"No, no, no, no!"

As expected, Harry was drastically losing.

To avoid them from fussing over fighting about one more game, they agreed two out of the three games. Harry was confident but then quickly lost it after Terry won the first game, as expected. Terry smirked smugly at the winner's sticker on his character. He was sure he could turn Harry into at least half of the reading fanatic as he is.

When Harry got extremely lucky at the final turn of the second game and just tapped into Terrence's character, which made him miss the last speed boost and crash into the wall, Harry frantically regained his composure and hit the speed boost and crossed the finish line. Terrence sat there in pure shock at the lucky hit Harry made. He hugged the curve perfectly, his win was inevitable it seemed.

With a win under each of their belts, the third and final game became increasingly important and nerve racking. No cocky words were shared between them as they raced as if their lives depended on it. To Harry, it kind of did. He couldn't have the slightest chance of losing SoloWars on his mind. He needed to win this game.

"You're gonna lose, Harry," Terrence sung.

Harry glared at the screen, not wanting to turn his face to glare at his Terry. When the screen flashed final lap on Terry's half, Harry panicked as he followed two seconds later. Only one AI was in between them, Harry knew he could at least pass it if he makes all the turns. 5 km from the finish, Harry out wits the AI and closes in on Terrence.

Terrence acknowledges the car flanking his left. He keeps calm and tries not to worry himself, Harry has closed in before but never got that lucky nudge to pass him again. The finish line is in sight and Terrence, without remorse, activates his nitro and claims victory. Harry watches in complete shock as blue fire tailed Terry's car as it crossed the finish line. He lost, it was official.

Five minutes till classes resume

"Thank you, Serenity," Harry groaned to his motherboard.

You're welcome, Mr. Edwards

"Well then, I guess someone has to pay up," Terry drawled.

"Fair's fair. What's your list, Obi Wan?" Harry wondered.

Terrence mockingly pretended to think of his first choice. "You, my dear Edwards, will begin your month with an easy read, The Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. Followed by Flowers For Algernon, The Raven, 1984, and, saving the best for last, Avalon High. A little modern, well modern is a loose term since that book was written over 100 years ago, but a twist nonetheless!"

Harry smiled at his last choice. He wanted to read that first but felt that that tale should be saved for last. It would be the dessert he craved.

"The beginning of next month, you can come over and pick up my copies," Terrence offered.

"I'll finally get you meet your mother."

Terrence tilted his head. "Perhaps."

Class bell rings in one minute and thirty seconds.

"Go on. Get to your computer before the bell rings," Harry insisted, helping Terrence to his feet.

He walked his small companion to the teleport tube with a hand comfortably on his shoulder. The two made shy goodbyes as the tube hummed and sent Terrence to another part of the building.

Harry wistfully returned to his school computer and signed himself in, appearing alone in the hallway outside the gym. A few seconds later, a black haired literary genius materialized beside his character.

Harry offered his elbow. "Shall I walk His Highness to class?"

Terrence giggled and wrapped his arm around Harry's. "You shall, fine gentleman."

The pair of giggling teens strolled their way to class, taking in their precious company.

~=~=+=~=~

Rematch?

Terrence smiled smugly at the HoloMessage Harry had sent him. It had been two days since their eventful race and the umpteenth time Harry asked for a rematch.

Terrence bit his lip and excitedly typed back.

Still healing your bruised pride?

He placed his HoloCell on his nightstand as he leaned back to await the reply. Only a few seconds went by before the device chimed again. Terrence laughed loudly at the response.

Yeah, but I have faith!

In what? Your sucky Tailspin skills? He typed.

Yeah! Came the reply.

Good luck with that!

Rematch, oh wise and skillful Terrence? Harry buttered up.

Terrence thought for a few seconds before typing his answer and hit send.

A knock on his door distracted him as his mother poked her head in.

Dr. Quinn opened the door wider as she deemed it to be safe to enter. The medical engineer smoothed out the front of her turquoise skirt as she eyed her young son looking up from smiling at his device screen. Mai Quinn noticed how social and active her usually sheltered son has been lately. She'd find him out and traveling till 5, home on time for dinner, or staying over at his new friend's apartment within the Capital Building on days she'd be working long shifts at the Capital City's hospital.

Dr. Quinn also noticed the foreign, odd pieces of clothing her Terrence had been collecting. A hoodie, a pullover sweatshirt, a beanie. All with the trademark logo of Excalibur Gaming Inc. She assumed this to be from his friend, one she had never met because they'd usually be out in the city. She was questioning, but the smiles and boosted happiness beaming from Terrence made her content with her oblivion. Whatever this boy did, opened Terrence up like a magnolia in May.

"I'm heading out, Terrence. I won't be home for dinner," she informed her son.

Terrence put his HoloCell back on his stand and stood up from his comfy bed. Shaking out his oversized plaid shirt, he smiled warmly at his mother.

"Okay, I'll walk you out," Terrence softly responded.

Terrence walked up to his mother. Their even 5'5 height kept their equally hazel eyes on an even plane. Dr. Quinn's much shorter black haired bob, typical of a middle aged woman of Chinese descent, contrasted with her son's near knee length braid of silky black hair, a promise Terrence made to himself as he stared at pictures of his missing father and his similar braid. A connection he made to preserve his memory.

Dr. Quinn reached up a small, pale hand to brush up against her son's tanner cheek. She smiled proudly at him before turning to walk down to the transporter.

She reached to grab her pea coat, which Terrence beat her to and proceeded to help her put it on. Dr. Quinn gathered her son in her arms and squeezed tight like she did every morning and night that she left for work.

"I'll be going over to Harold's for dinner if he agrees, though it feels definite," Terrence proposed. "May I sleep over if it comes to that?"

Any other time in Terrence's life, Dr. Quinn would carefully consider letting him go before saying no out of fear he'd lose his way out of her sight. But this last month and a half, she's seen progress that she thought she'd never see. So, without fear in her heart, she nodded.

"You have my permission. Please alert me to where you'll be after you've eaten dinner," she allowed.

Terrence grinned widely, wrapping his arms around his unsuspecting mother, and squeezing her tighter than ever before.

"Thank you, thank you. A million times thank you! Have a good night, mom. I love you," Terrence gleefully told his mother.

Dr. Quinn stepped back into the transport tube. "Be safe, I love you too!"

With a muted flash, her molecules separated and reconfigured at the lobby.

Terrence jogged back to his room, jumped into bed, and grabbed his HoloCell. He typed his mother's absence to Harry and awaited the response.

Meanwhile, in Harry's computer room, Harry was falling asleep at his chair as his fellow board members went on and on about this month's statistics over their video meeting. As CEO of both Excalibur Gaming and HoloTech Industries, Harry had a lot on his plate and at all times. He generally left HoloTech to his deputy manager to oversee day to day events and put his everyday focus on EG, his prized possession. HoloTech was his parents' company, the best in the world, so there was no way he could transfer the title of highest stockholder to the grubby mitts of an old, greedy man.

But no matter what, the monthly board meeting put Harry to sleep as the CFO and various other bigwigs talked about the month's profit. Seeing as HoloTech makes almost every useful product on the market, Harry didn't see why they needed to talk about profit. The results were the same every month, quarter, and year. They were filth freaking rich.

Harry jolted awake as he felt his HoloCell vibrate in his hand. His Terry finally messaged him back. He looked up at the screen with his board members' faces and quickly unlocked the device.

Dinner?

Did he even have to ask? Harry smiled at the politeness of Terrence, a trait he came to love. Harry glanced at his computer clock, which sat at 7:03 p.m. Dinner sounded amazing, he concluded. He frowned thinking of what he could possibly cook but thought of a brilliant idea before settling on takeout.

One condition, he bargained.

Shoot.

Rematch? ;)

Terrence laughed at the little cheeky emoticon. He should have expected that little condition. With a competitive spirit sparked within him, Terrence sent his acceptance. Satisfied with that, he jumped in the shower with the thoughts of their late night gaming session front and center in his mind.

Harry's eyes lit up as his Terry accepted his condition. With lightning fast fingers, he dialed the number for the best pizza in Capital City as he addressed his goodbyes to the meeting.

"Yeah, all that sounds great. Jensen, send me the financial papers with your notes. Goodnight, gentlemen," Harry rambled off as he clicked the end button on the call.

Ordering the largest Hawaiian pizza they had, Harry randomly picked up and fixed little anomalies in his spacious condo. Gotta be decent, gotta be decent, he chanted in his head.

When he heard the transporter buzz, Harry was just finished cleaning off the coffee table full of soda cans and energy drinks. Harry brushed imaginary crumbs off his forest green cardigan and messed with his already messy red mop of hair as Terrence's molecules reassembled in the tube.

The pair smiled happily at each other, eyeing the other's gorgeous appearance. Terrence noted Harry's dress casual look which he assumed Harry just finished a board meeting with HoloTech, since Harry usually does his Excalibur Gaming meetings in sci-fi t-shirts at the actual boardroom. Harry internally beamed at the sight of Terrence wearing the EG pullover he gifted him a few days ago. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows as the too big garment covered Terrence in comfortable warmth. Both of their moods boosted in the presence of one another, time actually almost stopped.

"Ready to get demolished?" Terrence taunted.

Harry chuckled and got very close to Terrence, his 6'4 form towering over him in intimation. "I think I should be saying that to you, Terry."

Momentarily distracted by Harry's closeness, Terrence walked around him, grabbed a KA controller, and sat back on the couch, starting up the console.

Harry smirked at the picture of Terrence comfortable in his living room, playing on his KA, being the adorable person he is. Unbuttoning his cardigan, revealing the faded Camelot Con 2123 shirt underneath, he tossed it to the side and took his place next to Terrence. Terrence loaded up Tailspin and the pair played many games through dinner and into the night to the early morning.