Interlude Two

"Want Trev! Trev!" Didi's wails echoed through the large room in Io Base that Two had claimed as his own.

The room was a mix of orderliness and deliberate chaos, a statement of Two's newfound freedom from the lab.

He was used to having everything tidy and ordered, but now that he had a choice he experimented a little, with putting some of his things deliberately out of place.

The walls were adorned with various interesting items he had found throughout the vast, mostly empty facility. A queen-sized waterbed, meant for a married couple, took up a significant portion of the space.

Two stood in the middle of the room, his hands on his hips and a look of panic in his blue eyes. His blonde hair, which he had been growing out since leaving the lab, was unkempt from the stress of his current task.

Exhaustion and irritation weighed heavily on him; he had thought that taking care of a baby would be an easy way to prove himself to Rin, but it had turned out to be much harder than he had anticipated. At this point, he understood why it was called "babysitting" - because he was sorely tempted to just sit on the baby.

The door slammed open, and Three stormed in, his slanted black eyes flashing with annoyance. "What the hell is going on in here? The noise is driving me nuts!" he complained.

Without waiting for an answer, Three knelt down beside Didi and began to sing the old lullaby, "Hush, Little Baby." His pleasant voice took on an eerie tone, harmonizing and droning in a hypnotic manner that seemed to weave an invisible spell. As he sang, he subtly infused psychic suggestion into the melody, manipulating Didi's emotions and calming him down.

As the song progressed, even Two found himself momentarily drawn into the vivid images evoked by the lullaby – a mockingbird, a diamond ring, a looking glass – all symbols of comfort and security. He shook off the spell, realizing the subtle influence of Three's psychic powers at work.

A little envy crept in, but he quickly reassured himself that he was much stronger in telekinesis, a more demonstrable and, in his opinion, stronger power.

As Didi's sobs subsided, Three turned to Two and asked, "Why are you spending all your fucking time with the baby, anyway? That's not like you."

Two hesitated for a moment before answering, "Rin."

Three snorted, "Looks like he started your punishment early. But, what did the baby do to get stuck with you?"

Two rolled his eyes and replied, "It's a test."

Three raised an eyebrow, a little surprised at his friend's motivation. "You're really motivated, huh?"

With a suggestive grin, Two added, "If I please him, Rin gonna give me fucking lessons in how to use my powers and fucking lessons on how to use my powers."

Three shorted. "I didn't know you wanted either."

"I didn't also. Until…" Two began to speak, but words choked in his throat. He may be willing to admit his weakness to himself, but speaking out loud was a bit too much. "No matter. He will make me strong. And I have got a bit of a taste of how great sex feels when I really put my mind to it. Can't wait for more. I just have to pass this fucking test."

Three, a hint of jealousy in his expression, teased, "A test? Why couldn't you have gotten something easier, like streaking on Io's surface? You might have a better chance at that."

Asian boy paused, a note of nostalgia in his voice, "You know, I kind of miss spending time with you when you're not busy babysitting. You could show me the other thing you learned."

Two hesitated, hating to ask for help but more afraid of failing Rin. "You could stay... and help?" he asked tentatively.

Three raised an eyebrow. "Is that allowed?"

"Rin didn't forbid it," Two replied defensively.

Three smirked, "You know, there's no point in trying to hide me helping you from Rin. He's bound to find out. It's impossible to lie to either Rin or Fano."

"Of course not. But maybe asking for help is part of the task."

Three continued to smirk. "Rin sure knows how to challenge you."

Irritated, Two pressed, "Will you help me or not?"

Three pondered for a moment. "What's in it for me?"

"I'll owe you one," Two offered, gritting his teeth.

Three grinned mischievously. "One? No, for this, you're going to be my bitch."

Two hesitated for a moment, then finally agreed. "Fine, but only for an hour."

Three grinned, clearly enjoying having the upper hand for once. "Two hours for each hour I spend babysitting with you."

"One hour for each hour you help me, and that's my final offer," Two retorted, trying to maintain some semblance of control.

"Deal," Three said, his grin widening. "But I want you to serve me in the common areas, not just in our rooms."

Two groaned, realizing he was in no position to refuse. "Fine. But only if Four and Five aren't around."

"No promises," Three laughed, "but if they are, we can just continue our little 'experiments' together. It's not like we haven't all been involved before."

Two rolled his eyes, already regretting the deal he'd made. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. But only you get to fuck me. And as a bonus, I going to share the first lesson I got in sex ed powers. If you thought sex felt good before, this will blow your mind."