Vengeance University

"Boys! Come here! Your schedules are here!" Zacky Baker, aka Zacky Vengeance, yelled up the stairs of his massive house to his two younger, twin brothers.

Said boys came down the stairs, one bounding down them, and the other moving at a more sedated pace, both coming to a stop before their big brother.

"Yay! I'm so glad they're here!" the elder of the two, Andru, or just Dru, said, bouncing where he stood.

Zacky handed the boy his schedule, then turned to the younger of the two, who simply took the paper from him and walked to the living room, where several of Zacky's friends were playing video games.

Sitting on the couch next to M. Shadows, or Matt, the younger twin, Alexi, opened his schedule.

Matt watched as Dru came bounding into the room and ripped into his schedule, while Alexi simply opened his along the seam.

"So, what classes do you guys have?" Johnny Christ, or just Johnny, asked, turning to the two boys.

"I have Murder first thing with Party." Dru said happily, smiling over at the currently red headed man, who smiled back.

"What about you Alexi?"

"I have math with Purdy boy." Alexi said, trying to make a joke, and causing everyone to laugh.

"Well, keep going. What classes do you guys have after those?"

"I have Murder, History, Spellcasting, Chorus, Manipulation, then Classical on Mondays." Dru said happily, grinning over at Alexi, who, like his usual self, sat stoically with an unreadable face.

"I have Math, Weaponry, English, Mind and Power Control, Bands, then Latin on Mondays."

"I have those classes on Tuesdays!" Dru shouted, giggling.

"Will you calm down, you hyperactive child?" Alexi said, staring at his older twin, who was always hyper.

"No, I will not! Zee, he's trying to tell me what to do again!" Dru whined to Zacky, who shook his head.

"Alexi, we all know his hyperactivity drives you sane, but leave him alone." Zacky said, going to sit with his mates, one of which was sitting in the floor, playing video games.

"He is more than just driving me sane, he's making me re-think joining the dueling team."

Dru quickly sat back down and shut up, and the others turned to stare at Alexi, who sat staring across the room to the picture of their parents.

They all knew a threat like that went fully heeded, for Alexi was lethal to human and demon alike when he dueled.

"Alexi, he was just playing. He's happy he got his class list. You should be too." Zacky said, watching his baby brother.

"His play creates annoyance in me, and then that tiny voice in the back of my head goes to chanting 'Kill him, stab him, feed him his own eyes'."

At this point, everyone was a little frightened by Alexi.

Said boy stood from his seat and walked away, out the back door as the others simply watched.

"Well, guys, I hate to be the bearer of bad news..."

"You love being the bearer of bad news, baby." Andy Sixx, one of Zacky's three mates, said, smiling up at his mate.

"Hush, Dru. Anyway, like I was saying, we have a meeting first thing the first day of school. We're holding an assembly in the auditorium, like always, but this year, each of you have to stand up and let yourselves be recognized, and show a bit of your power. Just a bit. We don't need Johnny burning down the auditorium."

"Again." came Dru, the twin's, voice, giggling.

"It was one time! Let it go! And you stop your giggling!" Johnny said, pointing a finger at Dru.

Dru simply giggled more and stretched out over the arms of the chair he sat in.

Jimmy got up and walked over to the French doors that lead to the spacious back yard, watching as Alexi allowed his power to well up around him, lifting him with ease off the ground.

“He looks like the dark angel he truly is.” Gerard said softly as he walked over and watched Alexi.

“Do you think I went wrong somewhere with him? The reason he’s so withdrawn?” Zacky asked softly after Dru grew bored and left the room in favor of his own room.

“Zacky, you did great with them. You did as good as you possibly could with them, seeing as how you had to take them in at such a young age.” Jacoby said softly, wrapping his arms around Zacky as everyone gathered around the open doors to watch Alexi.

“I know, I just feel like I could have done more or done better by him.”

Zacky was cut off by Dru all of a sudden jumping off the balcony two floors above, catching Alexi mid-fall and slamming them both into the ground.

Dru screamed out in pain as two of his ribs shattered on impact, while Alexi, who was also in pain from having just gotten his spine broken, simply laid there, eyes closed, using his power to heal as much of his wounds as possible, focusing on the worst ones.

“GODDAMNIT ANDRU! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT A FUCKING NINJA?!” Zacky screamed as he and the others raced to the two injured boys.

“Sorry, Zacky. I just got annoyed with him being so broody.” Dru answered, hand over his shattered ribs, and biting his lip in pain.

“Johnny? Can you?” Zacky motioned to Dru, and Johnny simply nodded and walked over, using his own, much more advanced power, to heal Dru’s ribs and the internal bleeding that was just starting to turn massive.

Dru looked over at his twin after he was healed, and said “Lex? Lex, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Get the fuck away from me, you incompetent fool.” Alexi ground out through tightly clenched teeth.

Dru whined but backed away and into Matt’s arms, who held the smaller boy and tried to comfort him.

“Lex, you okay?” Gerard asked, kneeling down next to the tiny boy.

“That idiot broke my fucking spine. DO I LOOK OKAY TO YOU?!” Alexi screamed out at Gerard, letting his rage take over and fuel his power.

Black and purple flames shot up around the injured boy and engulfed him, wrapping him in a healing cocoon of magic, and the others had to simply stand around watching.

Soon enough, the flames died out, but Alexi still wasn’t moving to get up.

“I need help, please.” Alexi said, looking completely exhausted.

“What’s wrong, Lex?” Jimmy asked, sitting on his bum next to Alexi.

“I can’t heal my spine. Too tired.”

Jimmy nodded and held Alexi’s hand in his own, before grabbing Gerard’s hand as well.

The two of them passed their power and energy to Alexi, healing his spine and any other injuries the tiny boy may have missed.

“Okay now?” Jimmy asked softly.

Alexi merely nodded before his head fell to the side and he was asleep.

“I got him.” Gerard said, gently picking Alexi up off the ground.

“Come on guys. Let’s get these two back inside.” Zacky said, watching as his little brothers were both carried inside by their mates.

The others followed Zacky inside, and watched as the two boys were placed in their beds and left to rest.

Zacky lead the group to a door just down the hall from the twins’ room and went inside, pulling open a curtain that revealed a one way mirror looking into the room.

“How long has this been here, Zacky?” Jimmy asked, staring into the room where his mate lay asleep.

“Since they came to live with me. I got worried when Alexi started to show the effects of having too much energy, so I had this installed so I could monitor him. He tries to burn off as much of that energy as possible, but it’s never enough. He still ends up encased in flames every night and sending out an aura that could wake the dead and kill the living.”

“What can we do to help him? You know that much energy combined with his high power level could kill him.” Matt said, watching as Alexi tossed around before ending up sideways on his bed, his head and arms hanging off the side.

“We have to find some way to siphon off that energy before he starts school. I can’t have him blowing up my university because someone pissed him off like Dru does on a routine basis.”

“What about a spell? I remember one from my apprenticeship that would work.” Jimmy said, laughing softly when Alexi got tangled in the blankets and fell into a heap on the floor.

“It wouldn’t kill him, would it?”

“Not at all. If anything, it would give room for his power and strength to grow with all that energy finally making more room. As it stands, he can’t progress with his power and strength because they’re in a struggle with his energy. His energy level is taking up so much room, his power and strength are constantly fighting to expand. Take away some of the energy, the other two progress, and he becomes perfectly even. Level energy, power, and strength. Hell, maybe we could even get him to train with Dru so he can burn off some of Dru’s abundant physical energy.” Brian said, watching as Dru got up out of his bed and walked over, picking Alexi up out of the floor and putting him back to bed, kissing his little brother’s forehead.

“They still take care of each other, even though they don’t realize it.” Zacky said suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Billie asked, looking from the boys in the bedroom to Zacky.

“Dru’s asleep. He never woke up. He felt Alexi in pain from falling out of the bed and got up, put Alexi back to bed, gave him a kiss to ease the pain, and then put himself back to bed. He does this every night. Alexi always ends up falling out of bed, and Dru is always picking him up and putting him to bed.”

“Wow. They grew so far apart physically, but emotionally, they’re still as close as they were in the womb.”

“Yeah. It amazes me sometimes. Just watching them together like that.”

Zacky’s mates wrapped the man up in a hug as the group continued to watch the two boys in the room, only to be startled out of their peace when Alexi flung his arm out and sent a chair flying at the mirror, cracking it.

“Bulletproof?” Johnny asked, looking over at Zacky.

“Can’t afford anything less with him around. He breaks shit too easily.”

The guys shared a laugh and left the room, letting the twins sleep without the feeling of eyes on them.

“You know, you could just buy him a box of condoms and tell him to use them responsibly.” Johnny said, pointing out that they didn’t need a spell that could possibly hurt Alexi.

“Just what, exactly, are you trying to say Johnny?” Jimmy asked, stopping dead in the middle of the hall to stare at the much shorter man.

“I’m just saying that there is more than one way for that kid to burn off all that energy.”

“Doing what?!” Jimmy asked, half shouting. “Having random affairs with nameless kids around the school?!”

“Yes.” Johnny said bluntly.

Zacky and the others simply stared at Johnny like he’d gone insane.

“Don’t give me those looks, you know it would work better than any spell! For all we know, spells might not work on him. They may just rebound and sap the energy out of someone walking by with barely any power at all and kill them. Him having sex with someone would drain that energy from him, and leave him with a low, stable energy level and not risk him blowing the damn school apart like a nuclear bomb went off.”

The others were quiet but they were thinking it over.

“Johnny’s right, Jimmy. Random affairs may be the best way for him to burn that energy off. Who knows, maybe he’ll be so scared of having sex with anyone he doesn’t know he’ll come to you three.” Andy said, pointing at Jimmy, Billie, and Gerard.

“I doubt he’ll be scared of anyone. He could kill them with a glance.” Billie said with a ‘duh’ tone of voice.

“Billie’s got a point.” Fun Ghoul, or Frankie, said.

“And you’re all idiots.” came a voice from the other end of the hallway.

They turned to see Dru standing in the hallway, still wincing a bit from the still healing ribs, but coming toward them.

“What do you mean, we’re idiots?”

Dru shook his head as he stopped then looked at Zacky.

“You remember when his powers stabilized last summer for two weeks?”

Zacky and the others nodded.

“Remember that cute blonde boy from England that came and stayed with his parents for three weeks?”

Again, another nod.

“Come on….put two and two together….” Dru said, trying to make them do the math in their heads.

It still didn’t click.

Dru growled lightly and nearly shouted “They were fucking!”

The older men were all shocked, and stared at Dru like he’d lost his head.

“What the hell are you talking about? They barely left the house, and I would’ve known if they were fucking under my own roof.” Zacky said.

“For the love of hell, Zacky, the kid’s a spellcaster! He could’ve cast a fucking spell to make you think you saw or heard him walking around here or doing something while he was really out fucking that kid.” Jacoby said, giving his mate a duh look.

“I am not talking about my baby brother having sex, okay?! I’m not doing it! And don’t you even think it’s okay to follow his example, Andru! I don’t need either of you getting knocked up before you find your mates!” Zacky shouted, pointing a finger at Dru.

Dru simply giggled before saying “Too late.” and running off to his bedroom, giggling like mad.

“I swear to hell those kids are going to either kill me or drive me sane.” Zacky said, shaking his head.

“They’re teenage boys, Zacky. They’re going to go against you now and then. Dru, I expected to do it. Alexi, not so much. But, like I said, they’re teenage boys.” Johnny said, being the voice of reason.

“You’re okay with your mate running around having sex with people who aren’t his mates?” Zacky asked, giving Johnny, Matt, and Brian an ‘are you serious’ look.

“I don’t care as long as he’s safe. He turns up pregnant by someone other than the three of us, I might get pissed, but like I said, as long as he’s using condoms and don’t come home pregnant, I’m fine with it until we’re mated.”

Zacky looked over at Jimmy, Billie, and Gerard and said “How do you guys feel about Alexi doing that?”

They shared a look then turned back to Zacky and Jimmy said “Same as them, pretty much. I’m just worried about the other guy. Like Billie said earlier, Alexi could kill the guy with a look if he wanted. Kid could be like a fuckin’ praying mantis or some shit.”

Jimmy’s comment was met with a laugh from the others and they finally continued back downstairs, where they had been earlier.