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It had started as curiosity, testing the waters really. Meallan cared very deeply for Evan, nothing would shake that, but he'd also noticed with interest the younger man's focus on Laedo. It threw him at first, but after a little thought he realised it wasn't terribly surprising; Laedo was attractive, no question there, and Meallan himself had made a few playful passes at the askan (old habits died hard really). But they were the kind that could have easily gone further if not for a dedication to someone else, and so the idea that Evan might be interested was... Something that opened a whole new set of previously unconsidered ideas for him.

So they'd talked about it, and talked about Laedo, and that had led to other activities that distracted the both of them, and the next morning Meallan had suggested an idea to Evan that he could see sparked an interest in the other man's eyes.

From there they'd both starting making more comments to Laedo, and while Meallan knew his own overt invitations tended to be overlooked as a continuation of the same playful advances he'd made before, Evan's overtures were both incredibly arousing to watch as a third party for a change and sincere enough that he could see what he hoped was consideration in Laedo's gaze. They'd both teased as much as they could, everything short of outright asking him, and then Meallan had an idea.

Which led to the sparring session he and Laedo enjoyed now, good exercise for them both and he knew Evan was rather enjoying the show too. The arm the askan had granted him caught the sun as Laedo's own skin did as they ducked and clashed against each other, and as they finished Meallan's grin was wide and pleased even as his heart raced in his chest and he heaved for breath.

"I almost had you that time," he teased, flashing a wider smile as Evan joined them both. "But since we're all here... how do you feel about unwinding in the hotspring for a time? It would help to relax everything after that workout."

His time with the Audentes had changed the course of Evan's life. He imagined he was amongst a remarkable majority of ex-recruits in that regard, and in retrospect it was unsurprising, but at first returning home had been a shocking readjustment. He had withdrawn from the semester that he had been halfway through, not because he could not recall the information his classes had been imparting -- that was a state that could be fixed, after all -- but because the very structure of school had thrown him. He had left campus, he had gone home and told his parents what had happened: they had been furious and fascinated and shocked and relieved in turn, and Evan could sympathize. In the end he'd spend six months at home.

It had been a boon. Dropping out had meant reapplying, and reapplying had made Evan shrug and send applications to other universities, pie-in-the-sky places he hadn't considered before. It'd been his time with ALASTAIR that he ultimately credited, therefore, his acceptance to one of the schools tied for the top of the pile in comp sci undergraduate programs.

From there on out, it'd been much harder to miss his time away from home, as the program was ferociously exacting, even for his standards. Ultimately the Audentes never faded from his mind entirely, but they settled squarely into past, not present, and his pangs for his friends there faded as he slowly accepted the unlikelihood of ever seeing any of them again.

By the beginning of his second year at the new university, he had settled back into the realities of life on Earth entirely. Student housing, cafeterias, lectures, labs and all extra hours spent studying were routines that became easy once more (although perhaps he got a little more involved in extracurriculars than he otherwise would have). The big brick student residence halls, with the towers on the corners, had been built a hundred years ago and renovated in the eighties. It had been cutting-edge then, with whiteboards and two fireplaces in each common area, and brown carpet all in the hallways. The radiators worked but they made noise in the winter, the beds were narrow, the desks in the bedrooms tall and solid and terribly dated. It became home to Evan with ease, even having to put up with a roommate again. Campus was expansive and riddled with enough to keep him occupied all hours of the day, even the rare few he didn't spend on schoolwork.

Life carried on.

Three's company

Setting the Stage