First Day of the Rest of Your Life (Boys and Moreaus)

[Matthew Moreau]

"I won't force you to use your wand, but you'll already be behind when you start school," Matthew said. "The more comfortable you are with the wand, the easier your classes will be." He tended to put on an easy-going, naive facade, but Matthew did have some intelligence and such hidden beneath his shallow shell.

[Andy Moreau]

"Maybe like tomorrow?" Andy asked. He felt somewhat scolded, but the other option was opening the box and getting turned on for no real reason. No part of him wanted to ask questions, but he did wonder if he'd ever be able to use his wand, or if it was normal to have the kind of reaction he was having.

The sound of the shower running stopped abruptly and Andy looked over his shoulder in the direction of the bathroom. "I should go help him." He left the room and tucked the box under his arm as he headed for the little pile of clothes Rhys had brought out.

"I'm gonna help Tam," he said, and grabbed a few things.

[Matthew Moreau]

Matthew peered out of the kitchen in time to see Andy disappear into the bathroom, then raised his eyebrows at Rhys. "I think he may be a tad afraid of using his wand," he guessed. "Maybe because of the accidents thing, you think?" He was glad he'd had no delays in getting his own wand and heading off to school.

[Rhys Moreau]

Rhys watched the closed bathroom door, curious about the boy's reaction. "Maybe, he seemed a little...I dunno, I suppose flustered is a good way of putting it," he said, then turned his attention back to what he had been doing: organizing the low coffee table. It was littered with a cup here or there, papers, books, electronics, the signs of their daily life. He lifted the folder Damien had left behind, and tucked it away in his computer desk for them to look through later.

[Andy Moreau]

The bathroom door opened momentarily and Tam came out, wearing a t-shirt that hung past his knees like a nightgown. Andy said my clothes are being washed with magic! Can I see?

In the bathroom, Andy was hoping his wand could stand up to water. It was wood, and wood got swollen and warped, but it was also magic. He stripped and stepped into the shower, turning on the water without checking the temperature. It was already warm from Tam's shower, so there was only a moment's cold. He reached out and grabbed his wand firmly.

[Matthew Moreau]

Matthew couldn't help but grin at the boy's appearance, but if he'd been in any of his or Rhys' current clothes the missmatch probably would have been even worse. "Yeah, in the kitchen," he said. It was good that he'd introduced Rhys to magic, since he at least kind of understood how such small things like washing clothes could be so interesting. He turned his gaze toward Rhys. "I think clothes will have to be a priority. I mean, unless Tam here enjoys being swallowed by a cotton/polyester blend."

[Andy Moreau]

What's that mean, Tam asked, not even bothering to repeat what matthew had said. I like this shirt, he guessed. When I'm in my jeans I can't do this! He wiggled his hips enthusiastically, producing a soft sound from somewhere beneath his nightwear. Isn't that cool?

In the shower, things were approaching a level of pleasure that Andy wasn't sure he'd ever had before. He could feel a loss of control coming, a release of things that had built up to uncomfortable levels. Unfortunately for him, the magic found release first. There was a loud bang! and the door shook on its hinges. The shower curtain was tattered bits, some still hanging, others floating lazily through the air, burning up as they went. And the sink had exploded.

"Sh~ sh~ sh~…" He turned off the shower and dropped his wand at his feet as he reached for a towel, in complete agony and certain they'd be kicked out.

[Matthew Moreau]

Matthew's easy expression changed in an instant and in seconds he was getting the door open, lock or no. He muttered a swear under his breath and pulled out his wand to try to get some kind of control over the madness. "Keep Tam back," he barked at Rhys without looking back. He took care of the leftover flames first before tackling the sink. For now, he ignored the panicked teen.

[Rhys Moreau]

Even as he tried to look into the small bathroom to see what was happening, Rhys put a restraining hand on Tam's shoulder. "What's happened?" he asked, barely sparing a thought to Matthew's shift in demeanor. "Is Andy okay?" He wanted to go forward and help, but Matthew was the one with the magic, and from what little he could see through the doorway and around his husband's frame, magic was needed.

[Andy Moreau]

No, Andy wasn't okay. He was terrified, and nothing in reach of his senses was helping. He'd just exploded someone's bathroom while trying to wank, he was bent over a towel that didn't want to stay on his hips but was perfectly happy hanging over something he wanted to hide, and a very large wizard was yelling. Not to mention witnesses galore.

Andy's hurt? ANDY ARE YOU HURT?

"No, I'm fine, Tam!" Andy choked.

[Matthew Moreau]

It only took a couple of minutes for Matthew to get everything under control, though the bathroom still looked like a disaster. He rubbed at his eyes with one hand while the other put his wand back into his pocket. "What happened?" he asked, only then looking at Andy. "Why did you have your wand out?" The boy had to have had his wand out; there was no other way such a thing could have happened.

[Andy Moreau]

Andy's eyes were wide when he glanced up, but he looked down quickly. "I was... just..." He held the towel closed when he couldn't get it to stay any other way and stood dripping, shoulders hunched forward. "I just wanted to hold it..." Would it be ruined? Had he hurt it getting it wet? He glanced down and saw it lying beside the drain.

[Matthew Moreau]

For the first time since Matthew entered the room, he took a look at his new ward. His eyebrows raised all over again at what he saw. "What were you doing?" he asked. His eyes flickered toward the others, then he sighed and leaned back against the door frame. From the living room, he heard Rhys gently pulling Tam away to distract the younger boy with the self-washing clothes.

He slid his hands into his pockets and lowered his voice. "You were in the shower with your wand with no formal training. Tell me the truth, so I can help you make sure an accident like this doesn't happen again." Yes, he was angry, but the more realistic side of him that had been nurtured by Rhys for their entire relationship kept him mostly under control. Andy was a teenager who hadn't been taught how to control magic. Matthew remembered his own high emotions as a teen, and he could only imagine what might have happened had he never been in school.

[Andy Moreau]

"I..." Andy tried to think of a lie, but he was pretty sure that Matthew already knew what had happened. "It just... when I touch my wand..." There was no way to make that sound right. He was already huddled over, and his face reddened uncomfortably. "It just... it feels good to hold it, so I wanted to hold it. Are you gonna kick me out?" If they'd had spare clothes at the shelter that morning, they'd still have them that night.

[Matthew Moreau]

Matthew took a deep breath that he let out in a swift whoosh. "I'm not going to kick you out," he said. "I get it, kind of. When you first get your wand, it's one of the most amazing feelings in the world. But most people get them at age eleven, not in the middle of puberty. Wands channel magic, and before you have any training magic tends to react to emotion. Mix the two together and...well..." he gestured around them. "Hand me your wand and finish up your shower. Try to keep more water off the floor, please." He could clean things up once Andy was clean and dressed.