Archive of Our Own ^beta

A key turns in the lock on the front door.

„It's Dee!“ shrieks Bastien and he flies from the sitting room to the foyer, arriving just as Dee steps inside. „You're here!“

Dee crouches and scoops him up. „Oof. You're getting heavy.“

„But the doctor says I'm still too skinny.“

„Well, then it's a good thing I brought a big bunch of those—“

„CANDIES!“ Bastien paws at Dee's rucksack.

„Hey! Wait until I get my coat off!“

„Aww ....“ Bastien slides to the ground, pouts.

Dee laughs, sets his bag on the floor.

Bastien grabs—

„Not yet, Bunny.“

—crosses his arms and sulks.

„How's school been?“ Dee slips off his coat, hangs it in the front closet.

„Fine.“ Bastien taps a foot.

„Made lots of friends?“ Dee steps out of his shoes, lines them up on the rack with the others.

„A few, but we only talk at school.“

Dee stops moving, looks at Bastien. „Why's that?“

Bastien shrugs. „Father won't let me go to sleepovers and I can't bring friends here, either.“

„What about the phone? Email?“

„He's put locks on those so I can only play games and do my homework on the computer.“

Dee frowns, but finally unzips his rucksack, pulls out a clear package full of sparkly sweets, and tears it open. „I tried to grab a bag with an even blend this time so everyone can get what they want.“

„Thanks!“

Dee offers the candy. „Just five, like al—“

„I know, I know.“ Bastien digs until his favourite mix is in hand: three strawberry-pinks, one orange-orange, and one grape-purple. He shows the handful to Dee.

He smiles. „Why do you always pick the same ones?“

Bastien shrugs. „'cause I like them best.“

„Cool. More blue ones for me this way.“ He searches the packet.

„The blues are weird.“

Dee unwraps and pops one into his mouth. „I know. It's a flavour you can't get anywhere else.“

Bastien wrinkles his nose. „Because it's weird.“

Dee laughs, slings his rucksack over his shoulder again. „Does Father want me on the sofa or in the guest room this time?“

„Sofa, d'uh. Karla gets the company room 'cause she's a girl.“

Dee snorts, 'of course'.

„Girls! Is Sabine coming?“

„Not this time.“

„Darn. Why not?“

„Father 'suggested' she stay with her family the entire holiday.“

Bastien cocks his head. „Because he doesn't want you two to have sex?“

Dee turns a little pink-ish, runs his hand through his hair like he always does when he's not sure what to say. „Doesn't he like her? She's really cool!“

Dee takes a deep breath. „It's because her parents are Turkish.“

„What?“

„Father doesn't approve of me dating—“ Makes a 'sour' face. „—'a foreigner'.“

Bastien frowns. „Wasn't she born here? In Berlin? Her accent's right ....“

„She was.“

Bastien chews his lip, thinks hard. „Ohhh. Father doesn't like people who're different.“

„That's ... a very polite way of putting it.“

„What's a rude way?“

„When you're older.“ Dee ruffles Bastien's hair.

Bastien ducks out of reach.

„I'll drop off my bag and then meet you in Manny's room?“

Bastien nods, runs—

„Take him the candies.“

„Alright.“ Bastien seizes the bag from Dee and runs off to the back of the house. He skids into Manny's room.

Manny startles a little, wings twitching under his loose jumper, swivels his chair.

„Dee brought us candy!“ Offers the sweets with a flourish.

Manny smiles in his crooked, sorta sad way. „Thank you, but I don't want any.“

„But everyone likes candy!“

„The sugar doesn't agree with me.“

„But you drank a soda yesterday!“

„I just don't like any of the flavours.“

Bastien's jaw drops.

„They all taste the same: too sweet. They make my mouth all funny and my teeth hurt.“

„That's crazy!“

Manny shrugs.

„What's crazy?“ asks Dee.

Bastien waves his arms. „Manny says all the candies taste the same!“

„Oh dear. That does sound crazy.“

Bastien puffs up.

Manny rolls his eyes.

„Maybe a proper scientific test is in order?“ Dee's eyes sparkle.

„Yes yes yes! I'll get the hammer!“ Bastien races out the door.

„„Wait! What?!““

Bastien flies back in, hammer in hand.

„What are you going to do with that?“ asks Dee.

„Break up the candies, of course,“ sniffs Bastien. „We don't want to wear out the subject too quickly.“

Manny blinks.

Dee chokes on a laugh. „Very thoughtful of you, Doctor Bunny.“

„Thank you!“ Bastien sets the hammer on Manny's desk. „May I borrow your desk and chair, Mr Manny?“

„But of course, Doctor Bunny.“ Manny slides off, plops down with his book on the bed next to Dee.

Bastien kneels on the seat, clears a space on the desktop, and carefully lays out clean paper. After a bit of digging in the drawers, he finds a ruler and draws a neat chart with five small boxes and a bigger space next to each. He sets a single candy—still wrapped—in each box, and labels them in pen with his best handwriting:

- strawberry -

- cherry -

- orange -

- lime -

- grape -

- blue -

- lemon -

Pleased, he picks up the hammer and whacks each candy twice. He unwraps the first, holds up a small, glassy bit for Dee and Manny to see. „Tadah!“

„Perfect!“ cheers Dee.

Manny leans over read better. „'Blue'?“

„Even Mr Dee doesn't know what that flavour is and he actually likes them.“

Manny looks at Dee.

Dee shrugs, puts another blue candy in his mouth.

„Your tongue's blue,“ points out Manny.

„It's worth it.“

Manny scoffs.

Bastien clears his throat, declares, „It's time for the test to begin.“

Manny tucks his book aside, puts all his attention on Bastien.

„Mr Manny, you will eat a small piece of each candy and rate how much you like it on a scale of one to ten. Understand?“

„Yes, Doctor Bunny.“

„Good!“ Bastien hands Manny a shard of pink. „First!“

Manny puts it in his mouth, makes a thoughtful face. „It's alright, but it doesn't have that little bit of sour that makes a real strawberry so good.“

„Your rating, Mr Manny?“

„I'd say it's a 'six'.“

Bastien nods, notes the number next to the remains of the pink candy. „Next!“

Manny tastes the red. „It's much too sweet for cherry. Five.“

„Next!“

Manny makes a face. „It's not bad, but it tastes like cough medicine. Orange is another five.“

„Next!“

„That doesn't taste like any lime I've ever had. Three.“

„I've never liked those, either,“ adds Dee.

„Good thing Karla will eat any of them,“ replies Bastien. „Next!“

Manny barely tastes the grape before he spits it into the trash bin. „Much too sweet.“

„Number?“

„Zero.“

„Tough crowd.“

„Quiet, Mr Dee!“

„Apologies, Doctor Bunny.“

Bastien sniffs. „Next!“

„This's weird. What flavour is this?“

„Blue.“

Bastien scowls at Dee.

„Sorry.“

„What number for the blue, Mr Manny?“

„One.“

„More for me~!“

„Dee!“

„'forry,“ says Dee around another candy.

Bastien huffs, hands Manny a piece of the last flavour.

Manny tastes and, then, a slow smile creeps across his face.

Bastien leans closer.

„This one I like a lot,“ says Manny, grabbing another piece from the desk. „Ten. Definitely.“

„Lemon wins! A ten!“ Bastien sweeps all the non-lemon bits into his hand, dumps them into his mouth—

„Don't—!“

—sucks.

„—it'll taste awful!“ yelps Dee.

Bastien mouth goes funny and he grabs Manny's glass of water and swallows a big mouthful. „Ugh. EveryFlavour candy is nasty.“

„I tried to warn you.“

„Warn me faster next time!“

Manny laughs as he picks up the last big scrap of lemon candy and holds it to the light. „Thanks for this, Doctor Bunny.“

„You're very welcome, Mr Manny.“

Manny smiles and puts the candy on his tongue.

Bastien gathers up the chart and tips it into the bin. „Dee?“

„Hmm?“

„May I have—“

A key turns in the lock on the front door.

„—It's Karla!“ Bastien races for the foyer.