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The Court Family



They nodded at him, David wrapping an arm around his wife's waist as she set her hands on his chest. They looked around the office. "Where would we be having this thing, though?" he asked, knowing it couldn't be in a church. "What place has the most meaning to you both?" It had to be somewhere that they had memories of together, no one else having ever touched the area. It was just for them, only them.

Kiyaka Mayazaki





Theme song

The principal sighed and rubbed her temples, every now and then gazing over to the liquor cabinet longingly. "Reed, I feel ya, but I keep getting complaints, and not just from Mr. Vaporatti here. Besides, Mr. Vaporatti holds precedence over you, so the school board will be very irritated if I take your side over his, despite the fact that I certainly like you more." She sent a glare over to the vocals teacher, who merely turned up his nose.
"That's right, I hold precedence, and I want him fired."
"... Are you joking?"
He then proceeded to spend the next five minutes ranting, without an intake of breath, about how how he'd suffered because of Reed. Most of it was just whining, even Kiyaka knew that, but she listened silently. Reed had to know what her silence meant. Luciano would probably get his way unless he was otherwise appeased.

Luciano finally shut up, but before Kiyaka could say a word, the door burst open, a short, but fuming scientist standing in the doorway. In one hand, he held a leather glove, likely his father's given that it was too big for his hands, but he handled it well as he stomped up to the teachers. "I won't let you get Reed fired, you old fart!" he shouted at the vocals teacher, his temper flaring. "And don't even think about threatening my job too. My father pays for half of this school's donations, so the school board would rather roast you than lose me." He didn't care about the implications about his job being handed to him, he just wanted this to end. Unfortunately, Luciano wasn't going to just give up.
"If you think I'm going to let some little brat tell me what to do, you're mistaken." He looked back to Kiyaka. "Either he's fired, or I take this to the school board president, Mayazaki."
His job was protected, but not Reed's, realized Alan. Thinking fast, he raised the glove and smacked it across Luciano's face. "I challenge you to a duel, Vaporatti!" he spouted.
The man rubbed his jaw where he was slapped, then sneered. "What, if I win, he goes, and if you win, he stays?"
Alan looked over to Reed, then swallowed back his pride and closed his eyes. "No. Reed stays either way. But if you win, Vaporatti, I'll give you what you've been trying to steal back from me ever since I took the position there." He looked over to Reed, reminding himself just how much he loved and adored the musician. He only hoped Reed knew what he was giving up.

"I'll give you back my lab."

Luciano was stunned into silence. There was a building near the back of the campus, soundproof, fireproof, waterproof, everything proof. It was the best protected building on campus, and had the best acoustics, used often as the auditorium since it was both bigger and simply better. Before Alan accepted the teaching job, Luciano had unofficially owned it, using it to dominate the music students. Teachers had to reserve it for months ahead just to have an hour-long concert. After Alan came to the campus, his father paid to have the building renovated into a laboratory operated by Alan himself, used as both a place of science and a sanctuary. Oftentimes, Alan slept there instead of his own apartment. It was his home, to say the least.

"Deal."

Before Alan could speak, Luciano spoke for him, a wicked glint in his eye. "What else? A duel of talents." He grinned, leaning over to whisper into Alan's ear. "Musical talent only, Brandt." Standing upright, he started for the door, grabbing his coat on the way out. "I suggest you teach him well, Maestro. Young Mr. Brandt is brilliant, that can't be denied, but tomorrow evening, no amount of brilliance will keep me from taking what is rightfully mine. Until then, tell your father to send me the number for his contractors. I want my hall exactly as it was before you ruined it." He slammed the door shut behind him, leaving the teachers and headmistress behind.

Alan stood completely still, his head bowed so that his hair covered his eyes. He was shaking, but not from anger. He was having a panic attack. Unbeknownst to Reed, Alan didn't have an ace up his sleeve. He had nothing. He wasn't exceptionally musically gifted. He could barely hold a note in a bucket! His singing voice was average, nothing to cheer for, and his fingers were far too clumsy to play anything but the occasional triangle. He didn't stand a single chance against Luciano!
And yet...
The musician's smiling face flashed through Alan's mind, and he knew what he was doing was the right choice. To rescue Reed's job, he had to give up his most prized possession, his beloved lab. But for Reed? For Reed it was worth it. With a deep, albeit shaky, breath, Alan looked back up at Reed and attempted a smile. "You know, I think he calls me Mr. Brandt to irritate me. Guy knows that I have a doctorate! Of course, it's just in astrophysics, but still." He cleared his throat, looking away and trying not to seem too upset.

He shook his head, looking down at the ground between them. "Knowing Vaporatti, he'll demand the music be acoustic. Anything to give himself the edge." He sighed, then looked up, finally looking at Reed's face. "Reed, I'm gonna lose. I know that, Kiyaka knows that, Vaporatti definitely knows that. He's a vocals teacher. I knew when I challenged him that if I let him choose the battlefield, he'd pick something I don't stand a chance with." Alan raised his hands to Reed's chest, eyes on a stray thread on Reed's shirt that he absently picked at. "Just... just let me be sad before you come up with some cockamamie strategy that may or may not work, okay?"

Kiyaka shrugged, already yanking out several of her favorite bottle of whiskey. "I had authority until Mr. Vaporatti agreed. It's up to you guys now. Sorry, but this is out of my jurisdiction." She poured herself a glass, sitting at her desk. "I mean, technically the building is in Mr. Brandt's name, but he can give it away if he wants to. There's absolutely nothing I can do. Technically, I'm not even authorized to fire you. You're employed by the school board, I'm just your wrangler."
The scientist cut in, reaching up and setting his hands on Reed's cheeks, making him look at him. "Reed, stop. Yelling at her isn't going to help." He paused, swallowing the lump in his throat that made him want to cry, then continued. "You are my safe haven. Before you, I was afraid of the world, but now? Now, I can face the world, I can do anything, so long as you're beside me. Please, just stop." His thumbs stroked the musician's cheeks tenderly.

It wasn't much better than the yelling, bu tat least they were getting somewhere. "That sounds perfect," said Alan, leaning up for a short kiss before pulling away and lowering his hands. "Come on. I want to have as much time as I can in there before tomorrow." Holding Reed's hand, Alan tugged gently, stepping towards the door.

Kiyaka Mayazaki





Theme song

A half-naked man and a completely naked woman ran right out of the room as soon as the door opened, Kiyaka left laying still on her couch with one leg propped up over the arm of the couch and the other crossing at her ankle. She sighed, upset to be interrupted, but quickly cheered up at the sight of her dear friend. "Why, if it isn't the newly-wed Mr. Nikolai Court! Or is it still Byko? I can never remember." Standing, she stood back into her heels, then walked over and took Nikolai's arm. "You simply must tell me everything about the honeymoon. We haven't had time to dish since the wedding and you haven't told me a thing. I can only imagine you and Leon spent the whole time swimming naked. Or at least, I'd like to imagine Leon swimming naked~"
Swatting his arm lightly and playfully, she peered back at Reed. "Come on in, Mr. de Fevin. Shut the door behind you." Letting go of Nikolai, she moved to her desk and sat down. "What can I help you two with today?" asked Kiyaka, propping her feet up on a smaller table near her desk and clasping her hands over her belly.