Chapter 24: Home

Glancing at Sara, I saw her blushing up a storm at her remark and decided not to comment on it lest she gets even more embarrassed; shaking my head, the two of us sat in silence for a few more minutes while waiting for Jean to arrive.

"Sara, Tut!" Said Jean with a smile as she walked down the path and approached the two before sitting on the same seat as them, forcing them to squish together.

"Couldn't sit across from us, Jean?" Asked Tut blandly as he glanced at Jean while practically smushed against the window to his left.

"Hehe, nope." Replied Jean with a smile, causing Tut to groan before she looked at Sara in confusion.

"Hmm, what's wrong, Sara?" Asked Jean curiously as she poked Sara's cheek, snapping her out of her daze and bringing her back to reality.

"N-Nothing, nothing's wrong; I'm fine. I was just thinking about something, that's all." Replied Sara with a light blush while shaking her head before smiling at Jean.

"Okay; anyways, how was the rest of your day Tut?" Asked Jean as she gave Sara a weird look before ignoring it and looking at Tut, who clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Tsk, you were right about that teacher; she's real bitchy, alright." Remarked Tut with a frown as he explained in detail what happened to Sara and Jean, omitting the part of him breaking the door handle.

"You skipped class? Mr. and Mrs. Kent are going to be angry." Replied Jean, slightly surprised though she understood where Tut was coming from.

"Eh, that's only if they find out. What they don't know won't hurt them." Said Tut with a smirk, causing Jean to sigh and shake her head.

For the rest of the bus ride home, Jean, Sara, and I just casually talked, mainly about school, but I also asked Jean if she'd be willing to join Pete, Gwen, and I at the boxing place; unfortunately, Jean refused, even after I tried coercing her. Though I wasn't surprised, she hardly has a destructive bone in her body; besides, she's always been relatively good-natured, similar to Dad in some ways.

___

___

"Welp, if you say so, Jean, but you're going to miss out on the opportunity to release all your frustration and stress." Remarked Tut as he, Sara, and Jean exited the bus at their stop.

"Yes, I'm good, Tut; besides, I already have a good way to vent my stress." Replied Jean with a nod as she walked down the street toward her house beside Tut while Sara followed right behind.

"Alright, since you're so persistent, I'll stop asking; what about you, Sara? Wish to join us?" Said Tut with a defeated sigh before turning around and glancing at Sara while walking backward.

"Eh, me? Hmm, nah, I think I'm good; I prefer spending my time writing." Remarked Sara with a thoughtful expression before shaking her head, causing Tut to nod as he turned back around.

"Besides, what's the point of learning how to box when you live only a few houses down?" Muttered Sara quietly with a smirk, causing Tut to shake his head, though he didn't comment.

"Seeya two later!" Said Tut with a slight smile as he watched Sara and Jean head toward their house while he continued walking.

"Bye, Tut! Seeya." Replied Jean and Sara, respectively, as they walked up to their porch and entered their house.

Seeing them enter their house, I walked across the street and headed to my house; entering inside, I announced my arrival, but surprisingly, no one responded.

'Well, Mom should still be at work, but Dad should be home; actually, I didn't see his car outside.' Thought Tut with a raised eyebrow as he looked around the house with his vision, only to spot James in the garage working on his truck.

Finding Dad tinkering with his old pick-up truck, I just sighed to myself before entering the garage.

"Yo, Dad, fixing that antique again?" Asked Tut as he closed the door behind him and approached the truck hoisted off its wheels with a floor jack.

"Hey, Tut; yeah, I was going to go somewhere, but the engine wouldn't start, so I've been under the hood for the past hour, yet I still haven't found what's wrong with her." Replied James with a deep frown as he rolled himself from underneath the truck, giving Tut a small smile.

"Both Mom and I have told you to get rid of that truck; it's, like, 100 years old. I'm surprised it's even lasted this long." Remarked Tut as he looked at James, who had just grunted before vanishing underneath the truck again.

"She was made in the '50s, so no, she's not 100 years old; she might not even be half of it yet. Also, it was my Father's first car; he passed her down to me, and I'll keep her on the road to the best of my abilities." Said James seriously, while Tut just nodded before approaching the truck's hood.

"Haa, well, if you're so adamant about keeping it, Dad, I can at least help search for the problem, though I am no mechanic." Said Tut as he used his X-ray vision and searched through the truck's engine, searching for anything out of place.

"Oh, I think I've found it; excuse me, Dad." Added Tut as he reached underneath and grabbed the axle before effortlessly lifting the truck.

"Ay, careful; she may be durable compared to your average car, but she might as well be a paper truck in your hands." Said James in slight worry while wincing at how Tut manhandled his beloved car.

Sticking my hand into the bottom of the truck, I fiddled around a little before retracting my hand, which was now covered in grease and oil.

"Try starting it now, Dad; I think I fixed it." Remarked Tut as he lowered the truck, prompting James to enter before he again lifted it into the air.

"No, she's not starting." Replied James with a frown as he turned the ignition; only the sound of the engine stalling was heard.

Frowning, I stuck my hand back into the truck once more, and while doing so, I heard Mom's car pull into the driveway, which was uncommon as she usually doesn't get home this early.

"Pharaoh! Pharaoh, you home!?" Said Hana loudly as she entered the house and took off her shoes before placing them by the door.

"Yeah, I'm helping Dad with his truck." Yelled Pharaoh, prompting Hana to enter the garage, freezing at the sight of Tut lifting the truck into the air.

"Haa, why are you lifting the truck into the air, Pharaoh?" Asked Hana with a sigh as she grabbed her head in exhaustion.

"I was helping Da- Ha, got it!" Replied Pharaoh, though all of a sudden, the engine properly started up with a deep rumble.

"Haha! That's what I'm talking about, Pharaoh!" Exclaimed James from the driver's seat with a large smile as he stroked the truck's steering wheel affectionately.

Gently setting the car back on the ground, I looked over at Mom and gave her a thumbs up with my dirty hand, causing her to shake her head.

"You boys are something else; anyway, Pharaoh, why don't you tell us about your first day at school." Remarked Hana with a slight chuckle as she entered the house, followed by Pharaoh and James right behind her.

"Eh, well, it was honestly a little weird, more weird than I had expected…" Replied Pharaoh as he started explaining about his first day to Hana and James, who kept interrupting him, causing it to take much longer.

___

___

"Yeah, so, about paying for Pete and I to attend boxing classes with Gwen?" Asked Tut with a slight smile as he sat on the couch beside Hana, feeling ecstatic that he was no longer confined to his room.

"Hmph, of course; I can't allow such an intelligent and hard-working boy to be bullied by a bunch of stupid children. If boxing classes will help him defend himself, then I'll gladly pay." Stated Hana with a huff of annoyance as she grabbed her flip-phone and started calling the Parker residence.

'Eh, I knew it was going to be easy, but that was a little too easy; Pete is definitely Mom's favorite.' Thought Pharaoh with a raised eyebrow as he watched Mom walk away while speaking with May.

"May, there is something we need to talk about." Said Hana seriously.

Ignoring Mom, I shrugged my shoulders and watched some football with Dad, who didn't really care about what happened in school; though I couldn't blame him, I pretty much felt the same way.

"I'm surprised you didn't say anything about the pedophile dude, Dad." Asked Pharaoh as he glanced at James, who wryly smiled.

"I don't have much room to talk on that matter; my Dad and Mom married when they were 24 and 15, respectively, though that was back in the 40s, around the end of World War 2, thanks to Captain America's sacrifice." Replied James awkwardly as he looked at Tut, who seemed surprised.

'Actually, back then, it probably wasn't that weird; different times, I suppose.' Thought Tut as he quickly calmed down before suddenly smirking.

"Heh, is that why you like Mom, Dad? You're 45, and she's 33. She was born when you were the same age as me." Remarked Tut with a slight grin as he looked at James, who responded by slapping the back of his head.

"For the record, boy, she came after me." Stated James with a groan as he glared at Tut, who continued smirking.

"Ho, I didn't know you had such charm, Dad; to think you were pulling a 20-year-old woman at the age of 32." Said Tut with an impressed smile, prompting James to wrap his arm around Tut while grinning.

"Let me tell a little something, Tut; back in the day, I was quite the man before I met your Mother. One time, I had even done it with four women at once." Declared James as he started telling Tut about his adventures during his younger days.

___

___

Ho, seems y'all have been underestimating James; he was HIM back in the day!