by Harukami

It wasn't easy to be in high school and different.

Matthew knew this intimately. He, even more than his twin brother, got flak from the other students for being pretty, with long black hair and cat-green eyes, and for being, if not quiet or withdrawn, constantly on the periphery, watching. Michael, in comparison, was the more social and outgoing of the two, with a lean muscularity to Matthew's slenderness, built into him from a few years on the football team. Despite Matthew's keen wit and heavily sardonic humour, he was clearly no fighter, and so society aimed its barbs at him, who was seen as Michael's shadow. Michael took some of the offenders and kept knocking them down until they didn't get back up again, but the insults kept coming.

It was getting just irritating for both of them. Neither particularily cared what anyone thought of him, though neither wanted to hear his twin badmouthed, and it was annoying to be gossipped about when the only fuel people had was the rumours. Matthew was of the opinion that if they gave the students what they seemed to call for, proof, they'd actually have less grounds to insult them on. Insults weren't insulting if they weren't hiding.

He'd raised the topic before as he had cuddled with Michael under the blankets, basking in the post-sex afterglow.

"You've got a point, Brother," Michael had agreed, stroking a hand idly along the criss-crossed scars on Matthew's soft stomach. "And it's almost the end of school anyway - what can standing up to them a little hurt?"

"Mmm," Matthew had sighed, burying his face in his twin's shoulder. "If we make it obvious but not stated, I'm sure they'll back off."

"Why not stated?"

A laugh. "Brother, do you really want our parents to find out?"

"Not until we're out of school," Michael had reluctantly admitted.

So here they were, feeding each other fries in the school cafeteria and listening to the nervous chuckles rising around them.

A small group of boys sauntered up, one throwing himself into the chair across from them while the others perched on tables. The twins ignored them.

Travis, the sitting boy, leaned forward. "Aw, look. They're being cute."

Michael idly flipped him off while Matthew yawned, bored. Travis focused on the latter. "Gee, Matthew's tired! Late night, Matt?"

Irritated at the name, Matthew gave a slow, deliberately provocative smile. "Oh, yes."

Feeling his high ground slipping, Travis turned to Michael. "You must be a pretty intense fuck for your brother to be this tired, Michael!"

Chuckles rose again, until Michael turned the same provocative smile his brother had given onto Travis. "Why? Are you interested?"

Tsking slightly, Matthew placed an obviously possessive hand on Michael's forearm. "Throwing me over for him?" he asked, mock-hurt. "Oh, Brother, can I ever forgive you for making light of my heart like this?"

Travis lost the thread of his insults. "Shit, you two really are fucking, aren't you?!"

"The twins grinned at each other, and without warning Michael pulled his slender brother into his lap, bending Matthew back against the table and kissing him hard enough to bruise. Matthew responded instantly, wrapping his legs around Michael's hips, tangling his fingers in Michael's shorter hair, putting on a little show. Shocked silence spread through the room, and finally they separated, breathing hard. As one, they turned to look at their attacker.

Travis' face was in such a painfully stupefied gape that they burst out laughing at the same time. Stunned whispers filled the cafeteria as, still laughing, the brothers picked up their lumch and left. They'd made it under a tree outside when they were able to stop laughing, but then Michael said, "Did you see the look on -" and they both started up again.

Finally, collapsed there in each other's arms, tears of mirth dotting their cheeks, they managed to regain control. "Well," Michael said, eyes still suspiciously bright, "I think that went rather well." He chuckled again. "If nothing else, we know how to shut them up!"

Grinning, Matthew nodded, tracing Michael's cheek with his hand. "They'll be talking about us."

Michael wiggled his eyebrows in a deliberately lewd gesture. "Hey, wanna give 'em something else to talk about sometime?"

"We'll see," Matthew promised, and kissed him.