Rebellion of December - 2. December

August groaned when the persistent knocking on the door woke him up. He rolled out of bed and padded over to the door, opening it. There stood September, soaked to the bone, with his hand on the shoulder of a boy with black hair and pale blue eyes. This must have been the boy November brought. He was only about fourteen.

 

"I thought November might like to know he got here safe." September spoke with a faint smile, squeezing the boy's shoulder. "Felix, this is August," he said to him, removing his hand and stepping back.

 

Felix seemed very timid and hesitant, his eyes wide and fearful. "H-hello," he said, stuttering quite noticeably. "Where's November?"

 

"He's still aslee--" August couldn't finish the statement before there was a grunt behind him. He turned and shook his head, seeing his lover struggling to sit up. "Nate. . . ." he murmured, walking over and helping him. "You should rest."

 

"Later," November insisted, eyes looking over Felix. A faint smile touched his lips, making the rugged man look gentle. "I'm glad you made it, kid. December will be glad to see you."

 

The boy nodded slightly, taking a tentative step forward. "Are you alright?" He asked with worry in his voice. He came across the room slowly, until he stood in front of November. "You got hurt. . . ."

 

"He'll be fine," August promised, looking at his lover. "He's gone through much worse."

 

"That he has," September commented, leaning in the doorway. He ran a hand through his ginger hair and sighed. "Come on, we need to get you settled in. Everyone will be gathering for breakfast soon. We should leave these two in peace."

 

Felix bit his lip as he looked back at November. He quickly hugged him before turning and following September. August watched them go and sighed softly to himself. "Are you sure he's the one?" He asked quietly. "I'm not so sure December is going to like dealing with another kid."

 

"Damien," November put emphasis on his real name, "Can suck it." He cracked a smile and August couldn't help but smile back, despite the unease he felt. November went on, "I'm quite certain he's the one. He's not even that young. He's got a lot of potential. I mean, he did make it on his own for a good portion of the trip here." He pulled August into his lap, kissing his cheek. "Damien is just an old grouch, okay? He'll get over it if he has any protests."

 

August sighed and gave in, wrapping his arms around his lover's neck. "Fine, I just don't want to see you two going at it again. The last time, when you argued over January, it was pretty destructive."

 

"Just because he likes throwing childish fits every time he doesn't get his way, doesn't mean he can't come to his senses, Augustus. Stop worrying so much. You'll make yourself grow old before I do." November started to shower tiny kisses up and down August's neck, making his eyes flutter shut as pleasure took his thoughts and words away. Before they'd gone to bed, August had made November take off his clothes and change into dry sweat pants. He himself had taken off his shirt before joining him.

 

Smoothly, November laid him down on the bed, continuing to kiss his way down over the man's chest and stomach. He brushed his lips over his barely defined abs, pressing a tender kiss on each of the muscles. "Nate. . ." August moaned faintly, "Not now. . . don't get me all worked up. . . please. . . ."

 

November chuckled and kissed his way back up until their lips met and he smiled again. "Later then," he promised. "I'll make sure we catch up." He played absently with August's hair a moment, before the call that breakfast was ready made them both jump. With a reluctant sigh, November stood and started to get dressed. He was wounded the night before, but already he was starting to move and act as if nothing was wrong.

 

"Let me have a look," August murmured, walking over to him and starting to remove the bandage. Surely enough, the deep cut was barely there anymore. "Looks like it's getting faster. . ." he murmured, both worried and relieved at the same time. He was glad that November was healing quickly, but also worried. This meant that certain things were accelerating that could become dangerous later.

 

"I'm serious, August, stop worrying so much." November clucked his tongue, "I've still got a long way to go before I end up anywhere near as bad as Damien."

 

"I know but. . ." August looked down, "I don't want you to end up miserable, alright? I certainly don't want this to start affecting your mind or your temper."

 

"It's okay. . . ." November kissed him, trying to soothe him. "Just focus on the present. We have a new member to welcome into our little family." And with that, he took August's hand and led him out into the large kitchen where there was a table with twelve chairs around it. The table was a bit too small for their group, but it was the best they had.

 

Everyone had gathered, sitting in their respective places; from the youngest at one end of the table, to the eldest at the other. Each person had a month assigned to them. January was the youngest, with long blonde hair and strangely purple eyes. Next was their newest, Felix, also February. After that, of course, was March, the mischievous brown-haired devil. Then there was April, a ginger with vibrant green eyes and a knack for stealth. May was quiet, mostly a tomboy with a pixie cut and forest green eyes. June was one of the more motherly of the girls, with short, light brown hair and golden eyes with flecks of green.

 

July was absent, as usual. The dark-haired brunette usually had his sky blue eyes stuck in a book or reading through the database. August came next, and he hated that he couldn't sit beside November. September sat next to him, and next October, with black hair and yellow eyes that had flecks of orange in them. November sat adjacent to the head of the table, casting a glance to his lover and grimacing; December wasn't there.

 

As usual, he was late. No one was allowed to eat until their leader sat with them, but December was, once again, taking his sweet time. Finally, he could be heard coming down the hall. He had a distinct limp when he walked, making it easy to tell that it was him. It was almost like he had a peg leg, or something. He came into the room and everyone quieted. He was rather frightening, if you weren't prepared for his appearance.

 

His hair was snow white, and his eyes were so light and icy, it looked almost like he didn't have irises. He was even taller and broader than November, which was an accomplishment; although the way he hunched over made him look smaller. He was very muscular, even though he’d been deteriorating over the past few months, and he had several scars all over his body.

 

December sat at the table, not looking at anyone. He poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip, and only then did he look to those sitting at the table. His eyes immediately fell on Felix, "Who's that?"

 

"That's February," November said with finality, clearing his throat.

 

"February is dead."

 

"Yes, so this is the new February," November pressed, "You asked me to go out and fetch him, so I did. His name is Felix."

 

"I thought you said he was February."

 

"Oh for the sake of the gods, Damien!" November hissed, "Do you want our group to be whole again or not?!"

 

Everyone at the table was deathly silent, as December stared intently at Felix. It felt like an eternity passed, especially for the terrified boy who had those icy eyes boring into him and freezing his very soul. Finally, their leader exhaled, lowering his eyes to his plate, "Very well."

 

It was like everyone in the room had been holding their breath and let it out all at once. December usually brought a lot of tension. No one fully blamed him. He was being affected by nanobots that were slowly changing his body and his mind. The side effects were awful. Without another word, everyone began to eat. Slowly, the tension eased off, and light conversation began. August felt relieved that December and November hadn't ended up in another fight, like last time.