Sorting

Date/Timing: 21 December 2005
Setting: Gottlieb house; Berlin, Germany
revised "French Vanilla"
.
Bastien helps Karla put away the groceries, then peeks into Manny's room.
„Hi,“ Manny croaks, sitting in bed with his back against the headboard.
„Hi! Karla wants to know if you'd like something to eat?“
„I'm not really hungry, but thank her for me.“
„You're /sure?“
„I'm sure.“
Bastien shuffles over, perches on the foot of the bed. „You're feeling better?“
„A bit.“ A crooked smile. „I can sit up without getting dizzy now.“
„That's cool.“ Bastien picks at the quilt.
Manny shivers, folds his wings around his shoulders.
„Can I get you a blanket?“
„Yes, please.“ Rubs his arms.
Bastien hurries to the linen cabinet, grabs an armful, rushes back, passes the thickest to Manny.
He tucks the quilt around his chest and under his arms. „Thank you.“ Sighs. „I just can't seem to get warm.“
„You're really pale,“ mumbles Bastien, climbing back onto the mattress, „like a ghost.“
„I'm always pale, Bunny.“
„Not like this.“
Manny's shrug turns into another shiver.
„Another blanket?“
„I'll be fine in a moment.“
Bastien traces the quilt's stitching with his finger. „Manny?“
„Hmm?“
„Why does Father hate you so much?“
Manny blinks at him. „Why do you think he hates me?“
„Because he's making you come back for having friends.“
„That's not why,“ sighs Manny.
„And he took away your mobile and won't let you talk to your boyfriend.“
„Bunny ... he won't give you a mobile or let you on the internet or stay over with friends, either.“ Takes a deep breath. „It's just the way Father is.“
Bastien chews his lip. „It seems worse for you, though.“
„He's more worried about me because of my wings. I could really be hurt if the wrong people found out about them.“
„Is your boyfriend a wrong person?“
Manny chews his lip. „I don't think so, but Father's not so sure.“
„Sorry to interrupt,“ says Dee, walking in, „but it's time to change your bandages.“
Manny heaves a sigh, digs his arms from under the blankets.
Dee unwinds the gauze.
Manny closes his eyes, raises his chin.
Bastien's stomach crawls into his throat.
The deep cut still oozes blood.
Dee swabs it with alcohol-soaked cotton
Tears creep from the corners of Manny's eyes; his wings jerk and twitch.
„Does it hurt?“ Bastien immediately claps his hands over his mouth.
„Yes. It stings,“ rasps Manny.
„You need ice cream! That'll make you feel better!“
„Sure, Bunny.“
Bastien sprints from the room—trying very hard to forget the blood on Manny's arm—to the kitchen. He pulls down the bowls, digs out the spoons and ice cream scoop, and gets the ice cream from the freezer. He heaps the bowls with as much creamy goodness as they can hold, then loads them on the tea tray and walks carefully back to Manny's room.
Dee looks up from putting his supplies away.
Manny tugs the quilt higher against his chest.
„French vanilla~! Your favourite!“
Manny smiles a little and scootches over to make room.
Dee ruffles Bastien's hair and leaves.
„Thank you,“ says Manny, accepting his bowl and spoon.
„You're welcome.“ Bastien tucks up against his side and digs in.
They eat quietly and, soon, all the ice cream is gone.
„Do you feel better now?“
„A little. The good food's making me sleepy, though.“ 
„Should I leave so you can nap?“
Manny thinks a moment. „Why don't you get us another serving and a movie we can watch together?“
Bastien lights up, grabs the empty bowls, and flails off to the sitting room for Harry Potter movies, then the kitchen. He fishes the ice cream back out and closes the freezer.
Karla's there with her arms crossed, giving him a Look.
„Hi, Karla.“
„Bunny, did you give all that ice cream to Manny?“
„I had some, too?“
„And you're coming back for more?“
„Manny asked for it?“
Karla huffs. „I'll scoop this time.“
Bastien tucks the movies under his arm, pouts.
„That doesn't work on me.“
Bastien pouts harder.
„Here you go.“ She hands him bowls less than half as full as before.
„Thanks,“ sighs Bastien.
„None of that attitude.“
„Yes, Karla.“ He retraces his steps to Manny, passes him the food, then loads /The Sorcerer's Stone into the DVD player and turns on the TV. He hops onto the mattress, sets the remote between them, and tucks into his ice cream.
They eat quietly.
„Hey, Manny, what Houses do you think we'd be Sorted into?“ asks Bastien when the Sorting scene starts.
Manny pauses the movie, declares, „Dietrich definitely belongs in Hufflepuff.“
„Yes! And Father's /definitely Slytherin.“
„Obviously.“
„Karla's Gryffindor, I think.“
„I think so, too.“
„What about me?“
„You're another Gryffindor. /Definitely.“
Bastien sits up straighter. „Thank you! I think you're a Gryffindor, too.“
Manny wrinkles his forehead. „I'm not so sure. I feel I might belong in Ravenclaw.“
„You /are really smart,“ concedes Bastien, „/but you're also really brave.“
„I don't feel particularly brave.“
„Manny, you went to a whole other /country for school. That's /super-brave.“
„It's really not. At least a third of Dietrich and Karla's classmates left Germany for school.“
„Karla and Dee didn't.“
„The programs they wanted were available close by; mine was—“ Manny swallows, squeezes his eyes closed.
Bastien heart twitches. „Manny?“ he squeaks. „Are you ever going to feel better? Are you going to kill yourself?“
Manny makes a choking noise.
Bastien rushes on. „I don't want you to die and leave me forever.“ He sniffles, bites down on a sob.
„I'm not leaving you,“ Hermann whispers as he pulls him close. „I made a mistake the other night and I'll never make it again. I'm here to stay. We'll help each other, alright?“
Bastien nods against Manny's chest as Manny folds his wings around the both like a warm cocoon.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Berlin (setting)
Category:Bastien
Category:Bastien's POV
Category:Bastien (ficlet)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Karla
Category:Karla (ficlet)
Category:Dietrich
Category:Dietrich (ficlet)
Category:Lars (mention)
Category:Edan (mention)
Category:Hermann has wings
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Celestial Mechanics
Category:CM: Eclipse
2005 12 21