It took only a few hours for Theodore to realize why Percy hated ships so much. At first, it had, naturally, been exciting. But, after time, the realization that they were stuck on a single vessel, out in the middle of the ocean, with no land around for a considerable distance, struck Teddy hard. Damn that Woodward for making Theodore aware of his anxiety. These thoughts, combined with the relentless rocking of the ship, slowly back and forth, were enough to make Teddy already want to jump into the ocean. 

    It seemed that the only one among them who could enjoy himself was Everett, yet even he was struck with a sense of melancholy. So, the boys all quickly agreed to spend the rest of their day in their shared room onboard, happy to sit on their respective beds and talk rather than stare out at the ocean. 

     "Your friends seemed really excited for you, at least," Percy said to Everett as he revealed his concern over leaving the show during immense progress.

     "And you're allowed to take a break, Ev," Teddy agreed, and he pulled his cardigan out of his luggage to put on. "No one can begrudge you that."

     "No, I know," Everett agreed hesitantly. "I'm more worried about leaving Victor there if I'm honest. He's still hurt from everything with Roland, and now he's stuck there with Roland as his bloody stage manager. He needs support. He needs me there."

     Theodore could only assume that Percy and Everett had discussed the situation to some level, for Percy did not seem as confused as he would otherwise be. 

     "Victor still has Mae," Theodore attempted to offer as comfort. "And I'm sure Roland won't try anything in front of the others."

     "No, I know," Everett replied, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. He opened his mouth as if to speak more, then shook his head, shutting his eyes tight. "It's silly."

     Theodore had not spent a semester in a Brain and Behaviour course to just brush that off. 

     "Ev?" Theodore inquired. "What is it?"

     Everett looked over at them and opened his eyes, a tear forming in the corner of one. He sighed, wiping it away before it could fall. 

    "It's just us, Ev. You know you can tell us anything."

    "I know you two won't judge," Everett replied quietly. 

     "Never," Percy agreed, sitting cross-legged on the end of his bed. Theodore hadn't seen it, but he suspected that Percy was too tall to lie down in their provided bunks comfortably. 

     "It's Victor," Everett began, as if unsure how else to word it. 

     "Victor," Percy repeated. Teddy had to refrain from rolling his eyes. 

     "I feel for Victor in a way that I hadn't felt since Miguel left," Everett tried again, giving Percy a glance that begged him to understand this time. Luckily, Percy seemed to have caught on by now, his mouth opening in realization.

    Teddy couldn't say he was entirely surprised. If he were to talk to Everett about the show, the boy would most likely bring up Victor. He was always most excited to discuss the actor and his performance. Sure, Geoffrey and Lydia were good, but to Everett, Victor was a star.

     "While he was with Roland, my feelings were, I don't know-" Everett frowned, trying to find the words. Theodore and Percy waited quietly; they both knew how complicated these matters of love and attraction could be. "Easier to contain. He had a partner, and I'm not about to ruin someone else's relationship. That wouldn't be fair of me."

     "But now that's not the case," Percy provided the obvious, to which Everett nodded.

     "I won't lie and say that I never thought of us together while he was with Roland. Sometimes, when I was alone, I would think about Victor and how much I would enjoy it if we were together. I never liked Roland because of that."

     "Your distaste is very justified now," Theodore offered, to which Everett smirked. He thought for a moment. 

     "Sometimes, I swear I remember him touching his lips to my skin even though he never has."

     Teddy and Percy only glanced at each other for a brief moment, but it was enough to make Everett's face start to turn red.

    "It's stupid, I know-"

     "No," Teddy replied. "Not at all. You're allowed to yearn for something. Or someone. Everyone has feelings like that. You coped with them how you had to."

     "After everything with Roland, I want to give him time. You know, wait until he seems ready for another relationship before I test the waters. But that's hard, too. And I don't talk to anyone there about this, you know? Mae would be too concerned, the girls would probably not understand, and God knows I'm not telling Geoffrey. He can't keep his mouth shut about anything with consequences less than prison."

     "Why do you even live with him?" Percy asked, tugging on his tie to loosen it. 

     "The others asked me to," Everett replied simply, sitting up and resting his back against the wall. "He's got some history with substances and stuff, and they wanted someone to keep an eye on him. They asked Mae, but they wouldn't do it for some reason. So once I was around, they asked me to do it."

     "So, back to this thing with Victor," Teddy interrupted, hoping that Everett wouldn't mind circling back. "Do you know how you want to approach this? Do you want to wait it out? Get over him?"

    Everett sniffed, then smiled at his friends.

    "I want to fuck a hot American and get this out of my system."

     It became quickly clear that the boys would grow more bored as their time on the ship passed. One day, they tried to follow the example of other passengers, standing by the railings and watching as they continued their journey, and perhaps this was their "aloof youthfulness," as it was described by an older American woman, but none of them found themselves very interested in staring out at blueness with nothing else in view. 

    And so, being on a British boat and realizing that there were, in simple words, some privileges that they had at home that they would not have once they landed—namely, access to alcohol. Honestly, Theodore hadn't intended to drink himself into a ditch, but even he could recognize that this whole Prohibition thing was not ideal for Brits on vacation. So, what else was there to do on the trip there other than to take advantage of the alcohol being sold to them?

    Everett picked out the wine, mostly because Teddy and Percy had no preference for what they drank; in Percy's words, he would drink anything as long as it made him "forget that they were at the risk of sinking at any moment."

    So, it wasn't exactly shocking when Percy was the one to get hilariously drunk.

    "Oh my god, am I bleeding? Ted, Ted, you're a doctor-"

    "Not yet," Theodore replied, smirking as he eyed the dark red stain on Percy's sleeve. Percy lifted it up and sniffed it.

     "Wait, no, that's a wine stain. Damn, I'm sloshed."

    "Ted, Ted, Ted," Everett stammered, leaning against the wall and gradually sliding down it. "Ted, can we talk Abigail?"

     Theodore would willingly admit that he hesitated to agree, but time had passed, and the thought of her had become easier with that time. Woodward had been right, after all. He would be alright without her. It would hurt, but he would be alright.

    "What about her?"

    "We tried to talk to her," Everett started but got cut off by Percy.

    "She was a bitch."

    "She got really mad at us," Everett explained further, grabbing one of the wine bottles. "We're still not sure why. But you still don't know why she broke it off, right?"

    "No idea," Ted replied, watching as Everett drank from the bottle, then reaching out to take it from him. 

     "I dunno if she knows," Percy slurred, leaning back against the walls. Theodore took a drink from the bottle, then reached for their pitcher of water to pour some for Percy. 

     "What do you mean?" He asked as he held the glass out to his friend. Percy took it, holding it without much attention as he replied. 

     "She's defensive because she doesn't have an answer," he replied, then drank from the water. Everett hummed in consideration. 

     "It's possible," he replied, "honestly, I think she's not quite sure about herself right now, and that got taken out on you. Us too, I suppose."

    "How so?"

    "What kind of people is she around at that school of hers?" Everett asked, pulling a knee to his chest. "Between them and her family, maybe she's starting to think about class structure more than before."

     "Watch her be the next fucking debutante," Percy said, rolling his eyes. Everett scoffed.

     "I don't think I'd recognize her anymore."

     "She tried to kiss me," Theodore revealed. Everett and Percy immediately turned to look at him. "A little while ago. Her friend is the brother of my friend Dansworth's girlfriend, so everyone was together at this club. We ended up dancing, you know; I thought we could try to be friends again. And then she was leaning in and trying to kiss me."

     "Damn," Percy replied, shaking his head. "Women aren't worth this shit. Not right now. We're too young for it."

     "Don't tell that to Margy," Everett joked, poking Percy with his toe. Percy's brow furrowed.

    "Huh?"

     "Margy?" Theodore replied, watching Percy until the other boy turned to him, raised his eyebrows, and nodded. 

    "Right, right. Yeah, her. Don't tell her that."

     Theodore had never been more happy to see land. And his joy only grew as, while he and the boys were descending the steps off of the ship, a voice called out;

    "Teddy! Teddy, we see you!"

    Theodore wasn't sure how he had heard her over all of the voices surrounding them in a cacophony of experiences, but he was certainly glad that he did. Grinning, he silently begged the people in front of him on the steps to move faster. He hadn't seen her since Lady Edith's wedding, and even then, they had barely been able to spend time together. They deserved to finally catch up properly. Besides, Theodore was sure Rose wanted to hear about his first year at university.

    He saw her briefly through the crowd, and as he stepped off of the stairs, he beelined for her, hoping that Everett and Percy had the sense to follow. He stepped around middle-aged ladies with large furs and even larger hats, past businessmen too obsessed with conversation to notice the people around them, and, finally, he reached Rose, who had her arms out and ready to greet him. 

    Theodore hugged her without hesitation, holding her tightly and smiling over her shoulder at the sight of Atticus. He smiled back, then stepped around him. Vaguely, Teddy could hear Atticus introducing himself to Everett and Percy.

    Teddy hadn't had any worries about bringing either of them to stay with Rose and Atticus. Rose had interacted with Everett before, through dinners at Downton and the such. And she, of all people, was not someone that Teddy worried about when it came to Percy's race. Atticus himself knew how it felt to face discrimination as well, so Teddy was certain that he would also be perfectly kind. It was nice to see that he had been entirely correct. 

    "Oh, I've missed you," Rose said as she finally released the hug, looking Teddy up and down. "Look at you! When did you become a man?"

     Theodore laughed, letting her put her hands on his face and take him in before, finally, turning to his friends. As she spoke to Everett and Percy, Theodore turned to Atticus, shaking his hand.

    "Hello, Atticus. It's so nice to see you," he said, to which the man grinned, expressing similar sentiments. "Thank you for letting us infiltrate your home."

   "It's not infiltrating at all," he assured. "We're more than happy to have you, and Rose is thrilled that you will finally meet Victoria."

    "As am I," Theodore replied. Their daughter was well over a year old now; it was about time that he met her.

     "You boys must be exhausted from your journey," Rose said to the group, walking over to Atticus and taking his arm. "Come, we'll get you all home and situated."

     Home and situated involved having their staff take the boys' cases while Rose led the group to a sitting room, sending Atticus to get their daughter. 

    "You really must meet her," she insisted, to which Teddy readily agreed.

     They all took seats in the room, only Percy hesitating before doing so, which only served to make Rose readily insist that he join them. She was truly good at reading people and remembering little details, as she seemed to know that a few questions about Ruth and his other animals would make him more comfortable. Which, naturally, was right. By the time Percy had finished telling Rose about Penelope, Atticus was arriving with a little toddler in his arms, the girl's face holding a large, gummy smile as she looked at the people in the room.

    In only a few minutes, Theodore found himself sitting on the ground with the girl in his lap. Victoria was distracted by the stuffed bunny she had brought down from the nursery while the grown-ups engaged in their conversations.

    "What plans do you boys have while you're here?" Rose asked, accepting a cup of tea from Atticus as he handed it to her. 

    "Everett's really the one interested in New York," Percy replied, "though Ted and I are naturally both interested in seeing some of the sights."

    "Alright then, Everett," Rose said, turning to him. "What are your plans?"

    Everett took a moment to answer, eyes scanning the room and the tip of his tongue sticking between his lips as he thought it over.

    "Well, I'm working on a musical with some friends back home," he started, to which Rose nodded.

    "Yes, Teddy told us! I hope you got the funds we sent you-"

    "We sent funds?" Atticus interrupted, turning to his wife. Rose shushed him, and the man immediately fell silent, shaking his head. 

    "We did get them," Everett confirmed, "and they are very greatly appreciated."

     "And that's all going smoothly?"

     "As smoothly as it can," Everett replied with a smile at the couple. "Our biggest dilemma right now is a new character who Clara has decided is necessary to the plot. I've started writing some music for it, but we don't have anyone for the role."

    Whether she knew much about theatre or not, Rose nodded along as if she had been through that exact scenario before.

    "Right, so what are your plans while you're here?" She asked, getting them back to the topic of conversation. Theodore looked down as Victoria grabbed his hand, babbling at him as if to pull his attention to her. He adjusted her position on his lap, rocking her back and forth.

     "I'd like to see a show or two on Broadway," Everett answered. "The group at home would never forgive me if I didn't."

     "And?"

     "Oh, I'm afraid my other plans may be a bit too racy for your liking," Everett responded with a slight smirk. Rose laughed, shaking her head.

     "Then you clearly don't know what I got up to at your age."

     She wasn't sure exactly how she was planning to go about it. The only thing that Abi knew for sure was that she had agreed to have a coming-out ceremony, and, surprising even herself, she was excited about it. 

    And why shouldn't she be? It wasn't like Abi didn't enjoy these pieces of her femininity. Cutting her hair to her shoulders years ago didn't mean she didn't like pretty dresses- just like being with Teddy hadn't meant she wasn't from her social class. But, at the end of the day, Abi believed she understood compatibility. Her hair had grown out again and matched the young woman she was meant to be. And that was good. 

    Lady Catherine Rosendale was younger than Abi had initially believed, probably in her late twenties at most. On the day of the ceremony, it was she, and not Abi's mother, who helped Abi get ready.

    "This reminds me of my coming out ceremony," she stated wistfully, watching as her maid, a middle-aged woman named Danvers, collected Abi's hair to put it into the appropriate, sophisticated style. "My older sister stayed with me while I got ready. She gave me all of the tips for entering society."

     "The tips?" Abi inquired, looking at Lady Catherine in the mirror. She smiled at her, picking up an ornate box and walking over, placing it on the vanity. 

     "I know that Lady is not in your title now," she said matter-of-factly, "but, with this ceremony, it's possible that that may change in the future. Do you understand that?"

    Abi had never considered the possibility of marrying a nobleman. Despite her temporary interlude with Everett, which had been entirely fictitious in itself, she had never even considered class in her dating life until recently. But, university changed the way people thought. That was its whole purpose, after all. And while the class difference between herself and Teddy had been one thing when they were children, it was another thing now. This whole ceremony only supported that. 

     "Unless you already have a man?" Lady Catherine inquired, looking at Abi expectantly in the mirror. Abigail quietly laughed, shaking her head. 

    "No. Not now, no."

     "Not now?" Lady Catherine opened the box, pulling out a few pieces of jewellery. "Does that mean you did at one point?"

    "That's right," Abi confirmed. There was no use in denying it, after all. "I was with someone for quite some time."

     "And why not now? Did he break your heart?"

     As Danvers pulled her hands away from Abi's hair to grab a few pins, Abigail took the opportunity to look at the woman who had given her this entire opportunity. 

    For some reason, avoiding or lying about the topic with most other people had been easy. Even Eleanor didn't know much about it. Perhaps it was because Abigail had considered it defensive for both herself and Teddy. She wasn't in the business of turning people against him, just as she hoped he wouldn't do the same to her. Yet now, she couldn't understand why, but she trusted her with the information. And so it came spilling out.

    "I think I broke his. But I had to do it. I just knew it."

    Lady Catherine's eyebrows rose, and she glanced at her maid. 

    "Danvers, have you finished?"

    "Yes, my lady," Danvers replied, placing the last pin in Abi's hair. Abi turned her head slightly to look at the style, eyes on the pearls that now adorned her hair. The pins were Lady Catherine's, which she said she had worn for her own coming-out ceremony. They would add the feathered headpiece closer to the event. "That should be all for now."

     "Could you leave us for a moment?"

     Danvers dutifully did, leaving in that quiet and subdued servant way. As she closed the door behind herself, Lady Catherine turned her attention to Abigail, turning her so that they were facing each other.

    "So, why did you have to break this boy's heart?"

    "I'm afraid you'll think me cruel."

     "I'll be the judge of that," she replied in that same to-the-point way. 

     "Theodore and I have been friends since we were little kids. He's the son of one of the servants at Downton Abbey," Abi explained. Lady Catherine quietly nodded along, showing her understanding of the words. "I