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Prince of the Hill 7

Fuori da della Scatola

*Out of the Box*

Based on the episode Sleight of Hank, in which Hank gets obsessed over the secret behind a magic trick.

It was the final few minutes. The players of Tom Landry Middle School soccer team, the Landry Hurricanes, were spread out over the field. So far, their team led against the opposition by 12 to zero. Throughout the entire game, they hadn't let the rival team net a single goal. And that had pissed off the opposition, who had thought they would have an easy win that day.

Gielle stood on the field, slightly bent over, his hands on his knees as he kept his eye on the ball. During the entire game, Gielle had managed to net eight out of the twelve balls, making him the top scorer of the match. His grey and blue uniform was covered in dirt and grass clippings, and he was still panting a bit.

He knew that the moment he got in range of the ball, he would not let anyone else get within range. Unlike other players who were so self absorbed with themselves that they claimed they could 'read' their opponents and out do them because they had 'natural talent' and all that crap, Gielle knew he could help win the game, simply because he knew he could. He knew he could, and so far, he had proved he had been able to.

His previous coach had been an old school tough as nails type of guy. The moose never showed mercy or kindness to his students, and only gave praise when he actually thought they deserved it. Coach Rivers could see that schools were slowly taking the competitiveness out of sports and even going so far as to give out more awards and accolades to students who simply showed up. But the moose hadn't followed suit.

"Do you honestly think that if you make a mistake, life is going to let you redo it? Life isn't a test. You better get used to making mistakes, because everyone is going to pick you apart everytime you make one" he always shouted at his students.

"What, you think you're pissed off with me?" he used to shout at his students. "Well, do something about it then. You want to get angry and pissed off with me? Then do it" he would shout at them as they ran their laps. "I think you're all a bunch of pussies, just a damn bunch of weaklings. Well, prove me wrong. Shove it in my face and tell me you're better then I thought you were, and actually back it up you lazy long runners."

His old and tough way of dishing out abuse and orders had actually paid off. His students were able to take the harsh criticism without crying, and push themselves to do better. No natural talents, no abilities to read other players, no crap or bullshit. Just hard work, devotion and discipline. It was no wonder they had won the districts over and over while he had been in charge.

And every time they had proved their coach wrong, he would admit that he was. One, he made Gielle run suicide runs. They were a four point back and forth run over a basketball court. Coach Rivers told Gielle he wouldn't be able to handle fifteen minutes without stopping and giving up. Gielle had ended up running until he threw up, lasting almost half an hour. The coach had given him a can of soft drink, clapped him on the back and told him he was wrong about it.

Gielle looked over a moment while the referee was getting the last ball ready, to see his new coach, a big muscled up tiger named Clay, watching intently. His body shape could only be described as what was known as 'Bara'. Very tall, very big and wide, his entire body an hourglass shape of muscle barely held in by a two sizes too small muscle shirt. It was no wonder why so many were intimidated by him.

Clay had been in the army, and had served during Iran, Iraq, East Timor and Afghanistan. Small tours of duty here and there, but tours none the less. And he had carried over his military discipline over into his teaching, giving Gielle the kind of instructions that he felt so at home with.

The only things that Clay had even said during the entire match were what a lot of current parents considered 'abuse'.

"Move your ass already."

"Come on ladies, my grandmother could kick harder than that"

"Are you trying to prove to me that you're that stupid?"

"Move it already, you weak little princess."

More then once a parent had walked onto the field, attempting to tell Clay to go easy on their "little angel", who was doing the best they could and don't deserve such harsh treatment. Most of them ended up giving up after Clay just stood stoically on the side of the field, and just continued to shout.

Gielle had been in earshot the last time that had happened, and had crept closer because it had been his aunt who had gone onto the field to complain. What she had exactly said, Gielle didn't hear, but he did hear his coach laugh in her face. Really, really laughed. Fully bent over, holding his side, laughing till he actually had tears in his eyes.

"The other team hasn't even had the chance to score, so obviously, I'm doing something right" he had said as he wiped his eyes. "now get out of my face and park your big butt back in the bleachers" he had said to Peggy;s face. Peggy had tried to give him her death glare, a glare that normally made anyone think twice about messing with her. But Clay just folded his arms and watched the game, blatantly and obviously ignoring her until she stomped away in frustration.

He had been impressed with the way that Gielle could handle the ball on the field, and he even made a decent enough goalkeeper if the time came for it. Although he was best on the offensive, and Clay made sure that was where Gielle had played. Clay had given him only one compliment during their practices since he had been able to partake in them.

"Guess Ezio can play ball after all" he had said in his flat, very unimpressed voice that he always used. But it was the tiniest of smiles in the corner of his mouth that made Gielle swell with pride.

All Gielle wanted to do after that, was get a bigger smile from his coach. And as he focused on the referee holding the ball, he hoped that after the end of the game, he'd get one.

The referee blew his whistle and the opposing team grabbed the ball first. It was kicked to the right side of the field and Gielle started to run in that direction.

The crowds were cheering loudly as the ball was weaved between the kids, the opposing team desperate to get at least one victory point in the so called contest. But the Hurricanes were a well oiled machine, the countless drills and exercises may have made them vomit, shake and lie awake in bed aching in places they never dreamed, but they were paying off.

But Gielle's team was not about to let their win go so easily. The opposing team may have been unable to catch up no matter what they did, but that didn't mean the match was over. The Hurricanes were there to win right till the end of the game. The kicker barely had the ball for more then a moment before one of the boys kicked it out from under him.

The ball sailed through the air before a head-butt from a team mate headed it in Gielle's direction. Gielle got moving as he ran up to the ball and kicked it away before one of the opposing team got a hold of it.

He dodged and weaved amongst the opposing team, his feet barely leaving the ball as he closed in on the distance between himself and the goalie. His legs were aching and his lungs were crying for extra energy. Sweat was dripping into his eyes, but he wasn't going to give in.

"One more goal" he thought in his mind as he swerved against a wolf who attempted to slide under him and kick the ball out from under him. But Gielle ran right over him, taking the ball with him without any hesitation. "just one more goal. One more goal" he shouted in his mind.

Two of the team ran up to block him on both sides, and the goalie perched himself in the middle of the goal, his hands outstretched. The two boys started to run at him, looking ready to either tackle him, or get the ball from him.

Gielle only had a moment to think as he decided to take a risk. Even if he missed, there was no way they could mount a comeback this far from the goal. And he wasn't going to go down without doing something.

Gielle slid his foot under the ball and kicked it into the air. Without stopping or slowing down he lurched himself forward and turned in mid air. The boys in front of him ended up stopping qcuikly as they stopped focusing their attention in getting the ball and instead found themselves watching Gielle.

The ball rose up in front of him as he kicked upwards. He felt like the world was slowing down around him as he watched the ball rise up. The ground was parallel to his back as his boot made contact with the black and white ball.

With a resounding 'smack', his boot collided with the ball and it shot forward like a cannon that just came out of slow motion. The ball flew forward, straight through the two players that had no time to slow down to catch it. They both had dumbstruck looks on their faces as they threw themselves forward after the ball, but it was a futile effort and they both landed flat on the ground.

The ball sailed straight towards the keeper, who was already crouched and waiting. He caught the ball with his gaze first, made his decision and leapt to his feet. The tiger jumped up, using all the strength in his legs to leap into the air after the ball.

But the ball was too fast and slid through his fingers with only the barest of gaps to close in on the surface. His eyes went rather comically wide as he watched the ball skim past his fingers, and then slam into the net behind his head.

The referees whistle blew as the ball landed square in the net. Gielle heard the whistle blow as he managed to stand up in time to turn around and see the tiger scowling furiously at how he let the ball pass his fingers.

The score now a definite win with thirteen straight points to the opposing teams zero.

"SÌ. Portare ciò!" Gielle shouted as he raised his hands up in triumph as his team mates swarmed around him. He could not hear one congratulatory cheer over the next as he heard the volume of voices around him cheer him, both his teammates and the crowd in the bleachers. *Yes. Take that*

A dozen or more hands clapped him on his shoulders and ruffled his hair as everyone told him how good he was with that last move. Apparently, no-one had ever seen something like that before. It was like something out of a game.

The opposing team wandered off the field towards their coach, looking decidedly defeated. The tall thin wolf glared at his team, obviously thinking on how to punish them for their rather pathetic score.

Gielle managed to get a glimpse through the throng of boys to see the opposing teams coach give Clay a scathing look as the big tiger walked past him. But the look went completely ignored by Clay as he simply stood there with his arms folded over his large chest.

The boys spread out a bit, leaving Gielle in the middle of a semi circle as the big tiger looked down at them. His face was blank as it always was. The boys found themselves on the spotlight as the coach didn't look impressed in the slightest.

"So, thirteen to nothing" he said as if it was no big deal. "You really think that was worth celebrating over?" he said. "You do realise that next time, I'm going to expect nothing less fourteen to nothing?"

The team went quiet as they heard his snide sounding remarks. Gielle was starting to feel somewhat put down as he saw the way the other boys were looking. They knew coach clay was a hard ass, but this?

The big tiger looked down at them all for several long, quiet and uncomfortable moments before his face broke out into a smile. It wasn't the biggest smile, more like the corners of his mouth had just turned up, but it made all the difference.

"But that's next time. That was a good win" he remarked. It was almost a collective sigh of relief from the boys as they all started to smile again. So the coach could be impressed with them after all. "Now get your butts in the van. We're going to Abracapasta" Clay said. "Everythings on me."

Everyone except Gielle let out loud cheers and started to talk rather excitedly at the prospect of going to this venue to celebrate their win. Clay just smirked to how happy the dirty, sweaty and exhausted boys looked before he turned around and began to walk off.

"What the heck is Abracapasta?" he thought to himself as he walked with the group after their coach. While the group had been cheering and congratulating him, he found himself looking again at the bleachers, looking for the person he knew wouldn't be there.

Again, he found himself wishing Alex was there to see him play He had asked at school, during their lunch recess when they were supposed to be getting changed, but ended up on the receiving end of a warm muzzle around his length. Alex was at his fathers for the weekend, and Gielle knew how much that time meant to him, so he had understood when Alex said no.

But knowing them, they'd probably be making out under the bleachers and he'd be late for the game.

The boys herded past their parents, mostly all the soccer moms who fawned over their precious little things, wondering if the big mean tiger had any kind of mental abuse on them all. Of course, none of the boys were holding anything against their coach, and tried to convey to their parents that they were ok.

But Clay just brushed past the concerned parents without so much as a backward glance. Obviously, he was in no concerned mood to discuss his playing tactics. Once the parents heard he was taking them out for a celebratory dinner, and they were allowed to come along, their opinions about him differed slightly.

Although Gielle's aunt Peggy managed to hold him up before they could all get into the van that Clay had driven them there in.

"Mr. Clay, I do have some concerns that I believe you need to address" she said to him.

"Oh really now?" he said, sounding somewhat disinterested. "Again? I thought I made it clear before" he said as he opened the van door.

"Well, yes" she said, ignoring the last remark. "Now, I know you think you're a good coach, but I don't think you're the one I'd like to have coach my son Bobby when softball season comes up" she pointed out.

"Bobby...Bobby..." he said, pretending to think. He was obviously seeing how long he could take just standing there, as he only stopped pretending to think when the van was almost full. "Oh yes, I remember him. He's the kid who struck out staring at the ball, and then the next year struck out on every inning?" he asked.

"Well, be that as it may, as winner of the substitute teacher of the year award three years in a row, I think you should listen to my advice and go easier on the other kids" she said to him. "As i pointed out to you before, there is a difference between criticism and verbal abuse, the latter I think is all your capable of doing."

"And as an actual full time teacher who has so far not lost any sporting even I have coached, I thank you for keeping your nose out of my business" Clay said as he turned to the boys. The look on her face made it look like Peggy had just been slapped and she stared at him with a somewhat open mouth.

"Get those butts in the van now. You get left behind, it's because your slow" he shouted at the boys who were straggling behind. The boys quickly said goodbye to their parents and ran at full speed towards the van to fill in the last few seats.

"Mr. Clay, I'm not finished with you" Peggy said with an angry look on her face at being overthrown by an actual teacher.

"Well, I'm done with you" Clay said as he climbed into the drivers seat and shut the door in her face.

Gielle had to suppress the smile on his face as he saw his aunt angrily shouting at his coach as he drove away. He was sitting in the back seat and had a terrific view of his aunt angrily shouting at the van , and he tried all his might to not laugh while she could still see him.

Abracapasta turned out to be a Mexican theatre restaurant on the other side of town, and Clay had booked the table the moment he knew that they were going to win their match. Which was when they were up eight points to nothing by the halfway mark. He drove the van into the parking lot and the boys clambered out as their parents began to arrive in their cars.

"Right, everyone inside" clay called out to the boys. "Its the big table in front of the stage. You can play the arcade games, but if there's any trouble from any of you, you're off the team" he ordered. Gielle stepped out of the van just as his uncles truck appeared in the parking lot. He could hear them argue even as they stepped out of the truck.

"Peggy, why did you bring me here? Its bad enough I hate soccer, but did you have to make me watch it?" Hank said as he got out of the car. " And this place for a celebration diner? For soccer of all things? Why here? I hate magicians. I don't trust them."

"Hank, I told you before. We have to show that we support Gielle, even if he does play soccer against our wishes" Peggy said, the look on her face showed she was still angry with the tiger, who had flat out ignoring her. It was obviously something she wasn't used to. "and you've hated magicians ever since David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear."

"Shame on him" Hank said with venom in his voice.

"Besides, its not like you had to sit with a bunch of sweater wearing snobbish soccer moms who wouldn't know how to drink a beer if their lives depended on it" Peggy said as she shut the car door rather hard. "And to think they've never seen a spot on Fat Albert Impression."

Gielle rolled his eyes to that one. What in the world made his aunt actually think going up to a group of soccer moms and thinking that going 'Hey Hey Hey' in a gravelly voice would impress them?

"Peggy, the last thing I need is some silky...man in silky clothing trying to trick me into having fun" Hank said in a huff. He reminded Gielle of a spoilt boy who wasn't getting his way. Sadly, it was almost all the time when something didn't go his uncles way.

"Se lei non ha voluto venire, perché lei non va alla casa e al soggiorno lì?" Gielle said under his breath. "If you didn't want to come, why don't you go home and stay there?"

"See Hank? Even Gielle appreciates you faking interest" Peggy said with a rather superior smile on her face. Gielle resisted the urge to kick his uncles car tires as they headed into the restaurant.

The restaurant seemed to be just one big theatre with a kitchen in the back and an arcade on the side. The rest of the big open space was covered in tables and chairs. A very large horseshoe style table had been set up in front of the stage, and they were covered in tablecloths patterned with cactus' and ponchos and other typical Mexican pictures.

"Alright boys" Clay said as he sat at the head table, the boys all sitting at the table in front of him, their parents sitting on the outside tables. Gielle was annoyed to see his aunt and uncle sit directly behind him. Both of them looked annoyed, but Gielle turned his attention away from them.

"Now, you did good out there, but word is going to get out about how we won without a single point on the other team"Clay said as he eyed them all. "So, its going to get a lot harder from here on out, so I'll be busting your asses to make sure you can win every time. You think i was hard on you before? Trust me, its going to get harder a shit load more."

The boys all groaned inwardly at the prospect, and the parents didn't look too impressed with how Clay was talking about their precious little things. Some looked like they wanted to object, but since Clay had been flat out ignoring them before, he would most likely do the same again.

"But, that's next week" Clay said. "So, here's the deal. You win, we celebrate. You lose, I bust your ass. Any objections?" he said as he gave them all a look over.

None of the boys dared to question him about that.

"Good. Then lets eat, enjoy the show and hit the arcade. You should enjoy your celebration while you have the chance" Clay announced as several waiters began to serve plates of nachos, burritos and enchiladas.

The boys didn't waste any more time as they all started to eat the free food and soda. Since their coach was paying for it all, no-one was going to stop them from eating it. Gielle had never had Mexican food before, and he was finding it hard to not wolf down everything in sight. He had no idea that nachos were able to hold that much cheese, and his fingers were soon covered in cheesy grease. But he wasn't complaining.

For a good while all the sounds that were heard were the arcade machines making their noise and the boys eating. Getting a thirteen win streak against their enemies had given them all an appetite. Thankfully, the establishment was prepared to keep serving them. A few of the boys ended up heading into the arcade to play a few games while they had the chance.

"Ladies and Gentleman, Abracapasta is proud to present, all the way from Guadalajara Mexico, Herrera" said a voice over as a spotlight appeared on the stage. Everyone in front of the stage turned in their seats, most with food in their hands as they saw that the show was beginning to start.

The theatre stage suddenly lit up as a blast of smoke filled the centre area. A tall looking wolf in a bright purple tuxedo appeared in the middle of the smoke. The brief spectacle got a small round of applause from the boys as the wolf greeted the audience and bowed his top hat at everyone.

"Saludos. I am Astounding Herrera" the wolf said in a thick Mexican accent as he removed the bright red scarf from his neck. He then proceeded to ball it up in his hands. "Get ready to be...astounded" he cried out as he thrust his hands into the air and the scarf exploded and several white pigeons flew into the air. All the boys gave a round of applause to that simple trick.

"As if birds could just magically appear" Gielle heard his uncle say. He said it in such a flat voice that it sounded like he was bored already.

"Alright. Now we're talking" said a voice near Gielle. He didn't recognise it as one of the teammates so he looked over to where the arcade machines were.

A Bangaa was standing against an arcade 'Sniper Elite' machine with his arms crossed. He was dressed rather casually in baggy jeans and a plain black shirt. He was a bright red colouring, and his head flaps swept past his shoulders like long hair. There were dark orange tribal markings around his face and he looked about Gielle's age.

"You interested in magic?" Gielle asked him. He then noticed the Bangaa had a small and very shiny looking metallic ball in his hand that he was slowly rotating in his fingers.

"Course I am. Been practising since I was an ankle biter" the Bangaa said with a grin on his face. "What gave it away?" he asked as, with a flick of his wrist the ball seemed to move across his hand as if it had a mind of its own.

"A what?" Gielle asked, having never heard the term before.

"Ankle biter. You know, kid?" the Bangaa said with a grin as he moved his hand back and forth at the wrist and the ball seemed to glide all over it. "The names Marco. Mind if I sit down and watch?" he asked.

"No, go right ahead. I'm just here with my soccer team. We won our match today, and the coach is treating us out"Gielle said as he indicated the seat across from him, which was one of the few empty ones.

"Well, aren't you the spoilt one" Marco said with a grin on his face. "Hope this guys good" he said as he sat back. "I've watched a lot of magicians, and this guy had better live up to the standards."

Herrera was suddenly surrounded by several good looking female wolves in brightly coloured ponchos and sombreros. They gave a few twirls around on stage as a mariachi tune began to play.

Herrera then made a pocket watch appear in his hand and waved it back and forth in front of one of the girls. Her eyes glazed over and she slumped slightly. He gestured to a low table behind him and the girl walked forward as if in a trance.

"Oh look, he pulled that right out of his pocket" Gielle heard Hank say, not in any way subtle either. A few of the nearby parents and even a couple of the kids gave signs that they heard him. And they didn't seem pleased to hear his snide remarks.

"Hank, will you be quiet? That is not part of the trick" Peggy snapped at him. Hank gave her a look and reclined back in his chair, the bored look still on his face.

"Relatives?" Marco asked him. The metallic ball was twisting around on his fingers, and Gielle wondered just how he was doing it. It looked so easy.

"I wish every day no" Gielle admitted. Herrera then helped the tranced female onto the table and laid her out flat. Once she was fully laid out, he gestured upwards with his hand, and she began to slowly rise up. A few of the boys gave collective gasps to the trick as the female seemed to rise up on her own accord.

'Jes. There are no wires" Herrera said as he picked up a large silver hoop and began to manoeuvre it around her body. "The only thing holding her up, is magic" he said as he finished his manoeuvring and received a round of applause as the female slowly lowered down.

"Sure. Who needs wires when you have a forklift in the back?" Hank said as he slumped back in his chair, looking thoroughly bored. A few groans around the room were emitted, mostly in disgust.

"Hank, either shut up, or leave" Clay said suddenly from where he was sitting. Hank shot him a look as if he was angry that Clay had spoken to him like that, but he didn't argue with the hulking tiger. Mostly because the look that Clay gave him suggested he'd throw him out himself.

Herrera then gestured to the group of women and they brought out a brightly coloured long box on wheels. Herrera unfolded the box, showing there was nothing in it. The female then laid out in the box and Herrera fixed the box back over her, before the locked the lid in place.

"Now, for de sawing of woman in has" he said as he pulled out a very large saw blade. It looked rather comically large, but it was still rather deadly looking at the same time. He then proceeded to saw down the middle of the box, his face bunched up in a determined expression.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of smoke and two of the women then grabbed the box and pulled it apart. The middle of the box was empty and there was nothing between it as the women spun the boxed around in a circle. The boys all clapped and cheered for the illusion.

"You see that now? He just lied to us" Hank said in a bored but loud tone of voice. "He didn't really cut her in half. That was two people in there at least. Or fake feet" he proclaimed.

"Hank, no-one wants to hear it" Peggy said in annoyance to her husband.

"Hank, listen to your wife for once in your life and shut up" Clay said, looking displeased that Hank was intentionally trying to ruin the event just because he didn't like magic. None of the other parents who were attending looked pleased either. In fact, a couple of them looked like they were considering leaving.

"I could go over and smack him in the mouth" Marco suggested as he flicked the ball rather easily over his hand. Gielle was starting to swear that the damn ball had a mind of its own.

"As fun as that would be, I'd have to say no. I think Coach wants to do that" Gielle said with a grin as Herrera then cleared the stage. "I don't think i want to have him denied the pleasure" he added. "Although if he says one more thing, I think I'll just do it myself" he added as Hank proclaimed loudly that the female, who had jut been reattached, couldn't possibly be sawn in half since her clothes were fine.

"And now ladies and gentleman, I will be performing my next grande illusion, the piñata of Death" Herrera exclaimed. "And I will be needing a volunteers" he added as he gestured over the crowd.

"He's not going to pick anyone. He's got a plant in the audience. They always do" Hank exclaimed. All the parents and boys there suddenly gave out sighs of frustration, and Gielle found his patience had run too thin. Obviously, his aunt wasn't helping as she just snorted her frustration, sounding like a stuck pig.

"Uncle Hank, will you shut up?" Gielle said as he turned around in his chair. "Ok, we get it. Magic isn't real. We all know how the tricks work. But would you kindly just shut up and stop telling us how they work? Not everyone wants to have you spoil our fun" he said in anger. "Fermare correndo la sua bocca maledetta" he added as he gave his uncle an angry glare. *Stop running your fucking mouth*

Everyone looked surprised by the sudden outburst from Gielle, since most of the team had never heard him yell like that before.

"Gielle, we know that all magicians are gay, but that's no reason to shout it at everyone" Peggy said. Gielle just shook his head in disbelief as he turned away from his aunt and uncle.

"Ah jes, you there" Herrera said loudly as he suddenly pointed at Gielle. Gielle blinked, having not expected that.

"Wait, what?" he said in surprise.

"jes, you. With the fire in your belly. Come on up" Herrera said as he gestured with his hand.

"Gielle, don't go up there" Hank said. "You don't need to be part of this phony fake act." Gielle took one look at his uncle, made up his mind and then proceeded up to the stage. The rest of the team cheered him on, seeing he was getting a chance to be in the act.

"Ah jes. Now, what is your name?" Herrera asked.

"My name is Gielle" Gielle replied.

"Ah. Now, this is my next act, the Piñata of Death" he said as the curtain was brought back. The females gestured to a very huge paper mache white horse piñata that was lying behind the curtain. It wore a big round sombrero and had a long poncho over its side. "Now, most piñatas are filled with the candy. But today, it will be filled with you" he said as he lifted up the side of the horse. The inside of the horse was pretty roomy.

"Gielle, don't" Hank called out as he stood up in his seat. Gielle ignored him as he climbed into the horse. Herrera shut the side and proceeded to tie a bandanna around his head, giving himself a blindfold.

The females proceeded to padlock the side in place and they then wandered off the stage together in a group as the piñata was raised into the air. Herrera then pulled a long stick out of his shirt and, with a deep inhale, breathed fire onto the end. The crowd gave a gasp.

"I will take three swings at the burrow. If Gielle is lucky, I will miss. If not...well we shall see what comes out" Herrera said with a loud chuckle. All the boys in the audience watched on closely.

"ONE" Herrera called out as he swung the bat. The fire wooshed in the air, but he wasn't even swinging anywhere near it.

"TWO" he called out again as the fire passed beneath the piñata. But it didn't catch alight. Herrera then raised the pole like a bat and prepared to swing again, and this time he was facing the piñata.

But he didn't get the chance as Hank suddenly grabbed the bat and put a stop to the trick.

"Alright. That's enough. Get out of the donkey Gielle. We're going home now" Hank said. "I don't care if this is a celebration. Magic is stupid, and so is Soccer" he said. The audience replied in a collective of 'oh come on' and 'for the love of god.'

"Oh, but you cannot leave in the middle of a trick" Herrera said as he pulled the blindfold off. Hank made sure that the fiery pole was lowered before he started to march off the stage. "Clearly, you are ignorant in the boys chances of survival."

"How dare you call me ignorant. I aughta kick your ass" Hank said as he turned around in anger as he began to stride towards Herrera. But the magician then swung the bat and it connected with the piñata.

The entire paper mache construct became engulfed in flames as everyone in the audience cried out in surprise. For a moment, the fiery piñata lit up the stage and cast a fiery glow over everyone in the audience. And then the entire thing exploded in a large boom. The audience cried out in surprise as they were suddenly met with a cascade of candy raining down on them.

"What the...? where the hell is Gielle? What did you do to him you jack ass?" Hank said as he recovered from the surprise. "You get my step nephew back or I'm getting the manager."

"Hey, uncle Hank. I'm over here" Gielle called out. everyone turned and several of the boys almost jumped out of their seats to see Gielle reclining in his seat as if nothing had even happened.

"Hey, nice one" Marco said with a grin on his face. Gielle gave him a grin as he took a drink from the glass he was holding.

"What? How did you do that?" Hank demanded as he rounded on Herrera. "You tell me what happened right now" he ordered.

"It's a secret. The secret, of magic" Herrera said as he gave a bow to the audience.

"Ok, that's it. This joke of a celebration is over. This party is closed and finished. We're out of here" Hank said to everyone from the stage as he then proceeded to walk off it.

"Oh, I don't think he'll be getting very far, without his keys" Herrera said as he suddenly flicked his fingers and hanks car keys appeared in his hands. The crowd gave a good round of applause to that as Hank searched his pockets desperately.

"You thief, I'll kick your ass" Hank said as he turned around and walked p to the magician with his fists raised. But Herrera swirled his cape and was suddenly engulfed in smoke that covered him completely. When the smoke cleared, he was gone.

"How did you do that?" one of the boys asked Gielle in amazement as some began to laugh at how Hank was searching the now empty stage. The look on hanks face was rather priceless.

"It's magic" Gielle said with a grin as he sat back and watched as Hank started to angrily ask the remaining girls where the 'jack ass magic man' had disappeared to.

The celebration ended not long after that. After Hanks constant berating of the show and his angry announcement at closing the whole party down, no-one felt in the mood to stay and continue to celebrate their win.

Although Clay did say, in front of everyone, that Hank was now banned from all soccer games and after-parties. Although Hank didn't look upset at the banning, he did look angry that Clay would dare ban him in the first place. And most of the boys ended up laughing at Hank behind his back.

Hank was very quite in the car ride home, as was Peggy. Neither of them congratulated Gielle on his victory in the soccer match, nor did they talk to him about anything. Hank and Peggy seemed both mad at each other, and possibly mad at everything else that didn't go their way at the party. Gielle was glad to get out of the tension filled car when they got home.

The first thing Gielle did when he got home was get on his phone and talk to Alex about the whole thing, since Alex missed it all. Although Alex's day wasn't all that interesting, the most interesting he ended up doing was watch a movie with his father and both ended up falling asleep on the couch. It didn't matter though, as they both just talked for the remainder of the afternoon together.

But dinner was a whole different affair.

"a trap door."

"no."

"mirrors on the stage"

"no."

"rotating stage?"

"Uncle Hank, for the last time, I will not tell you what happened" Gielle said as he put his fork down. "besides, why should I? You ruined our party by telling everyone how the tricks were working."

"Wow. The whole thing sounds so cool" Bobby said with an eager smile on his face. "Did the piñata really explode in candy?"

"Yes Bobby. It did" Peggy said as she took a drink of her coffee.

"What kind of candy? Chewy candy, hard candy, brand candy, large candy, chocolate candy?" Bobby said as he started rattling off names, ticking them off his fingers as he recited them at lightning speed.

"Jolly ranchers" Peggy said as she gave a smug grin. "All over the place, and in every flavour. I caught twelve pieces at once."

"Oh my god" Bobby said as he smacked his forehead. "I can't believe you didn't let me come."

"Bobby, the party was for the soccer team. You weren't on the team" Gielle said. "You wanted to sit at home with Joseph and play your games."

"Bobby, there was a perfectly logical explanation for what happened. And once Gielle tells me, there won't be any problems" Hank said as he chewed up a piece of his steak. "So, go ahead Gielle. Tell me how the trick worked."

"Uncle Hank, I've told you. I'm not telling you the secret." Gielle said as he stood up and grabbed his plate." All you did today was talk badly about soccer, and you ruined the party. I'm not telling you something you can't figure out yourself"

"Gielle, when we became your guardians, it essentially had the same oath as my marriage to Peggy"" Hank said. "which was to honour, and obey. And I am commanding you to obey me by telling me the secret." Gielle found himself smiling to that one as he dumped his sad looking dinner in the bin.

"It's just killing you that I know something you don't. Well, get used to it" Gielle said as he left the kitchen.

"So, your uncle kept asking all night about the trick?" Alex asked as Gielle, Roxis and Toby all milled around the lockers during their morning break. The hallway was empty, and the summer was over by now, so the weather was starting to cool off. It looked like it was going to rain that day. Better safe then sorry.

"I had to lock the door behind me so I could sleep. And then he tried to drive me to school so he could keep asking" Gielle said as he leant against his locker. "Honestly, I don't think he likes to take no for an answer" he admitted as he kept his hands in his denim pockets.

"Your uncle is a snob, you know that?" Roxis said. Today, he was wearing all black, and his makeup gave him a pale look in contrast to his clothes. His fringe hung over his eyes in an emo anime style. Gielle wondered where he got that sort of stuff.

"Tell me about it" Gielle said in annoyance as he looked over at Alex. Alex was wearing long shorts and a black hoodie that was up over his head. He was giving Gielle the smile that told him 'lets go find somewhere secluded', and Gielle was finding himself hoping to do just that.

I wish I could have gone to see that" Toby admitted as he brushed some of his long hair back behind his ear. "It sucks when your blind. You have no idea if people are going 'oooh' at the magic, or because the salad your eating is actually the centrepiece on the table" he admitted.

"You've eaten plants before?" Gielle asked. Toby nodded.

"How did that taste?" Alex asked.

"Honestly, couldn't tell the difference. And they were plastic too" he said, which made them all chuckle a bit. Gielle stopped laughing as he looked up and saw Marco walking down the hall with an open book in his hand. He was surprised to see the bangaa there, since he hadn't seen him at the school before.

"Marco?" Gielle called out in surprise.

"Who?" Alex asked as he looked up, looking around a big as he tugged his hoodie down.

"Him" Gielle said as he pointed. "I met him at the party yesterday." But Marco didn't seem to hear them as he kept walking right past them, his gaze on the art book he was looking at.

"Hey, Marco" Gielle called out. Marco stopped after the second calling and looked over in their direction.

"Have we met" he asked, looking confused as he looked at the group of boys.

"Of course we have" Gielle said, seeing the look on the Bangaa's face and feeling confused as well. "We met yesterday at Abracapasta, remember Marco?" Gielle said to him.

"My names not Marco" was the reply.

"You sure about that?" Roxis asked as he looked over at Gielle. "Or did the magician conjure up a distraction?" he asked.

"Dammit, Marcus, did they get us mixed up again?" came a familiar voice. They all turned as they saw another Marco walking towards them.

"What's going on?" Toby asked, clearly confused, which was understandable since he had no idea that two identical Bangaas were standing only a foot or so away from them. The group looked at them both. They were exactly the same. The same colours, the same markings, even their clothes were perfectly in sync.

They both had the same slender looking body, and each was dressed in a pair of rather snug looking jeans and a matching white shirt with the TV show 'Fringe' logo on the front. And those shirts were perhaps a little too small on them. The only way the two could tell them apart was that Marcus held a book and Marco had his metallic ball in his hand again.

"Twins" Alex said in surprise. Toby made an 'oh' sound as he realised what they were talking about.

"Yeah, we're twins" Marcus said as he spun the ball around on his hand, again making it seem so easy to do. "Did you wander off without me again?"

"Hey, its a free country. I don't need to go everywhere with you" Marco said as he clapped the book shut. Marcus gave his twin a smirk as he made the ball travel over and under his hand in one fluid movement.

"Wow" was all Gielle said as he stared.

"So which are you staring at, the ball or the twins?" Alex said with a grin to Gielle as he spoke in a quiet tone. Gielle found himself flushing as he had no idea which to answer with. "So, how come we haven't seen you around here before?" Alex asked in a louder voice.

"We just moved here like two days ago. From Australia" Marco said. "This is our first day here a this Landry place. Who's Tom Landry anyway?"

"Nobody you need to know" Roxis admitted.

"Australia? You mean, down under Australia?" Toby asked. "I've never known anyone from Australia before" he admitted. "Wait, how come you don't have that Australian accent?" he asked.

"That's put on for the movies" Marcus said. "and it gets so irritating when people ask us to say 'Crikey' all the time. Makes me wanna punch them in the gut."

"Why?" Alex asked. "what's wrong with saying that?"

"Because thanks to that croc molester, we got half the world thinking we go around wearing khakis and saying 'crieky' to everything with that bullshit accent" Marco said. "It's bloody irritating that's what it is."

"And they think we go around saying we're from Woop Woop" Marcus said.

"From where?" Gielle asked.

"Woop woop" Marco said.

"Middle of nowhere" Marcus said.

"Right at home" they both said at once.

"I'm confused" Roxis admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.

"How do you think I feel?" Toby said.

"We're just messing with you. But we do hate Steve Irwin. Trust me, there are Aussies out there who do" Marcus said. "they just get treated like crap cause the rest of the Irwin lovers can't stand their 'hero' being spoken badly about. Specially that Chinese looking daughter of his" he added.

"Hey you kids. Break it up there " said Principle moss as he suddenly appeared down the hall. The big bored looking bull marched up to them and gave them all a look as if he suspected they were dealing drugs or something. "you boys looking to start something?

"We're not doing anything Mr. principle" Marco said.

"Honestly" said Marcus.

"That the truth here?" Moss asked the others. They all just nodded quietly. Moss looked at them all one at a time for a few long moments "Well, break it up anyway. Before someone thinks your starting a gang" he said before he marched off.

"I think he fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down" said Marcus with a grin once Moss was out of earshot.

"And then hit him with a whole sack full of ugly" said Marco.

"You know, I think I like these two" Roxis said with a small smile on his face.

The rest of the day passed by rather normally, with no rain which they were all thankful for. The bus ride home was nothing special, and when Gielle and Bobby made it home after school, they found a rather unusual sight at the house.

His uncle Hank was in the garage with his friends, standing around a suspended crate that hung from the ceiling. All of them were standing around in a semi circle, each one holding a beer in their hand as they looked at the crate, which had the word 'PINATA' written on the side.

"So, he ended up in the piñata, then ended up in the chair" Hank said as he pointed from the crate to a chair that was sitting nearby. "But how?" Hank said as he took a sip of Alamo beer. "You have any theories Dale?"

"You're asking me about theories?" the thin reedy rat said as he took a drag on his cigarette. He looked at hank through his reflective sunglasses and took another drag.

"About the magic act" Hank said with slight annoyance.

"Oh. Well, I've got squat" Dale said as he took another drag.

"Huh" Hank said as he took a drink. "What about you Boomhauer?"

Boomhauer took a sip of his beer and rattled on something about meeting a cocktail waitress, someone about a number, and then gibberish about pulleys and restraints. IT was all so fast paced that Gielle could not understand it at all.

"Yeah, yeah that could work" Hank said, his eyes lighting up about the situation. "Gielle was hoisted up by a rope, then he climbed through a heating duct, gets out into the parking lot..."

"Not even close" Gielle said, loud enough for his uncle to hear him as he walked past the garage and into the house.

"Dangit" he heard Hank say in disgust as Gielle stepped into the house, a grin on his face at his uncles frustration.

The dinner conversation was rather quiet that night, mostly due to the fact that Hank was not at the dinner table. His aunts rather poorly cooked lasagne resembled something found in the frozen section in the supermarket, and she praised herself that it was indeed home made.

Hank wasn't there the entire night, and Gielle managed to get his homework finished, and watch a rerun of Dr. Who, and the latest Assassins Creed episode without being interrupted and asked for a magic explanation. He did all his tv watching on his laptop in his bedroom, and it was rather enjoyable to lie there in just his boxers with his earphones in his ears and not hear Hank through the bedroom wall complaining about how he missed his den.

He laid out on his bed, looking up at the ceiling as he enjoyed the peace and quiet. His thoughts eventually blurred out as he fell asleep on top of the bed. He hadn't had an evening like this where his uncle just flat out ignored him, but he wasn't going to complain about it.

The morning however, was not quite so calm.

"Gielle, can you come in the garage please?"

Gielle was outside and heading to the bus stop, his backpack slung over his shoulder and a couple of books in his hands. Wearing the denims from the day before and a red hoodie himself, he stopped when he heard his uncle call to him. Alex and Roxis were already waiting for him on the sidewalk, Alex dressed in a pair of white shorts and a baseball jersey, Roxis wearing rather 'low' rising hipster jeans and a mesh shirt underneath a leather vest.

"What is it uncle Hank? I need to get to the bus stop" Gielle said as he walked into the garage. The garage was a mess, which shocked him quite a bit. Normally, hanks garage was so surgically clean and organised that it could pass for an operating theatre. His tools were normally in their outlined positions on the wall, the ladders organised by size and length on the wall, and every piece of timber and wood in a specially designated space according to variety.

There was sawdust everywhere, and wooden planks and tools all over the floor. It looked like Hank had made the wooden crate, then took it apart and put it back together multiple times. It was now sitting on the floor, the word Pinata hackslashed all over the place on the sides. A book labelled 'Magic Made E-Z' was lying on the ground, with several pages torn out.

And Hank looked a mess. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and he hadn't shaved. His clothes were dirty and he looked like he hadn't slept all night. He was sitting on a folding steel chair, and as Gielle stepped into the garage, Hank quickly jumped off it.

"Gielle, I've figured it out. I've figured out the trick" Hank said as he grabbed the top of the lid of the crate. With ease he pulled the top off and laid it out beside the crate, sending a cloud of sawdust into the air.

"Uncle Hank, good for you. Now let me go to school" Gielle said flatly as he turned to leave.

"No. I want to show you I've figured it out. Hop in the box" Hank said in an eager voice. The smile on his face made Gielle think the older wolf had been waiting for a while to show him how it was done.

"How about no?" Gielle said as he started to walk out of the garage.

"Gielle, if I've figured out this trick, then I'll leave you alone about it. Promise. Just get in the box and let me explain it" Hank said, sounding a bit desperate. Gielle turned around and saw Hank standing there, looking like a big overgrown dog that had just had his bone removed.

Gielle saw Alex and Roxis walk up the garage, and he figured what the hell. He gave a sigh and removed his backpack and put it on the ground.

"What's going on?" Alex said as he stepped up to the garage.

"Alright alright. But after this, we're done with this trick" Gielle said to his uncle, then he turned to his friends. "Uncle Hank says he figured out how the trick works. If he did, this is the last I'll hear of it" he pointed out.

"Now, I need the volunteers' Hank said in a cheap Mexican accent. Gielle rolled his eyes as he walked up to the crate and stepped into it.

"You sure about this Gielle?" Roxis asked as the goth looking ronso looked on. Gielle nodded as he ducked into the box and Hank picked up the large lid.

"Now that the volunteer has stepped into the box, I will now seal it" Hank said as he put the lid on the box. Gielle found he had just enough room to crouch out on his back and look up at the top. It felt rather crouched and uncomfortable as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Ok, now what?" he said as he found himself waiting in a few seconds silence. He felt surprised when he heard a drill above him.

"Hey, what the hell?" he heard Roxis say, before the sound of the garage door was closing. It slid down and shut with a loud thump as Gielle heard the sound of hands on the door, hammering onto the fibreglass. The drill continued and Gielle pushed up on the lid and found that it had been secured. The drill continued twice more and Gielle realised that his uncle had just sealed him inside the crate.

"Uncle Hank, what's going on? Why did you lock me in here? What does this prove?" he demanded as he hammered his hand on the lid. But the lid didn't move as he thudded his fist on the box.

"Now, you're going to tell me the secret, and then I'll let you out" Hank said as he sat down on his steel chair. "I can wait as longer then you can" he said.

"Uncle Hank, this is crap" Gielle said as he hammered on the box lid.

"I can wait all day" Hank said as he went silent. Gielle grunted in annoyance as he thudded on the lid.

"Uncle hank, let me out right now. You can't just lock me in a box" he shouted as he used both hands to thud on the lid. He kicked at the end of the box with both of his feet, hoping that the end of the box would give way.

But obviously his uncle hadn't spend the night trying to figure out the secret behind the trick. He had been spending his time reinforcing the sides of the box to keep Gielle in it.

"Hey, you let him out of there" Alex shouted as he hammered on the garage door. "Hank, you can't lock Gielle in a damn crate. That's dangerous" he shouted as he pounded his fists on the garage door. Gielle could hear how loudly he was pounding.

"You boys get out of here, before I call your parents" Hank said. "Got Dangit, you're putting dents in the garage door. That's property damage" he shouted as Gielle heard him rummage around for something.

"My parents aren't in town, and they don't care. Now let him out of here before I break your trucks headlights" Roxis shouted through the garage. Gielle felt a cold spike hit him as he heard that.

"Roxis, don't. Hank isn't afraid to get physical" Gielle thought as he struggled harder on the box. "Uncle Hank, let me out now" Gielle shouted as he hit his fists on the wooden lid.

"You wouldn't dare" Hank said as he stood up and opened the garage door.

Oh yeah? Try me" Roxis said as the garage door slid up all the way. There was a rock in his hand that he had grabbed from the garden and he was standing beside Hanks truck in the driveway.

"You little bastard. You touch my truck and I'll introduce you to the fat end of my baseball bat" Hank said as he pulled the bat up and tapped it in his hand in a threatening manner.

"Let Gielle out of the box or your car gets blinded" Roxis said as he didn't back down.

"Roxis, don't" Alex said as he slipped in behind hank and went straight for the drill on the floor.

"Hey HEY. You're intruding in my house Alex. Get the hell out of my garage you little bastard" hank yelled as he turned around.

"Shit, where are the screws?" Alex said as he grabbed the drill and started to look for the screws in the corners of the box.

"I can't believe this" Gielle said to himself as he looked up at the box lid. His uncle had spent all night obsessing over this magic trick, and now he was locked in a box. And it sounded like Roxis was going to get into a fight with his uncle. And his uncle was about to advance on Alex.

While part of him wanted Roxis to punch his uncle, he knew they would all be in trouble if that happened. And his uncle was bigger then him, and apparently armed.

"I wonder if uncle Hank has ever seen kill bill 2?" Gielle thought to himself as he realised something he could do. He had seen that movie last year with his father, although his mother hadn't known about it. It was a special secret that they had both shared together. Even if he did have nightmares about that movie for a good while. The crazy 88 scene was enough to keep him up at night at the time.

"Ok, remember what sensai said. Time, space and distance" Gielle said as he manoeuvred himself onto his side, having to move into the fetal position inside the cramped box. There wasn't much room to move around in as he pushed himself as far back as he could in the small space.

He took a deep breath and brought his fist back slowly, calming his heart rate down with a long slow breath. His fingers clenched into a fist as he held himself in position. He closed his eyes as he heard the arguments around outside the box.

"You leave my drill alone you little thief."

"Don't you swing that thing at me. You keep the hell away from me."

"Drop the rock boy. I mean it."

"Let him out or your truck lowers in value."

Everyone outside heard the sound of the boards breaking as Gielle punched his fist through the wooden crate. The sudden breaking of wood was so unexpected that they momentarily forgot that they were all fighting with each other and turned around to see what had just broken.

As it turned out, it was also the bones in Gielle's hand.

"So, let me get this straight. You locked your nephew in a crate to get him to tell you the secret about a magic trick, and then you're telling me it's all his fault because he tried to break his way out of it?" Michael asked as he looked over his desk at Hank.

It wasn't the most extreme of injuries that Michael had to deal with, but it was one of the most unusual. Sadly, it didn't quite reach the top ten, but it was certainly a contender.

"Well, it is all his fault. He wouldn't tell me the trick" Hank said. "And then his little friends decided to gang up on my truck. I tell you what, my trucks the real victim in all of this. I'm just grateful that she was left unharmed."

"Gielle, is the victim here. Not your truck" Michael said flatly as the tired looking lion sat back in his chair. "Hank, a freaking magic trick. Are you kidding me?" Michael said in annoyance. "I've met some parents who punish their kids for some stupid things and go over the top, but this?"

"I told you, he wouldn't tell me the secret. And you know everyone knows the secrets to magic. It's all fake" Hank protested. "He deliberately withheld information on me."

"Hank, Gielle has a broken wrist, because you locked him in a crate. How long were you intending to let him stay in there? Until he got dehydrated? Until he suffocated?" Michael said. "Do you have any idea if he's claustrophobic? You should be grateful he's not. People with claustrophobia can have serious mental panic attacks if left in a small space for any amount of time."

"This is ridiculous. He's the one who started it" Hank said as he started to get angry. "look Michael, your the one who made ladybird suffer when you diagnosed Gielle with dog dander allergies. You should be on my side this time and go in there and make him tell you the secret so you can tell me" he ordered.

"Oh for gods sake Hank. Will you grow up?" Michael said. The older lion looked angry as he stood up at his desk. "It doesn't matter what the reason is, this is just asinine. You know what? This is the sort of thing I should called Gielle's social worker about."

"You wouldn't dare" Hank said in shock and in anger as he stood up to meet Michaels glaring. "After all we've been through? After all that happened at high school, and college together? You just want to go and threaten me? For gods sake Michael, i let you eat at the jocks table."

"Yes" Michael said without hesitation. "This is not highschool anymore Hank. You are not the top dog on campus anymore. You don't own the school, you don't carry the team. You don't have the best scoring average, and you sure as hell do not have the right to tell me how to do my job."

"The nerve of you" Hank said as he looked more furious then before. "I oughta kick your ass for speaking to me like that."

"Do it, and I will have you arrested and charged with assault" Michael said as he glared right back at the angry wolf. For several moments neither of them said anything as they glared at each other without moving. Michael was the first to break the silence, but not the eye contact.

"The only reason I'm not reporting you, is because Gielle said it wasn't worth it. If he didn't ask me, I'd be on the phone with her now and reporting you for child abuse and child endangerment" Michael said evenly and flatly.

"You jack ass. How could you consider turning me in like this?" Hank protested at him.

"Because that's my job. And your job as his guardian is to look after him, not lock him in crates" Michael said in anger. "Now, I'll discharge him in half an hour, and he can't be involved in any physical activities until his wrist is healed enough."

"Michael, you can't do this. For gods sake, this is all his ..." Hank protested, but Michael had had enough and he slammed his fists on his desk with so much force that the hard slapping noise echoed in the office.

"Hank, grow up" Michael said angrily. "I'm not going to report you this time, but if Gielle comes in with one more injury caused in any way by you, I will have his social worker notified. And if she decides to remove him from your care, everyone in Arlen will know about it."

"You wouldn't..."Hank said as he slowly sat down. He was experiencing something that he rarely experienced before. He was actually backing down.

"I would. Everyone in Arlen will know that you failed to look after your nephew" Michael said. " Everyone in Arlen will not care about you and your little propane spiels once they know you put your nephew in real danger" he said as he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Now, you can leave my office. I have other patience to attend to" he said as he sat back in his chair.

Hank said nothing as he stood up after a few long moments of silence. But he did give Michael a look on his face that suggested it was all the lions fault. But Michael refused to back down on his argument and met his challenging glare right back. Without a further word between them, Hank left the office.

Michael sighed once the door shut itself and he rubbed his fingers over his temples for a few moments. After that, he opened the drawer on the side of his desk and pulled out a packet of headache tables.

"I wish I could stand up to my wife like that" he found himself saying as he popped the tablets into his mouth and swallowed them dry. They tasted horrible.

Roxis did have to end up going to school once Gielle had been freed from the box. Thankfully, he had managed to get on the bus before it left the stop. But he mostly left due to Gielle's insistence.

But Alex had chosen to stay and help Gielle to the hospital. He had point blank refused Hanks orders and got in hanks truck with Gielle in the middle of him and hank. Hank was muttering under his breath the whole ride about jackass kids and spoilt nephews.

Alex had to hold Gielle's good hand on the ride over to stop him from fainting from the pain. His hand was already swelling and bruising quite severely, and Gielle had a very pale look on his face as he shook somewhat on the ride over.

Now, they were both in one of the examination rooms, sitting on a covered bed together. Gielle's hand was wrapped with bandages and plaster all the way up to his elbow. He had already been given a couple of shots of morphine and the colour was slowly beginning to come back into his face.

"So, how are you feeling" Alex asked gently as he held his hand on Gielle's shoulder, the other hand on his thigh. The look on his face was just one of concern and he felt as badly as he looked.

"like crap. I can't believe my uncle would stoop so low as to do something like that" Gielle said as he looked at the plaster covering on his hand. "Then again, I really shouldn't be, considering how he feels about me. And now I have to miss more practice. Coach is not going to be happy about this. First my allergies, then this."

"At least this time you can blame your uncle for this" Alex said. The remark only gave a small smile on Gielle's face, and it didn't last long.

"No, no I can't" Gielle said as he gingerly touched his hand to his broken wrist. He applied a little pressure and felt a bit of relief that he couldn't feel anything. A little more though and he found himself inhaling sharply as he felt a spike of pain hit him.

"Gielle, it is his fault" Alex said as he wrapped his arm around Gielle and pulled him close enough so that their heads were resting against each other. "He locked you in a box and was prepared to let you stay in there for as long as he wanted. You can't blame yourself" he said as he gave Gielle's forehead a kiss.

"He didn't tell me to break the crate open" Gielle said as he smiled gently to the kiss. The door was thankfully closed and no=one could see into the room. "I was more worried about you two getting into a fight with him. I didn't want you or Roxis getting hurt" Gielle admitted.

"Well, I know Roxis was prepared to fight Hank" Alex said. "He had a brick in his hand and everything. He didn't back down at all. Never seen him stand up to Hank or anyone like that. Hank was even armed with a bat and I know he wasn't going to back down either" he said to him.

"And what about you?" Gielle asked as he looked up at his lover. "Would you fight Hank for me?" Gielle asked with a smile.

"Anytime" Alex said with a smile as he slipped his arm around the back of Gielle's waist. "Anytime at all. You're my boyfriend. I'm not losing you without a fight. I don't care if he's holding a bat or a cordless drill. I'd take him on in a heartbeat."

Gielle smiled as he felt Alex pull him close. He lifted up his good hand and gently placed it on Alex's chest and held it there as he felt Alex's hand rub on his back.

"You know, I'm glad we're together. Funny how the last time I was sick, you were there. And here I a hurt, and you're here" he said with a smile as he heard Alex purr gently above him.

"Well, that's what boyfriends do. They help each other" Alex said with a smile as he brought his hand up and gently brushed it against Gielle's cheek, making the flamedramon smile at him.

"That's not all they do you know" Gielle found himself saying, and the statement was met with a few moments of silence between the two of them.

"You don't normally talk like that" Alex said softly as he pressed his finger under Gielle's chin and lifted his face up. "What gives?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I just...said it" Gielle admitted as he looked up at Alex. They both caught the eye of the other and for a few moments, all they did was look at each other. Both of them knew though, that Gielle simply hadn't just said it for no apparent reason, and slowly, their lips began to move towards the other.

Alex slowly slid his hand over Gielle's stomach as he pushed his lips against his lovers. His fingers slid along the waistband and slipped up under the material, finding the soft warm flesh underneath that was Gielle's white stomach. Gielle moaned softly as he felt his face heat up, embarrassed to a degree that this was happening in public.

But he was not putting up any resistance as he took his good hand and slid it over Alex's side and trailed it slowly up his back, coming to rest at the back of Alex's maned head. His fingers slid into the boys thick mane and gave a gentle grip.

Their lips mashed together softly as they found themselves both moaning softly. Alex's' tongue pushed against Gielle's lips and forced them open, starting to explore the moist warm mouth of his boyfriend.

Gielle moaned into Alex's muzzle, and the lion hybrid gave a purring growling moan back to him as he pushed forward. Gielle found himself leaning back as Alex manoeuvred himself a little so that he was sitting more in line of being in front of Gielle.

His hand slipped into the front of Gielle's pants and found its way into his crotch. Gielle gave a soft moan as he dug his fingers into the back of Alex's skull and held on as the hybrids eager fingers dug against the waistband of his briefs.

"Alex..." Gielle moaned as he felt Alex push for it. But Alex didn't hear him as he found his lips parted again as he spoke and Alex's tongue invaded his mouth. He panted and moaned as he felt a stirring in his loins and he felt himself start to harden up slowly.

Alex growled softly, almost dominantly as he slowly laid Gielle down on his back, his lips never once leaving Gielle's soft lips. His hand found Gielle's half hard length in his boxers and gave it a squeeze as his other hand slipped up against Gielle's side and slowly moved upwards.

"Alex...not...here" Gielle tried to say but his protests were cut off as Alex kept his mouth sealed around Gielle's. The flamedramon felt himself submit to Alex's dominance as the slightly bigger boy slowly crawled on top of him, his hand stroking Gielle's bulge in his pants. The other hand slide Gielle's shirt upwards.

Gielle whimpered softly as he couldn't help himself and started to give in more and more as he felt Alex grind his hips against him, feeling that thick length of his boyfriend throb with need against his leg. He panted and whimpered out as Alex's mouth left his lips and began to kiss along his neck softly.

"Alex, GET OFF ME" Gielle cried out in pain as Alex pressed too hard against him and his broken wrist had too much pressure applied to him. The pain was enough to make him cry out as it speared down his arm like a hot poker. Alex almost flew off his boyfriend as he heard him cry out in pain.

"Oh god, Gielle, I'm so sorry" Alex said in despair as he saw Gielle hold his hand to his stomach. "I....I don't know...oh god I screwed up" he said as he felt himself start o panic. "oh god...oh god...oh shit Gielle, I'm so so sorry" he said as he struggled to adjust himself.

"Alex, its' ok" Gielle said as he saw the worried look on his face as Alex straightened his rumpled clothing. His bulge was quickly deflating as the mood was all but ruined. Gielle slowly sat himself up as Alex got of the bed in a hurry. "It...it just went a little further then I wanted it too..."

"I...I should go" Alex said as he stood up off the bed and started to head to the door. He looked very upset, like he was going to cry. "God, I'm such an idiot" he said as he grabbed the door handle.

"Alex, wait" Gielle said as he grabbed Alex by his good hand and held onto him. "Alex, don't leave. Not now, and not like this" he ordered.

"Gielle, I...." Alex said, but he was cut off when Gielle planted a kiss on his lips. It was so sudden that Alex ended up being pushed against the door with the force of Gielle's aggression.

For a moment, that was all they did as Alex's arms lowered and slowly wrapped around Gielle's waist, keeping him close as Gielle's lips wrestled with his own. It wasn't enough to bring back the arousal that they had both shared, but it was enough to calm Alex down.

"Alex, I know what you want. But ... this isn't the time" Gielle said softly to him as he placed his good hand on Alex's chest. "Alex, we're in a doctors clinic, and I have a broken wrist. Its not exactly the most romantic setting for us going that far" he said.

"I guess...I guess you have a point" Alex said wit ha nod as he felt Gielle's hand touch his chest gently. The gentle touch felt nice, but it felt somewhat alien to him to be pinned against the wall.

"And...and I have to admit I want to go that far" Gielle said with a blush spreading over his face rather quickly.

"You...you do?" Alex asked, again surprised to hear this coming from his boyfriend.

"I do. I...I can't deny it. I know I said we should wait and see if things are going to work out, but why not take the chance? We've lasted this long without going too far" he pointed out. "What harm could the next level take?" he asked, still blushing furiously.

"You really mean that?" Alex asked with a small smile.

"I do" Gielle said to him wit ha nod. "Wow, I must really sound like a hypocrite right now" he said with a chuckle as he took his hand away from Alex. "Going on all the time about how we should wait while you're blowing me in the lockerooms at school" he said.

"Again, you have a point" Alex said with a smile as he gently rubbed the side of Gielle's face.

"But, I wanted to do it in the right way. When we're both alone for the day, and I'm all healed up. No interruptions, no rushing" Gielle said as he felt Alex stroke his face. "and not in a doctors office where anyone could just walk in on us" he said.

"I think I can wait for that" Alex admitted with a smile as he cupped Gielle's face gently. "We've waited this long."

"Good" Gielle said as he gave Alex another soft kiss on the lips. "I do love you Alex" he said softly.

"Right back at you" Alex said softly right back to him.

"So, can we know how the trick went?" Toby asked as they found themselves sitting outside during lunch. Sitting in a circle in a shady part of the playground, Toby, Alex, Roxis, Gielle, and the twins Marco and Marcus were all eating their lunches together.

Marco had his metal ball spinning around against his hand again, and Marcus had another art book sitting on his lap. Alex, Toby, Roxis and Gielle were looking at Marco with jealousy in their eyes. They had tried the magic ball, only to drop it each and every time.

"Yeah, come on. Tell us" Marco said. "I'd like to hear it."

"What kind of magician freak are you if you can't figure it out" Roxis asked as he pointed at him briefly with a black nailed finger.

"A bad one" Marco said, which got him an elbow in his rib by his twin brother.

"Oh come on. You know the secret behind that trick. You'd be stupid not to know that" Marcus said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but Gielle should be able to say it. Why should I ruin Ezio's special story? He might not get to be the special assistant again till I can fit him into the sparkly dress" Marco said with a grin on his face as he made the ball travel down his arm seamlessly.

"Well, do you all promise not to tell my uncle? I told him I'd get Michael to report him if he ever asked again. And you have to promise not to mention that you will put me in a dress ever again" Gielle said. The boys all nodded their confirmation.

"If he does, I'll sic a drop koala on him" Marcus promised.

"What's a drop koala?" Toby asked, sounding confused.

"It's a koala that drops out of the eucalyptus trees and bites peoples heads. Sometimes, they can chew your ear off. Literally" Marcus said with a serious look on his face.

"Seriously?" Roxis said in surprise. "I've never heard of such a thing" he admitted.

"Seriously. Only way to prevent them, is to mark the back of your ears with vegemite" Marco said as he indicated the spot behind his ear. "Drop koalas hate the smell, and it makes them projectile vomit if they eat it by mistake."

All four of the boys looked at them in surprise for several long seconds, before the two twins started to laugh like mad.

"Oh man, you should have seen your faces" Marcus said in between laughs at the others expenses. "I can't believe you guys actually believed that" he said as he felt tears in his eyes.

"You guys were just joking?" Alex said with somewhat wide eyes.

"Course we are" Marco said as he righted himself. "God, drop koalas are Australian myth mate, like the jumbawumba and the bunyip."

"what's a bunyip?" Toby asked, before any of them could stop him from asking.

"It's like a giant child stealing bunny..." Marco started, before Alex cut him off.

"Gielle, the trick?" Alex said. Marco let out a huff as he was cut off, but he didn't continue as he let Gielle speak.

"Well, when I got into the piñata, there was a second panel in the back. Only a small one though" he said. "It was under the big poncho the piñata was wearing, so it couldn't be seen."

"So that's how you got out?" Toby said. "Through a hole? But how come no one saw you leave?" he asked.

"Yep. The assistants put a spare poncho on me and a hat, and then huddled around me as we went off stage, so I couldn't be seen properly" Gielle continued. "Everyone was too busy watching Hererra breath fire to notice there was an extra assistant."

"So, when Herrera struck the piñata, I was already heading into the audience. No- one noticed me cause they were too busy watching the piñata" Gielle continued as he took a bite of the Puppy chow he had gotten off Roxis earlier.

"And your uncle arguing with the magician" Marco pointed out with a grin.

"That too" Gielle said through his mouthful. It was thankfully not difficult to eat puppy chow with one hand.

"So, after all that, it was the same simple premise of magic" Alex said. "that one universal rule thingy that everyone knows."

"misdirection" Marcus said. "its the cornerstone of every magic trick in existence" he said with a grin.

"And a pissed off uncle just made it a little bit sweeter" Gielle said, as they all had a good laugh between them.