Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 18:29:48 +0800
From: YoDawgs Bl.net <yodawgs.blnet@gmail.com>
Subject: Search for Conscience, Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen - The Aftermath.

As usual, there won't be any disclaimers.

Hope you enjoy the story. Don't hesitate to email. I like my work being
commented on. Gives me a sense of purpose. Cheers!

"What's up? Dog?" Sean echoed, intrigued.

"It's a slang used by the Afro-American people back in the states. We
return there every year to Los Angeles, and there are plenty of
stereotypical people matching that category in the area where we stay."
Sebastian's voice, identical to Seth's, was audible.

There was a loud "Pof!" of skin against cloth, and Sebastian groaned, his
face coming into view, with eyes closed, mouth slightly open and a frown of
pain on his forehead, as he collapsed onto the bed, clutching his stomach,
gasping for air. He was wearing a grey coloured jacket, with the same black
shirt visible from the collar of the pullover jacket. As he curled up in
pain, Cody noticed that he was wearing blue "Levi's" jeans. Obviously, Seth
was dressed in the same manner.

"Seth! What did I say about torturing your brother like that?" The feminine
voice demanded.

"Sorry, mom. He was being a smart-A... smarty-pants again. What a boffin."
Seth added, cackling.

"Seth, he's got leukemia. I think that's more than enough pain for him
without the pain you're adding." The voice continued. Seth's face fell.

"Oww, that hurt, Seth. That really hurt." Sebastian said huskily, head
buried in the sheets.

Seth nuzzled his face into his twin's back.

"Sorry, Basti." he muttered.

"'S alright." Sebastian said in a muffled voice, nursing his stomach.

"Here, let me get that for you." Seth said, scooting over to the side of
the bed and jamming his hand under Sebastian's shirt, stroking his
abdomen. "Cold!" howled Sebastian squirming slightly. Both of them looked
over at Sean and Cody, who had managed to wriggle out of his constricted
space.

"Sean...what happened?" Sebastian asked.

"I fell asleep in the bath." Sean said, matter-of-factly. Seth frowned at
the reply, and started to open his mouth, but was promptly nudged into
silence by Sebastian.

"Oh, right." He improvised. "So... what's new?"

"Well, nothing much, except that Cody he's been accepted into the family,
and, as you know, he's going to school with us on Monday!" Sean said in one
whole breath, before pausing to regain his composure, placing a hand on his
heaving chest. The look of happiness on his face was extremely evident,
though.

The look on the twins' faces was ecstatic.

"Wow, cool!" Sebastian exclaimed, while Seth whooped with delight, punching
Cody on the shoulder.

"So, what class are you in?" Sebastian asked.

"Not sure, really. I haven't even been in the school. We forgot to go
yesterday, didn't we? After lunch." Cody replied. Both of the twins screwed
up their faces and went glassy-eyed as they tried to recall the happenings
of yesterday. Cody could hear John and Regina maintaining somewhat a
long-winded conversation with the twins' parents. He didn't stare at them,
because it was rude, but he noticed that both parents had the same blonde
hair of the twins. Although a tad faded with age.

Both Seth and Sebastian possessed the thin nose of their father, the
angular cheeks of their mother, and a combination of both their chins. The
mother was relatively overweight, but Cody's first impression of her was
that she bore a distinctive resemblance to a "Mother Hen" type of person,
who cared very much for her children, but chided them in such a way that it
was both hilarious and serious at the same time. The father was a
distinguished looking American man, and was incredibly tall. Cody estimated
his height to be approximately six foot five to six foot six. He had grey
eyes, while the mother had brown eyes, attributing to their eye colour.

The mother was dressed in a blue pullover jacket, along with black jeans,
while the father was dressed in a full business suit. Cody wondered why the
man was dressed so neatly. Perhaps he worked on a Sunday, no matter how
unlikely that proposition seemed.

Seth giggled.

"You better get some clothes on, man." He said to Sean "And Cody, you're
barefooted." He pointed at Cody's bare feet.

"Yeah, we were in a bit of hurry, actually." Cody retorted, rolling his
eyes at Seth.

"Ya think?" Seth replied, chortling.

Cody spotted a plastic bag in Regina's hands.

"I think your mom has brought clothes for you, Sean. I'm not sure whether
she's remembered to bring shoes, though." He commented.

"It's our mom, Cody." Sean said softly, breathing as gently as he
could. "Don't forget that we're family now." He continued.

"Sorry. Our mom." He repeated after Sean.

"Well, aren't both of you just sweet?" Seth said evilly, smile cracking his
lips.

"Ooh, just you wait till I've recovered. When I'm done with you, I'm going
to make sure that you dig a hole in the ground and stuff your head in
whenever the word "Tickle" is so much as whispered." Sean groaned.

"Ooh, British humour, eh? Funny." Seth taunted Sean. Cody was aware of the
fact that Seth and Sebastian were born in this country, and knew fully that
he understood exactly what Sean meant. Seth grinned at Sean and was on the
verge of expelling yet another vindictive comment when Sebastian leant into
his thigh, turning onto his back, and shutting his eyes. Seth pulled off
Sebastian's and his own shoes, and threw them down on the white tiled
hospital floor.

"Seth, I'm tired." He murmured. Seth looked at him, and a trace of sorrow
crossed his expression, duly noted by Cody, who knew that Seth was aware
that his brother was far from coping well with the disease. Seth reached
out, and stroked his brother's hair and neck, running his fingers over the
collarbone, which was just visible on top of the shirt. Sebastian shut his
eyes as Seth toyed with a few russet moles on his throat. A few seconds
later, Seth pulled off Sebastian's and his own shoes, and threw them down
on the white tiled hospital floor.

"Look at Cody's hair." Sean said. Sparing the twins the trouble, Cody moved
closer to both of them, until he was at a distance of a foot from them. He
bent his head downwards, exposing the fine strands of blonde. While his
left hand was petting his not-so-similar double lying on his lap, he sifted
through Cody's hair. Cody relaxed, enjoying the feeling. Just like a head
massage. When Seth eventually let out the same astonished gasp as Sean and
Regina, he knew that Seth had found the white streak.

"Sebastian, look!" Sebastian raised himself up with his elbows,
accidentally thrusting his elbow into Seth's groin. Seth jumped with an
"Argh!", and guided Sebastian's hand away, panting slightly with the
pain. Sebastian scrutinized Cody's forehead. There was a sharp intake of
breath as he discovered the streak of shiny white.

"You're like us now, Cody." He said softly. "I'm guessing it happened only
today?" he asked. For a moment, Cody was taken aback by Sebastian's
seemingly psychic abilities, but he saw through Sebastian's mislead.

"Of course it happened today, Sebastian. We only met each other yesterday."
He said, trying to withhold the sarcasm in his voice.

"Haha, owned." Seth said, voice brimming with mischief. Sebastian went red,
and lay back down on Seth's legs, taking hold of his brother's hands and
guiding them to his chest.

"Ready to go, darlings?" Regina's voice cut through the silence. Cody felt
his heart leap into his mouth, while Sean jumped visibly. Seth gripped
Sebastian in fright, and Sebastian thrusted his upper body into the air
slightly in shock.

"Did I scare all of you?" she asked, smiling. "Here, Sean. I've brought
your clothes. You're alright, aren't you, Cody? Oh no." She said, as she
spotted Cody's bare feet. "I didn't know that you didn't bring any
shoes. You must have been in quite a hurry." She continued, not realizing
that she was stating the obvious.

"It's no problem, actually." John strode up to them. "He's a small
guy. I'll just carry the little tyke."

Cody felt himself being lifted by John's muscular arms, and placed on his
shoulders. Meanwhile, Sean was adorning the clothes that his mother brought
for him. A white "AND 1" T-shirt with red seams was being pulled over
Sean's head, obstructing the view of his shirtless body. Cody felt his
heart drop as the torso that he loved so much was being covered. Sean then
pulled out the black skater trousers from the paper bag, and pulled it up
his body, before realizing that he was wearing nothing under the towel.

"Did you bring my underwear, mom?" he asked.

"Oh no!" Regina exclaimed with a shocked tone, eyes widening. Sean's
expression equaled and outstripped hers. The color drained from his face,
and he was about to say something before Regina chuckled, and pulled a pair
of grey boxers out of the paper bag. Sean grabbed it instantaneously and
was about to begin adorning them before he looked around.

"Seth! Sebastian! Stop staring at me!" he cried, noticing the twins' eyes
riveted to his body. Both of them blushed for a second, before Seth slowly
pulled Sebastian up, supporting him with his shoulder. Sebastian appeared
lethargic, as he leant heavily on Seth. Sean seized the opportunity to jerk
his boxers up his legs as hastily as he could.

"Sebastian!" Seth giggled, as he strained to maintain support on Sebastian,
who was leaning back with closed eyes and half-grin on his face, applying
as much weight as he could against his protesting brother. He arched his
back and heaved his full weight onto Seth, who squawked before he was
squashed by Sebastian's overbearing torso.

"Ugh... I'm gonna kill you." Seth's voice, muffled by the sheets, muttered.

Cody knew that Seth was physically superior to Sebastian, yet he did not
use any of his strength against his brother. He was well aware of the
reason, of course. Seth loved Sebastian too much to risk hurting him, with
exception to the belly smacks and hilarious pranks. The truth was that both
of them loved each other too much, and despite whatever Seth might comment
about Sebastian's seemingly smart-ass attitude, he knew that Seth would be
very unhappy if Sebastian died, as an understatement. They were too
emotionally and physically attached for separation. He sincerely hoped that
Sebastian would recover, and was willing to lay down his life for him, if
given the opportunity.

Seth eventually managed to lever Sebastian off him, and reached for his
sneakers, before stuffing his black-socked feet into them. Cody eyed both
of them, perched on John's shoulders. Suddenly, a thought flicked through
his mind.

"Sebastian, Seth, how do you know whose sneakers are whose?" he asked.

Sebastian grinned.

"We don't. We just wear them. They're the same anyway. We got the same size
and all, so we don't bother at all." He replied, dangling his feet down
from the stretcher. Seth caught hold of his left foot and unceremoniously
crammed it inside the corresponding remaining sneaker.

"I really gotta tell Seth not to mind his brother so much. Ever since
Sebastian's been ill, he's been getting double attention from his
ever-loving brother." The twins' mother stepped up to John.

"Hey there, Cody. I'm Sam. John and Regina have told me so much about you."
The woman drawled, holding out her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Sam. How long have you been here?"

"Oh, we were here ten minutes ago. I'm quite surprised you didn't see us."

"I meant in the country, sorry."

"Oh. Right. We moved here...um..." she turned to her husband, who was idly
reading one of the many diagrams hung on the hospital walls. "Scott! How
long have we stayed in this country?"

"Five years." Was the response. Samantha grinned at Cody.

"Well, you heard him. So, what do you think about Sebastian and Seth? I
hope they behave when they're alone with you, especially Seth. He can be a
real devil sometimes."

"I think it's absolutely fantastic, the way in which Seth cares so much
about Sebastian. And also, they like the very same thing that the other
fancies. The only difference is that Sebastian tends to be a little
more..." he struggled to find the word. "Knowledgeable." He said. "They're
cool." He ended.

Sam smiled.

"Nice to hear that. You're also going to school with them, aren't you?
Regina told me that since you and Sean live in the same house, you're gonna
walk to school together. Seth and Sebastian have always joined Sean, every
time he passes our home. I guess they'll be thrilled at the prospect of yet
another mate."

"Actually, Sean told them already."

"Oh. Well, then." She replied, a smile still etched on her face.

At that point, Sean completed the task of adorning his clothes, whilst Seth
finally managed to stuff Sebastian's other foot into the black sneaker,
after undoing the shoelaces and loosening the tongue. He bound the knot
with the shoelaces, and patted his brother on the foot. Sebastian opened
his eyes, yawned, and stretched, before jumping onto Seth's shoulders.

"Oww, Sebastian. I'm strong, but not THAT strong." He complained. "Hold on
to my shoulders, I'll give you a piggy back."

He leant over, and Sebastian climbed aboard, tucking his feet through
Seth's arms and stretching his arms around Seth's neck, clasping his
hands. Suddenly, Seth stopped.

"Get off, I've got a better idea." Sebastian alighted immediately. Seth
pulled his jacket over his head, tugging his shirt long with it, and
revealing part of his abdomen, which contracted as he realized that he was
one step closer to becoming shirtless. Sebastian grinned, and held the
black shirt steady, as Seth completed the action.

"Take off your jacket." Seth said to Sebastian, who immediately obliged. As
his brother, he was unable to remove the jacket without the force of static
catching hold of his black cotton shirt and dragging it up with the
pullover. Seth chuckled, and, utilizing his index finger, wriggled his
finger in Sebastian's navel, tickling the rim. Sebastian started screaming
in desperation, and nearly pulled his shirt off as he fought tooth and nail
to remove the jacket, to end his torment. He would have succeeded in
pulling his shirt off and revealing his bare torso to the entire host in
the room, if not for Seth, who realized his peril, and relented, while
using his other hand to hold the black shirt in place.

It was done; both jackets were off, Sebastian slightly flushed from the
exertion. Seth looked at his father.

"Dad, can I have your jacket, please?"

"Why?" Scott asked, still reading through the chart on the board.

"Just." Scott unzipped his jacket, and tossed it at Seth, who caught it in
outstretched hands. He grinned.

"Okay, get on." He said to Sebastian.

Sebastian climbed aboard again, gripping Seth's neck.

"Hold on for a moment." Seth quipped. He flung the jacket over his
shoulder, letting it rest on Sebastian's head. He then hooked his hands
around Sebastian's calves, securing them in place. He jumped a little to
make sure that Sebastian was fully attached to him. He then arranged the
jacket so that it rested over both of them symmetrically. Following that,
he zipped up the jacket again from the inside with one hand, taking care
not to lose balance. He did not insert his hands into the sleeves, but
allowed the jacket to rest over both of them, supported by Sebastian's and
his own shoulder. He jumped again, not realizing that Sebastian's head was
covered by the collar of the jacket.

"You ready, bro?" he asked.

"Err, just a second." There was a brief shuffling inside the jacket, before
Sebastian resurfaced, popping out like a jack in the box, resting his chin
on the back of Seth's neck, where the spine was most visible. He readjusted
his arms, squeezing them through Seth's armpits. His hands eventually ended
up gripping Seth's chest firmly. Cody smiled incredulously. These twins
were definitely something. Sebastian's head was poking out of the jacket,
just behind Seth's. They very much resembled a two-headed ogre, Cody
thought. They looked incredibly cute, cuddled against each other, Cody's
train of thought continued. Seth giggled.

"Hey, hey. I ain't your girlfriend, you know. With you touching me like
that and all." he taunted. Sebastian snorted, and pinched his brother's
nipples through his thin shirt, inside the jacket.

"Ah!" Seth cried out, throwing his head back and arching his back, hitting
Sebastian on the nose. The jacket stretched a little, groaning as its seams
were stretched to the limit. Sebastian let out an "Uh!" and began kneading
Seth's chest to comfort him.

"Mmmm... that feels good." Seth sighed. "Keep it up."

He trudged around the room, sneakers slapping the plastic covering of the
floor.

"Hmm, you've still got your shoes on." He noticed. "No, no. Don't get
off. It's fine. Much better than putting it on later anyway."

Samantha was momentarily stunned, when she was jerked from her
preoccupation by the action of Seth pacing the room with Scott's black and
yellow jacket on, carrying Sebastian, whose head protruded like a sore
thumb.

"Seth!" She chortled. "You don't need to do that for your brother." She
said. "He's sick, but not THAT ill."

"I know, but I want to." Seth replied, completing a revolution on his heels
and pacing in the opposite direction. Sebastian nuzzled his head into
Seth's neck.

"I love you." He said softly, resting his cheek on Seth's spine.

"Eww, you do?" Seth joked. "Then I ain't gonna be able to get a girlfriend
then, with you around. You'll probably scare her off." He giggled
loudly. Sebastian ignored the comment, and rubbed his cheek against Seth's
bare neck, closing his eyes. Cody was slightly jealous. He knew that no
matter how attached he became with Sean, Seth and Sebastian would always be
ten times more attached. They were the same, the ultimate duplication of
genes, cells, everything. They were each others half. He also pitied Seth,
who had to live in constant fear of Sebastian leaving him.

Sean eventually managed to stuff his feet into his shoes without the aid of
a shoehorn, Regina watching over vigilantly.

"Ready to go, honey?" Regina inquired. Sean nodded his assent.

"Don't you need the doctor to sign you out?" Cody asked, intrigued.

"Oh, we collected the leaving slip while Sean was... uh... being..." John
stammered. Cody could feel his back rumbling as the words vibrated their
way out through the vocal chords, making the body shudder very slightly.

"Oh, okay then." He replied.

"Alright, all set then?" John announced. Sean nodded, and slid down from
the bed, hurrying to the twins. Regina, Scott and Samantha filed out of the
room, chattering loudly. John motioned for the twins and Sean to lead, and
walked out of the room with Cody perched on his shoulders. Cody admired the
muscular frame of Sean's father, the workings of the sinewy back. He laid
his hands precariously on Sean's neck, and felt the firm muscle through the
jacket and shirt. John chuckled, and gently pushed the three boys out of
the ward.

They went down the lift, through the A & E ward, out through the double
doors, and out through the front door, instead of the A & E ward. Cody
gasped as the cold West London air hit him, along with the smell of
pollution. It was not the air which was cold; that was tolerable in
itself. It was the wind, which blew in gusts over the whole of the United
Kingdom. Cody knew that the gusts were caused by the cold fronts in the
North Sea hitting the warm fronts from the land, caused by human
activity. The people of Britain only had themselves to blame for the
blistering cold gusts.

They reached the BMW, Sebastian alighting from Seth and slipping out from
under the jacket. Sean entered the car first, and held the door open for
the twins, who fought for first place in. John carefully leant over and
faced his back to the car. Cody appreciated John's care and concern for
him, but not merely setting him down on the ground. He eased himself into
the car, landing on Seth's lap. Seth squealed, and pushed him over to the
middle, where there was some space allocated for him. He landed, sprawled,
on the seat, with his hair strewn all over his head. Sean reached over and
pulled him to a sitting position, patting his strands back to their normal
position.

"We need to take you for a haircut." Regina commented from the front seat.

"Err, Regina." Cody asked. "Are the twins coming with us?"

"Well, they're in the car now. A little too late for asking, isn't it?" she
commented. Cody went red.

"Only joking. They're joining us for lunch today. We're paying, since we
made them miss their church session. Scott and Sam are going to meet us
there. We're going to eat at TGI-Fridays."

TGI-Fridays were, and still are, a place where families usually went. The
food was served in huge portions, and was more than enough for one single
person to finish. As a result, families shared their food.

"Cody." Sean called softly.

"Yeah?"

"Lie on my lap. You must be tired after what happened this morning." He
said, arranging his jacket on his legs.

"Sean, I'm fine. If anything, you're the one who needs rest." He replied.

"Nonsense. I was out cold for almost the whole morning." Sean scoffed. "Now
lie on my lap!" he ordered, a grin on his face.

Cody obliged. Hesitating, he lowered his face downwards till his left cheek
touched Sean's jacket-clad thighs. He felt Sean's hands on his head,
massaging his hair gently. "Mmmm..." he moaned softly, enjoying it. The
twins observed from the other end, grins on their faces. He felt his feet
being moved, and savoured a soft texture a millisecond later. His legs were
now atop both the twins' laps, his heel resting on Sebastian's left
thigh. He fell into a state of complete relaxation, giggling once in awhile
as he felt Sean running his fingernails over his neck.

He felt his torso being caressed by the twins, occasionally becoming aware
of one twin's hands under his shirt, rubbing his chest or stomach. His
eyelids automatically became glued to the bottom of his eyes as he began to
drift of into nothingness. He reflected back on his life three months
ago. Three months ago, he left all his friends, his family. It was a pity
because he did not have any other siblings, or relatives, with the
exception of his grandparents, who, unfortunately, were a little too old to
effectively look after him, and provide the basic necessities.

There was a clicking sound as the door open, and a silent beeping, which
signified "Door Ajar." John bent over and stepped into the car, closing the
door and fastening his seatbelt.

"Sean, I've just spoke to Mr. and Mrs. Davenport, and we are of similar
opinion that you should go home and have a rest."

"But dad, I'll be all alone." He responded, slightly too quickly. Cody
opened his eyes instinctively. How could they leave an underage child in
the abode without supervision, or at least company?

"Let me finish." John continued. "They've agreed for me to provide company
for you, by leaving you alone with your XBOX."

Sean looked aghast. He looked with wide eyes at his father, who was smiling
broadly.

"Oh." He said, downcast. Cody could not believe that Sean had not seen
through John's ploy. He reminded himself that Sean was probably exhausted
after the morning, and could not logically make assumptions in his mind.

"We're letting the twins and Cody stay behind. Your mother will make sure,
that you don't get into any mischief." John burst the bubble. Sean's face
lightened up in a split-second.

"Oh, thanks, dad."

"No problem."

Cody felt mischievous.

"Hmm..." he said.

"What?" Sean enquired.

"I don't know, I feel really peckish. Perhaps I'll join our parents." He
replied, trying not to allow his face to contort with a grin.

Sean's eyes widened in shock.

"But..." he sputtered.

"Only joking. I can't leave my brother alone with these two dorks here, can
I?" he chuckled, motioning towards the twins, who immediately put on scowls
of similar likeness. He felt hands slowly ascending up his body onto his
chest, but was too slow to stop Seth's fingers cruelly twisting his
nipples. At the same time, Sean started digging him in the ribs and
wriggling his fingers, causing his body to buck and throe with
ticklishness. He screeched loudly, twisting and turning for all it was
worth.

"Hey, keep it down, boys." John's voice overwhelmed the host of giggles and
cackles.

They ceased their action. Sean went back to petting Cody, while the twins
hummed to the music of their IPOD and stroked his chest and stomach. He
felt at peace, albeit only for a few minutes.