans before yanking on a sweater that needed stitching done. He almost fell down the stairs putting his socks on.
"Morning,"
he groaned as he greeted his two other siblings. He got a response of their groans and snappy comments. His father, Pablo, was bustling around the kitchen. His mother was still in bed; still sick.
"Wow, you're up early," he hummed as he shuffled over, bumping gavi’s hip briefly with his own.
"Moving day, kids, you ready?" Again, he was answered with grunts and complaints.
"Why are we moving?" aurora demanded for the eighteenth time, brushing her long hair behind her ear. her father fixed her with a look.
"We can't afford this place anymore, work relocated dad, and the school is there," nico recited, sounding bored, he was the youngest but still very advanced for his age .
gavi took the seat next to aurora and elbowed her. She looked over. "Save my seat in the car please?"
"As long as I'm not stuck with nico, I'm good." gavi nodded solemnly, his serious façade breaking as he looked at her serious face. They had always gotten along the best, despite the age difference between them, give or take. gavi could trust her not to tell their parents any secrets, and she trusted him as well with everything .
it went Aurora , gavi , nico . Their mother was gavinin , and she was quite sick. Their father, pablo, earned what he could as a salesman. He was being re-located to a fancier neighborhood. He hoped business prospects would be better there, and the fresh air would do his wife some good, surely.
Breakfast whips by and suddenly, before gavi knows it, he's packing in the last box and straightening up, wiping his forehead. He stared up at the old house, sighing a little. It was time to go.
"Pile in, kids, we have a couple hours to go," pablo said as he gently helped his wife into the passenger's seat. She gave him a weak smile and closed her eyes as she settled in. gavi clambered in next to aurora, not bothering to make a comment when nico kicked him in the side as he crawled to his seat.
"All in?" pablo turned around to face them all. they were all listening to music or hitting each other when their father didn't see.
"Take that as a yes." And they were off. Gavi gazed out the window, forcing himself to feel positive. He usually was - he had to be, in the situation he was in. So he worked a smile onto his face when his mother asked if he was excited. "I am," he assured. She smiled back. He always loved his mother's smile - gentle, sweet, the wrinkles around her eyes showing her true nature. gavi closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for what's to come. He wasn't ready for what he'd run in to.
They pulled up onto the bright green grass. It was too perfectly mowed, the hedges too pristine. It would take some getting used to, that was for sure. Their new house was an old one, wooden in most places, rotten in the rest. It was large enough to fit them all comfortably , and gavi’s first thought was that it was beautiful. It had three floors, and the attic with a quaint window was facing the balcony of the neighboring house. A small white balcony with room enough for two people to stand at a time. gavinin stepped out carefully and came to lean against pablo, clutching her arms close around her chest.
"Quite the place, huh, aurora?"
gavi pulled her close, ruffled her hair. aurora laughed and pushed his arm away playfully. "Alright, kids, help us move the stuff inside," pablo spoke, leading gavinin into the house, holding onto her gently. gavi glanced around quietly, pursing his lips. The yards were too well-kept, the driveways smooth and polished, the houses towering and bright. He eyed the neighboring house and spotted a brunette boy standing on the balcony, watching him. The brunette looked away as quickly as he could. gavi frowned to himself. He hoped his new neighbors were the polite kind.
The first floor was surprisingly clean. Lots of wooden work, polished and nice. The carpet was outdated, but it was buried underneath their many boxes. The second floor was pleasant but horribly outdated; the floral rugs looked like they'd been stolen from the 80's, and the wallpaper was peeling. Still, the windows were large and let in a pale white light, making the area seem warm and comfortable.
"Kids,"
pablo called, folding his arms. The three of them trudged down the stairs, talking amongst themselves. They squished onto the brown couch and looked at their parents.
"We called the school." gavi and aurora exchanged glances. "And?" nico piped, paging through his book.
pablo frowned a little to himself. "There's a fee we must pay to get you all in, and..,"
"We can't afford that right now. With the new house and everything..."
gavinin trailed off as well. aurora crossed her arms and glared at the floor. gavi stared at his parents. "We'll wait and see," she added, as if to give them hope.
"We'll figure it out,"
pablo assured them . "Now, c'mon, let's finish up unpacking this stuff."
After some exploring the neighborhood, the three discovered a stream behind some houses, and they stayed there for a while. Besides that, the neighborhood was nice, and gavi tried not to feel too disheartened by the prospect of not going to school. They'd agreed that, if she could manage to, their mother would homeschool them to the best of her ability. "It'll be good," he murmured to himself, sitting on the wooden outcrop. Testing it earlier, it creaked under his weight and nearly broke. He was just a hop away from the white balcony. gavi sat, swinging his leg in the air. He eyed the brunette boy as he stepped out onto his balcony again. gavi caught his breath. It was time to be social. It was time to meet Pedri Gonzalez .
gavi sat on the wooden outcrop and watched as the other boy followed his movements. Clearing his throat, gavi flashed a confident grin. He was actually a social person, and, while he would have wanted more time to mentally prepare himself, the time was presenting itself right then. The boy had a sketchbook in his lap, and his eyebrows were raised as he watched gavi wobble as he stood up. The outcrop was very unstable.
gavi held his arms out for extra balance and nodded, friendly. "Hey, there." He beamed at him. "I'm gavi , your new neighbor."
"pedro gonzalez," the boy said slowly. gavi mulled the name over in his head. An old-fashioned name, but it suited him. "Sorry, are you sure that's safe?"
"Nope," gavi said dismissively, unbothered. He had done more dangerous things before. Although, after nearly teetering over the edge, gavi asked,
"Hey, can I come over?" pedri blinked at him. "Uh, sure." gavi nodded and thought on this. How was he going to do this without falling twenty-something feet to the ground? His tongue between his teeth, he jumped off of the outcrop like a diving board. It wobbled and creaked, making him anxious. gavi managed to land on the railing, his arms flailing for balance, alarm bells sounding in his head, screaming,
"Moron! You Moron!" And then the brunette-- pedri-- took his hand and pulled him to safety, his sketchbook tossed to the side as he'd gotten to his feet. gavi stumbled against his chest and instantly backed off, flushing red. Even for him, this was bold. "Thanks." He breathed out a sigh of relief. pedri managed a small smile and ducked his head in a quick nod. gavi took the time to smooth out his rumpled sweater and fix his windblown hair, feeling his eyes on him.
"Nice room," he finally said when pedri kept silent. He glanced back to his two siblings outside, walking around the yard.
"Yeah, yeah," pedri agreed quietly, looking embarrassed. He didn't have the best people skills. Then again, he'd never had a boy leap onto his balcony after the first meeting.
"You don't talk much, huh?" gavi mused. He cringed - that was a great conversation starter. He was sure he was making such a great impression. pedri bit his lip and shrugged, looked to the horizon, at his hands, anywhere but gavi.
pedri was screaming internally. He was making a horrible first impression.
"What do you do for fun?" gavi tried again for a conversation, and this time pedri forced himself to meet his eyes. gavi was caught by how red his face was ,how bright.
"Um, not much, really," pedri finally said, finally sounding more relaxed. gavi nodded for him to continue, smiling. That made pedri smile as well.
"I draw." gavi’s eyes lit up.
"Really? Can I see?" pedri couldn't help but blush even more. He smiled at him briefly and shuffled through his papers, searching for the drawing he wanted. Finally, he handed him a rough outline sketch of a boy, his face in shadow. gavi grinned. "That's awesome," he gushed. pedri rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks." He restacked his papers and looked gavi, taking him in. He seemed so bright, so alive. So unlike what pedri was used to.
"I don't really have any hobbies myself," gavi was saying when pedri zoned back in.
"I mean, I can cook and stuff. Baking is the most fun." pedri was about to comment when another voice cut through.
"pablo martin paez gavira , you get down from there right now!" gavi leaned over the balcony and shot aurora a look. He gave a long-suffering sigh and offered pedri a timid smile. "Sorry." He rolled his eyes and climbed back onto the railing. pedri watched as he carefully leapt back over, hugging the side of the house. He stuck his head out the window, then, giving pedri a grin and a mock salute before disappearing. pedri smiled to himself as he brought his drawing equipment inside. He surely hadn't made an impression on gavi , but gavi sure did on him. He was quirky, social, and bright. pedri could get used to that.
"Why do you always insist on embarrassing me,"
gavi hissed as he rounded on aurora, his face hot. She scowled at him and took a slow breath. "You were on a stranger's balcony." gavi stayed silent. aurora sighed and deflated, her anger gone. "I don't want you getting hurt, okay? You could've fallen. He could've turned out to be insane or something."
"He's not," gavi huffed a little at her. "He's okay."aurora leaned against the wall and nodded begrudgingly.
"Fine. I only want the best for you, okay?" gavi forced himself to smile.
"It's okay. I'm fine," he promised. aurora didn't say any more so gavi retreated to the kitchen to help with dinner.
He thought about pedri, the quiet boy from next door. He liked him so far - he wouldn't be able to tell for sure until he knew him better. He was determined to do just that.
Saturday, a week after moving. the three siblings were not going to be in school yet. gavi didn't mind that he wasn't attending school. Well, he did - but complaining about it would get him nowhere. Besides, he was already learning a lot through pedri.
gavi had made it his mission to befriend the brunette . He came over when he could, which was usually after pedri’s school, the "pretentious" school/Modern Hogwarts gavi’s dad had told him about. It was Saturday. gavi leapt over to the balcony, quickly sitting on the railing and crossing his arms.
"Hey, pedri baby," he teased. pedri rolled his eyes and smiled up at him, hunched over, doing some Socials homework. "Still don't understand that nickname, gavito," he reminded. He didn't mind it; he'd just never had a nickname before.
"Suits you," gavi explained. pedri’s smile only grew as he shook his head. gavi slid to sit beside him, looking over his shoulder.
"world war ," pedri said, showing him the page, biting his lip as he thought. gavi watched him quietly. "These parts of europe were fighting against each other ," he mused. gavi propped his chin in his hand and listened as pedri listed off information neither would remember.
"What else do you do?" gavi was lying on his back, looking at him upside down, his legs dangling between the white bars of the railing. "Some sports, a bit of theatre, art class," pedri said dismissively, with a wave of his hand for good measure.
"What about you?" gavi grinned. "I ain't putting up with that crap." pedri raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.
"Well, you can tell we... aren't the richest on the block," he said, his tone lowering. pedri shrugged.
"So, uh, we aren't in school yet. I'm at home watching over my brother and the house, making sure ma's comfortable." pedri nodded silently.
"Anyway. I always loved science," gavi continued, his eyes lighting up. pedri reveled in the moment, glad to see someone so happy with something seen as otherwise mundane. He was surrounded by his parents, and students used to traveling first-class. Nobody he knew could take fifteen minutes to explain why space was beautiful for the smallest reasons. pedri blinked when he saw gavi wave a hand in front of his face.
"You there, pepi ?" He smiled and leaned against his door. "Yeah. Go on, gavito." He could sit there and listen to him all day long.
gavi decided over the next few days that he liked pedri . pedri , who was still very quiet, who had a subtle type of humour that went by unnoticed. pedri who secretly loved drawing cartoons, but never did because he was afraid of being judged for it. pedri, who was stubborn and hot-headed - and incredibly clever.
gavi sighed softly as he worked on a puzzle with his mom. his siblings were outside, enjoying the sun. pedri was at school - gavi was indoors.
"Was that a disappointed sigh or..?" gavinin glanced at him. gavi smiled apologetically. "Just thinking," he mused, tossing a puzzle piece between his hands. his mom eyed him and softened, a smile on her face as she hummed.
gavi narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "What?"
"I know what's going on here."
"Oh, really?” gavi tried to reign in the sarcasm. His mother nudged him and he looked up again. She had that grin on her face. gavi was growing red.
"Yep. There's a someone, isn't there," gavinin stated. gavi sputtered. "What? No! How?" She shook her head. "Somewhere there's a someone, and I daresay you like them." "Wha-- you have no proof," gavi responded, wedging the puzzle piece into place. She looked at him, smug. "Mm." She went quiet after that, allowing gavi to stew in his thoughts.
"Why listen to me? I mean, I'm just an old woman, so."
"No," gavi said hastily. His mother smiled at him and stroked his hair. "Mothers know these things." She kissed his forehead and stood, rubbing her head. "I'm for bed, dear. My head's giving me a little trouble."
"I'll be up with dinner," he replied. She smiled at him gently. He sat and thought, listening to his siblings talking outside. Shaking his head, he got up and joined them. He had time to figure out what he needed to figure out.
"Hey, pedri baby," gavi greeted the next day, the minute pedri got home from school. pedri dropped his bag beside his bed and walked over, giving him a tight smile.
"Hey, gavito." He looked troubled. gavi tilted his head at him, his eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?" pedri blew out a breath and shrugged.
"Parents have this family coming over, I think." gavi pulled a face.
"Gross. Like, fancy people?" pedri smiled at his reaction and dangled his legs through the bars of the railing. "Yeah. I can't stand any more culture." gavi thought, and an idea started to form. He smiled at him, as if to assure him he didn't have to do this alone. "What time tonight?"
"Six thirty," pedri said, noticing his hazel eyes light up again. gavi gave him the usual grin he saved for him.
"Come on. I happen to be an expert in not-culture," gavi hummed, getting to his feet. pedri did too, surprised. He had never been to gavi’s before - he supposed today would be the day. gavi was standing in his room before pedri knew it. he had become a pro at landing safely enough that the wood barely even creaked. aurora hadn't voiced a complaint in weeks.
"gavito ?" pedri said uneasily, shakily climbing onto his railing. He worried what his parents would think, and a knot of dread formed in his stomach. Standing on the edge of the balcony was bad enough. Entering the Paez house? They would see it as treason. pedri felt like that wasn't exaggerating it. gavi gave him a quick smile, offering him his hand. "Just a baby hop, pepi." He nodded at him, assuring him it would be okay.
"Trust me, okay?" pedri took a deep breath, butterflies in his stomach. He leapt, and gavi grabbed his hand. The jump was smaller than pedri had prepared for - he slammed against gavi’s chest, teetering backwards. gavi held his arms protectively and pulled him into his room, stumbling over his heels. pedri fought to catch his breath and gavi was incredibly aware of his hands on his chest. He let him go, and pedri stepped back.
"Um,"
he said nervously.
"Uh, thanks."
gavi nodded and waited for him to collect himself. Then pedri looked around, and gavi could breathe again when the silence disappeared.
"Welcome to my extremely humble room," he announced, lifting his arms into the air only to let them slap against his legs again.
"It isn't much, but..."
"I think it's nice," pedri argued, facing him again.
gavi smirked and eyed his room. "Thanks, but it's crap," he said, hands on his hips. "Still," he sighed. "Better than being homeless." That seemed to prompt nico into the room.
nico flicked his gaze to gavi, looking amused. "So this is the boy we've been hearing about, eh?" nico shook pedri’s hand.
"pedro gonzalez ," pedri said and smiled. nico grinned back and nodded. "Pleasure." He looked at gavi .
"I'm nico. gavi’s told us all about you."
gavi reddened as he recalled the past couple weeks. In passing, mentioning what pedri does at school. Talking to nico about what he looked like. Avoiding his dad's incessant questions about "Do you like this boy?"
"What's his major going to be?"
"How many siblings does he have?" And, of course, "Will he become a lawyer then?"
(pedri hated the thought of being a lawyer, judge or doctor. His mom was already a surgeon - he had no interest in it) pedri was turning pink, too. He glanced at the floorboards, suddenly pretending to be very interested in the half-destroyed rubic's cube by the bed closest to him. gavi shot nico a glare.
"nicooo ," he hissed. nico smirked and rolled his eyes at him. gavi quickly led them past nico, screaming internally. "Ignore him, he's just an ass," he laughed nervously.
"Oh, he seems peachy," pedri crooned and gavi rolled his eyes.
"Right," gavi droned. pedri couldn't help but smirk at him as they walked downstairs. It wasn't what pedri had been expecting. It wasn't messy, or clean - it was just lived-in - something pedri hadn't actually seen in a while. They stepped into the kitchen and ran into aurora.
"gavi, you talking to yourself again?" He rolled his eyes to pedri.
"aurora thinks that because mom's sick, she can be her stand in," he murmured. aurora turned to face them and she smiled, her usually hard features softening.
"This is my friend pedri ."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," aurora said before facing her brother again.
"Dad's home in an hour, okay? Dinner."
"Fine." He turned to pedri again and looked at him expectantly. "So?"
"Sooooo?" gavi smiled lovingly . "You wanna hang around for a bit? Make a pie, watch a show, go for a walk?" pedri smiled gratefully. "I'd love to mi gavito."