Silver Clouds With Grey Lining

[François Laffont]

Franck had to bounce a lot of things into a perfect balance: school, his boyfriend, his boyfriend’s brother, his father, chatting with his French online friends and the actual in-the-flesh ones he had. It left little time for him to be on his own. Luckily, he had always been a social butterfly who preferred to be around others. He had no problem spending his spare time with a friend doing something said friend wanted to do. It was precisely what he intended to do now.

To be honest, he felt like he neglected Erika Conner (Bellefonte) a bit lately. She had seemed so happy when she got married and he understood how this new life took a lot of her time. Then she lost her job as co-headmistress but he already knew it never was something she was truly happy about. She even seemed happier in college. So Franck focused on Elsa. But Elsa was happy now and, well, Jasper took a lot of his time. He managed to get some to see his good friend however, as this was important. He didn’t want to make a stranger out of her.

He invited her out of school. He thought she might like it. Sure, it wasn’t like Erika was trapped in there and didn’t know the town like so many other students but he still thought it might be nice to be out of the school for a change. Most of the time he met with her, they were on campus.

He wasn’t exactly sure what they would do but he told her to meet him at the coffee shop. The only thing he was certain, however, was that he didn't want to talk about any silly rumours on their account. Somehow, people seemed to think he was seeing both the twins. As for Erika... he simply refused to believe she might be seeing another guy in her husband’s back. She might be a bit, or a lot, of a drama queen, kind of like him, but he couldn’t believe she was able to do that.

He looked at his phone for the time. They gave each other an approximate one to meet there and Franck was already here. She was not late, not really, but he still walked in when he saw dark clouds forming in the sky, not wanting to get wet. So much for doing some outdoor activity. He ordered something and sat at a table, his phone out in case she texted him to say she couldn’t make it.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

A lot had happened lately. Not only that, it had all happened at once, leaving the brunette feel incredibly dizzy and exhausted. There was so much she had to take care of, and so many people she had to tell, her head was already swimming. What Erika wanted most of all was to simply take a few days off to just let it all sink in before she started telling people everything. But she knew that the longer she waited, the more annoyed people would get and the more rumors would spread. So, one of the first people she'd decided to talk to was Franck. The poor guy had put up with so much of her shit already, it was a wonder he hadn't left her yet.

Stepping into the small coffee shop, the brunette looked around until she spotted her friend. With a meek smile on her lips, Erika made her way over. "Hey Franck," she greeted him before taking a seat opposite of his. She had prepared this entire speech before she came here, but now that she was here, words seemed to fail her completely and she found herself at a loss of words.

Leaning her chin on the back of her head, the brunette's gaze wandered towards the windows. Watching the people walk by the coffee shop brought a small smile to the brunette's lips. She sighed as she looked back at Franck again.

She'd been so ready to tell him everything when he'd invited her here, but right now, she didn't know what to say, what to do or how to act. Her head was a mess, and although she was glad she'd made the choices she'd made, she was still not entirely sure how they would be viewed from the outside. She'd decided to leave Everett because that was what was best for her and her well-being. After all, being married to someone who didn't even want to touch you apart from kissing you for the past eight months wasn't exactly something that did her self-confidence a whole lot of good. And that wasn't their only issue either. Their total lack of chemistry and ability to talk was another huge flaw. "Did you order anything yet?"

No, Erika had definitely made the right choice of taking a break. Well, and then she'd found out she wasn't even married to begin with. That had been a fun morning.

[François Laffont]

Franck smiled when he saw Erika and even gave her a little wave of the hand as she arrived. Grey clouds didn't mean it would rain now but it just might and he didn’t know if she’d be in the mood to go out under that weather. He would have been sad of course to miss her but could also understand. She didn't cancel it though and he was glad of it.

Erika didn’t have to say anything for Franck t pick up that there was something troubling her. It could be anything, except that Franck had grown used to getting emotions from Erika and could tell that something was up. No matter the facade she would put up for show, her feelings couldn’t lie and she obviously didn’t bury them deep enough for him not to pick up anything. Franck frowned as he sensed the confusion and fatigue she was through.

Obviously, said confusion and fatigue had her not notice the cup he had in front of him. He showed it to her. “I didn't get you anything. I wasn’t sure when you’d show up and I didn't know what you’d like,” he said. He figured he might as well answer her. But that sure was not what he cared the most about right now. He thought first about slowly bringing her to talk but he really didn’t like to see her in that mood and not being comforted about the reasons behind it would only lead him to worry about it. “Eri, what is it?”

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"Ah, alright then," Erika chuckled. She lifted her hand then, signaling for one of the servers to come over. She then offered Franck something of a smile as she settled into her seat, her arms coming up to unzip her jacket. However, his question had the brunette stopping. Her gaze lifted to meet his and she sighed. She continued on pulling her jacket off and folded it together. She put it next to her before drawing her breath. "You know, we can have a normal time hanging out without diving into my problems," she smiled.

The server arrived at their table and Erika turned to look at him. "I'll take a cappuccino," she smiled at him. He scribbled her order down, gave the both of them a short nod before heading back towards the kitchen. Erika ran her hand through her hair before she turned back to looking at Franck.

"I just feel like I'm constantly using you as a shoulder to cry on, and yes, I understand that with your power, that's hard to avoid, but I don't want to make you feel like that's all there is to our friendship, you know?" She smiled a little at that as she placed the palm of her hands on the table. Really though, Erika often felt as if that was all she and Franck ever did these days, and they never really got any time to just be friends, hang out and do normal things, instead of just talking about her problems.

The cappuccino was placed on the table in front of her and Erika smiled at the server. "Thank you."

[François Laffont]

Whatever was on her mind, Franck felt like it better come out at some point, otherwise it would just keep hanging above their nose the whole time they would be together. Franck didn’t mind. It was always hard for him to stay near someone he knew was not doing so well, and he always knew when such a thing happened, and not do anything about it. He didn’t mind if the way to take that away from her was to do some activity and not talk about it but he also wanted Erika to know he was there if she wanted to talk about it. She probably knew already by now but Franck was not against reminding her once more.

He had a little smile in return to hers. He waited for Erika to order, since someone came to their table before he simply shrugged, going back to their conversation. “You don’t have to give me the details but since I already can tell, if you want it to come out...” Erika however argued she felt it was all they did when they were together. Franck didn’t think it was all there was to their friendship and he was more than happy to provide said shoulder if she needed it. But he understood she might not be ready to talk about what was going on just yet. “It’s not my fault I don’t have a life as eventful as yours. Maybe I should start dating both twins, to get double the drama,” he joked. He did nod before saying that, acknowledging she preferred to leave the topic of her mood to another time. Erika should know him enough by now to know he was always here for her if she needed. Franck will just have to try and ignore it, or bring something else out of her.


“Too bad the weather’s not so great, I was happy we could get out and meet someplace else than the school for a change. Then again, you must know the town even better than I do,” he said with a chuckle as she got her cappuccino. He took a deep breath. Oh well, he could not control the weather. “Did your sister told you for she and Felix? You think we can expect something to come out of this?” Franck couldn’t help it. He didn’t like gossips but at the same time he adored them. And this time they were talking of two people close to them. “Elsa sure seems a lot happier since he’s back.”

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Chuckling softly at his words, Erika nodded. "You should be glad that you don't," she replied with a soft sigh. No, Erika didn't want this on anyone, even though she had practically asked for it. It had all happened way too fast - at least the latter part. The part about her marriage wasn't really news anymore, and it was something most people already knew, thanks to DL. But the part about her being back with Drew again was still fresh news, and well, it was still extremely confusing.

It was as if Erika had blinked and suddenly she wasn't married anymore and had jumped into a new relationship. She wasn't really sad either. Not about the whole marriage thing. Maybe it was because she'd seen it coming for a long, long time. Between rarely seeing Everett to the whole "lack of any chemistry at all", and to acting like they were nothing more than friends, it had been rather obvious that it was falling through the cracks.

"Well, this place isn't too bad," Erika said as she looked around. "It's quite nice, and the coffee is good, so." She shrugged at that. Though, in all honesty, it was the company Erika cared about, not the location. His next question had Erika pursing her lips. "She did." She was almost tempted to act as if she hadn't, and make the whole thing wholly uncomfortable, but of course the brunette decided against it. "I really hope so," she mused. "They both like each other, but seem to have some issues get past just liking each other. Elsa's hesitant, and Felix doesn't want to make any wrong moves."

Sometimes, they could both be too damn stubborn for their own goods. "Worst comes to worst, we just have to force them together." Erika smirked at that; she was going to make damn sure that her sister's happiness remained intact.

[François Laffont]

He laughed with her but he took note of her sigh. Obviously, there was some drama going on. Franck was aware of the rumours flying on her account but he also chose not to believe them. Without being against divorce, he felt marriage was something too important to simply jump into it and figure a divorce is the solution should it not wok the way you expected it. Franck was probably the kind of person who was always the most shocked to hear a couple was breaking up because of that mentality but he was also aware that, sometimes, it was the best solution. Still, so many horrible things were said about Erika in the past and he didn’t want to simply believe them. He’d believe Erika herself, no one else. “Anyway, I got my hands full with one already, I won’t bring in the other too,” he replied. Anyone who had dealt with the twins might understand what he meant. Then again, Franck dealt with Frank on almost a regular basis, it wasn’t two horny bisexual boys who’ll defeat him.

He smiled as they mentioned the place, looking around while nodding at her words. “It’s true. Besides, I thought it might be good to get out of the school a little. I know you’ve got your home here, like I do, but it’s still nice to leave the school behind for a little while,” he admitted. As much as he liked Bellefonte, he sometimes wished he didn’t have to get there every time he wanted to see a friend.

Elsa better not show up because Franck doubted she’d like them gossiping about her. But for once she was the source of gossips other than to point out how cold-hearted she could be, Franck didn’t want to skip his chance. He didn’t know how much Elsa told Erika but since they all knew the history they all shared with one another, surely Erika thought, at some point, to ask how her sister was dealing with the return of their friend. Franck believed the same as Erika, they liked each other. “Too bad they are so stubborn. Felix is able to spend the rest of his life waiting for a sign from Elsa to admit his feelings and Elsa... well...” Sure, Franck would not pretend knowing her so well but she never appeared to him as one ready to admit her affection for people, other than her twin.

He raised an eyebrow, a playful smile appearing on his lips as she said they might have to force them. “You mean like locking them in a broom closet and not let them out until they admit their feelings, or make a baby. With your sister, that the last option happens first isn’t that impossible, no offense.”

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"Smart choice," Erika laughed. No, she knew all too well how dramatic and awful things could be when you were interested in more than one guy at the same time - or worse than that, loved more than one person at the same time. Though for once, Erika was actually certain of her choice. There was no doubt this time around. She had walked into this new relationship, well knowing that this was exactly what she wanted and exactly where she needed to be in order to be happy. She loved Drew; she had never stopped loving him, and now that she'd been with Everett and realized how different the two types of love were, it had been an easy choice to make, as awful as that sounded.

Erika had been chasing a fantasy. A fantasy made by a seventeen year old girl who had this amazing guy walk into her life at the right time when she needed it the most, and even though she didn't doubt that she'd loved him, the emotions she felt for Drew was something different entirely. She wasn't chasing fantasies or daydreams anymore. She wanted the real thing, and so she had grabbed it when it had been offered to her. Maybe she was making another mistake, but she didn't care. If this really was a mistake, it was her favorite mistake thus far.

"Yeah," Erika nodded. "I know what you mean. As great as a boarding school is, sometimes it gets a little too much," she sighed as she averted her gaze.

"I'm sure that they'll work things out eventually," she said. She didn't doubt that for a second. "I just think they need a little time to get used to the idea and get to know each other, you know?" As much as Erika wanted to force them into action, they needed to do this at their own pace. They needed to figure this out on themselves without other people interfering. She wanted to see her sister and best friend happy, together so badly her judgement often got clouded.

"Something like that," Erika laughed. "Though, I'd hate to be standing outside the door when she manages to find a way out again." After all, Elsa's rage was to be feared. Erika knew that all too well.

[François Laffont]

“Can I tell you something? I never thought lust could feel so good,” he admitted, laughing at his words. It might not be that impressive a revelation but it came from Franck, the one guy you could expect wanted love and affection over sex. Since the twins were more the other way around, it might seem weird Franck ended up with one of them but it would appear, by the way he talked to Erika, that he actually liked it. Of course, giving in to lust was not something unknown to her but it used to be for Franck. In a way, he thought it was just another way to show his love. And probably a safer one with Jasper as he did fear what his reaction might be should he confess to his feelings for the boy. He didn’t really hide it around Erika though and his smile proved one thing, deep down, François Laffont was in love.

He nodded as well. Bellefonte was great, he would not deny that. But if he couldn’t get out of there, no matter all it had to offer, it would feel like a prison in no time. It was nice to explore the town. Plus Franck knew he had the luck of having his father around, something not every student had the chance of. He didn’t want to abandon the man, he was his only family.

“It’s not a bad thing. People are pretending he’s with her because he cannot be with you. We both know it isn’t like Felix to do that, and Elsa can read his mind and know for sure, but there’s nothing bad in them knowing for sure if that can go anywhere. I doubt people will stop saying she’s the next best thing anytime soon,” he pointed out. Franck couldn’t think his friend might have gone for Elsa because she was the closest to having Erika. Franck saw Felix a lot like himself and he wouldn’t start a relationship with someone only for the sex. Maybe he was too naive in love but he wanted to believe it was the same for Felix.

He laughed, wincing in pain at the mere thought of Elsa’s retaliation if they did lock her up in a broom closet with Felix until they admitted loving each other. “And I can’t even get away with it by blaming it all on you, she’ll know,” he joked. Like he would have let Erika get all the blame for it! “We’ll need a better plan then. Or let Frank do it in our stead.”

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Chuckling softly at Franck's words, Erika nodded as a wide grin formed on her lips. "Yeah? Now you know how the rest of us feel." She was happy for him. If anyone deserved to feel like a young teenager, it was Franck. He had to deal with so much crap, it was nice just seeing him being happy and free - even if his affections for the other boy was painfully obvious. But Erika figured that even if Franck did get hurt, it would be a nice experience for him. It would help him grow and realize what he wanted, and eventually turn him into an even stronger person than what he was already. "I'm really happy for you, you know?" she asked, her tone softening as her smile fell a little, but grew less teasing and much, much more affectionate.

She truly did care about Franck, and she wanted nothing more than for him to live happily ever after. If anyone on this planet deserved it, it was him. There was no doubt in her mind about that.

"Good thing it doesn't matter what other people think," Erika replied as she pursed her lips. "They can say whatever the hell they want about it and it won't make a difference." As long as the, Felix and Elsa knew, that was all that mattered. She couldn't blame Elsa for being insecure about it though. Erika understood that way too well, as she often felt the very same insecurities boil up whenever her sister was around as well. Averting her gaze for a moment, the brunette sighed. After all, they did look exactly the same; the only difference was that Elsa was smarter and more talented, so why was Elsa the one being worried? She had both the looks and the brains.

Snorting, Erika rolled her eyes. "Don't give the job to Frank; she'd make it a lot more awkward than what the two of them need. No, I think we need to leave them be and let them figure it out on their own for the time being," Erika shrugged. "They need time to grow accustomed to the idea. It's not something that should be rushed." After all, Erika was living proof that things should never be rushed.

[François Laffont]

Franck was not entirely stupid, he knew it could be dangerous for him to have feelings for Jasper. The other guy seemed to view this whole boyfriend thing as an experience. But Franck had been just as good at controlling his heart as Erika seemed to be and the more Jasper tried to be romantic, going out of his alley to please Franck, the more he liked him. Even if he did it mostly to get Franck in his bed. He laughed softly at her words. He sure didn’t know much about the physical aspect of a relationship. Having sex for the sake of having sex was still not something he was seeing himself do but letting go of all the restraints he used to have felt good. “You realise that, if you consider that Felix and Elsa are seeing each other, I think it will be the first time we’ll have be happy at the same time... well, I guess that leaves Frank, but she’s always happy, even without a guy around,” he let out. It would certainly be something Franck would notice as he was the one going from one to another every time one of them felt down. For once, he didn’t have to do it and he enjoyed that.

He nodded at her words. Rumours can go flying, Franck wouldn’t doubt Felix, or Elsa. The two of them however... “People don’t know them like we do. Elsa fit a type Felix is drawn to, it has nothing to do with you. Besides, if it really was just about you, Felix wouldn’t let this go too far. He isn’t like that.” It was true they had not met for a few months and he could have changed since he graduated but Franck refused to believe his friend changed this much. Hiding to Elsa that he slept with her because he couldn’t have Erika was one thing. Letting her grow feelings for him, now that was too cruel. “Besides, they forget something seemed to have started between them before he left,” he added.

He was drinking some of his coffee but had to put the cup down as he laughed. She was right, asking Frank to help them set them up would only lead to a lot of awkward. “They might just agree to say it fast just to be done with her,” he joked. But Franck believed the same as Erika, it was their lives and they should decide what they wanted to do with it. Franck didn’t want to interfere. He did once and he felt like he made a total mess so this time, he would let things go on their own. “I’m not even telling Elsa what emotions I’m picking around them whenever they think of each other. It’s something they need to figure out on their own,” he agreed with her. “Besides, I don’t think it’s a very good idea to force your sister to do anything.”

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Chuckling softly, Erika nodded a little at that. "Yeah," she began, pursing her lips. "Things seem to... Go well. For everyone, for a change." Though, 'going well' could mean a lot of things, and with their track records, she didn't know how long it would all last. Another DL post and things could get messy again. She could almost sense the dread moving their way. But for the time being, Erika was perfectly content simply leaving all of that in the dark and enjoy the present time instead. After all, like Franck said, they were all generally speaking pretty happy now and it was something to be enjoyed - for as long as it would last.

Nodding in agreement at that, Erika also refused to believe that Felix was that mean. The Felix she'd known and grown up around would never, ever have done anything to harm someone. Especially not like that. Besides, he was far too self-sacrificing to go through with something like that. He always put his own feelings ahead of others and rarely gave his own much thought. "Sadly, and this goes for all of us; people will always talk. There will always be gossip. There will always be rumors. It's just something we have to deal with." After all, being the center of attention of Dirty Laundry for the longest time, Erika knew all about that.

Shrugging, Erika offered him a smile. "I don't think it's generally a good idea to tell anyone to do anything," she chuckled. She knew that from experience, whenever anyone ever tried telling her what she could or couldn't do. The same went for her sister. What people often failed to understand was that despite the obvious differences, Elsa and Erika was a lot more similar than people cared to notice.

However, discussing her sister's love life was nice and all, but in the end, it was Elsa's love life and not theirs. "I'm sure they'll work it out somehow."

[François Laffont]

Franck nodded. Things were indeed taking a turn for the better and for all of them. He liked it. He was not naive to the point of thinking you could live a life without any worries but he wished drama would give them a break. They went through enough, they all deserved to enjoy whatever happiness was given to them. He had no idea how long it would last. Franck was trying his best not to fall in love with Jasper. This was all an experiment and the boy may just as well tell him it was over. But Franck never knew how not to jump head first in a relationship. No matter how careful he promised himself to be, he always ended up the one more in love.

That too, he didn’t want to think about. It nearly had him ignore how Erika also had a little down in her happy mood but he finally managed to perceive how it lowered slightly. “You are happy, aren’t you?” he asked her. He realised he didn’t ask her before claiming they all were going through a good moment in their lives.

It was annoying to know there would always be someone to claim Felix might be with Elsa only because he couldn’t have Erika but, as she said, it was impossible to make them all shut up. “It’s the kind of situation where the more you deny it, the more they believe it to be true. All you can do in the end is trust you know the person well enough and give it a chance.” Franck didn’t like rumours on his account either and he was glad he was not the Laundry’s favourite target. Then again, he didn’t see what was so amazing in his life to be worth mentioning in a blog. All he had to do was ignore any message that might be posted about other people Jasper was seeing and he might get through this without too much pain.

“I just hope she won’t run away from it because she might get hurt. It’s always possible, but the good you can get from it, it’s totally worth the risk. Your sister doesn’t strike as the fearful type but I don’t think she ever played with her heart a lot before.” That seemed to be more Erika’s style. Franck could see why Elsa might be hesitant. It was a lot to entrust someone with.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Sighing, Erika shrugged. "I am." For the most part she was, anyways. Things had been stressful and well, hectic. The whole ordeal with Everett had been a pain in the ass, but now that she was with Drew... Well, she was happier. Much happier. Not only because she'd gotten away from that failed marriage, because this time around, things with Drew was... Different. They had opened up to each other a lot more. Before, she had loved him, yes, but now it felt more like being in love. "I have little to complain about," Erika chuckled.

Which brought her to the subject of actually telling Franck, but before the thought managed to set root, the conversation continued back onto her sister and her relationship.

"Yeah," she said, shaking her head. Hence why Erika didn't even bother reading Dirty Laundry anymore. She didn't really care what the blog had to say about her. It didn't matter. She wasn't going to let some stupid rumors come into her life and take away it all. Not this time. Not again.

"I'm sure that Elsa's going to be fine, no matter what she ends up picking. She's a big girl. She can take care of herself and make her own decisions." Shrugging at that, Erika would rather they laid her sister's relationship at rest. Somehow, it didn't feel quite right discussing Elsa on such a deep, emotional level. Even if it was with Franck. Erika knew her sister in a whole different way than most people did, and that wasn't something she wanted to share with the world unless Elsa made the choice for herself.

"Anyways," she added as she lifted the cup to her lips. Taking a sip, Erika offered the French boy a smile. "How was spring break for you?"

[François Laffont]

It might seem weird for an empath to ask if someone was happy. After all, Franck knew. But he also sensed something inside of her, like she was a little down. Someone could be happy right now but also be sad inside. It might sound contradictory but to him Franck, it wasn’t so much. It was all a matter of layers. A cute guy passed by and desire could go up for a second or two, even if that is out of place in the current conversation. He learned not to focus too much on the constant mood change people were going through depending on what they talked about, did or saw. It explained why he was glad to hear her confirm she was happy. There was still a little something but he preferred not to say anything about it. She knew she could tell him everything, right?

“At most, she doesn’t seem as depressed as she had been since you guys returned to college. For that only, I approve whatever’s happening,” he said with a smile. Franck had tried to cheer the young woman up. Her plan for the future then had been to get drunk. Not something Franck could really agree on. She looked like her old self now, strong, determined, perhaps even happier than what he used to see her before. Whatever could put someone in that mood couldn’t be a bad thing. And even if it had to end, Franck didn’t think she would go back to her depressed self. It was the kick she needed at the perfect time.

He smiled as she brought up the Spring Break. “It was great. I enjoyed it, really, even the part where Frank decided to talk to me about glittery vampire semen,” he let out with a laugh. This girl was crazy, really, but she was also too awesome to hang out with to try and change her. He wasn’t even sure they could. A light blush tinted his cheeks as he thought of another particularly good moment of the spring break. “Jasper even surprised me, on the last day. Told me to come to my room. I found him on my bed, in underwear. He really went for it, even stole some flowers from the dining room and got a box of chocolate I’m pretty sure he stole too but I couldn’t find who owned it first to repay it...” He chuckled, looking at what remained of his coffee in his cup. It had been memorable to say the least. “How about you?” he asked her when he finally allowed himself to look at her again.