<span style="font-size: 85%; line-height: 116%;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #00F4FF">G</span><span style="color: #05EFFE">i</span><span style="color: #0AEBFE">v</span><span style="color: #0FE6FD">e</span> <span style="color: #1ADDFC">a</span> <span style="color: #25D4FB">l</span><span style="color: #2AD0FB">i</span><span style="color: #2FCBFA">t</span><span style="color: #35C7FA">t</span><span style="color: #3AC2F9">l</span><span style="color: #3FBEF9">e</span> <span style="color: #4AB5F8">t</span><span style="color: #4FB1F7">i</span><span style="color: #55ACF7">m</span><span style="color: #5AA8F7">e</span> <span style="color: #659FF6">t</span><span style="color: #6A9AF5">o</span> <span style="color: #7491F4">m</span><span style="color: #7A8DF4">e</span> <span style="color: #8484F3">o</span><span style="color: #8A80F2">r</span> <span style="color: #9378F2">b</span><span style="color: #8D7DF2">u</span><span style="color: #8881F3">r</span><span style="color: #8386F3">n</span> <span style="color: #788FF4">t</span><span style="color: #7393F4">h</span><span style="color: #6D97F5">i</span><span style="color: #689CF5">s</span> <span style="color: #5DA5F6">o</span><span style="color: #58A9F7">u</span><span style="color: #53AEF7">t</span><span style="color: #4DB2F8">,</span><br/><span style="color: #43BBF9">W</span><span style="color: #3EC0F9">e</span><span style="color: #38C4FA">'</span><span style="color: #33C8FA">l</span><span style="color: #2ECDFA">l</span> <span style="color: #23D6FB">p</span><span style="color: #1EDAFC">l</span><span style="color: #18DFFC">a</span><span style="color: #13E3FD">y</span> <span style="color: #08ECFE">h</span><span style="color: #03F1FE">i</span><span style="color: #01F2FE">d</span><span style="color: #07EEFE">e</span> <span style="color: #11E5FD">a</span><span style="color: #17E0FC">n</span><span style="color: #1CDCFC">d</span> <span style="color: #26D3FB">s</span><span style="color: #2CCEFB">e</span><span style="color: #31CAFA">e</span><span style="color: #36C5FA">k</span> <span style="color: #41BDF9">t</span><span style="color: #46B8F8">o</span> <span style="color: #51AFF7">t</span><span style="color: #56ABF7">u</span><span style="color: #5CA6F6">r</span><span style="color: #61A2F6">n</span> <span style="color: #6C99F5">t</span><span style="color: #7194F5">h</span><span style="color: #7690F4">i</span><span style="color: #7C8CF4">s</span> <span style="color: #8683F3">a</span><span style="color: #8C7EF2">r</span><span style="color: #917AF2">o</span><span style="color: #917AF2">u</span><span style="color: #8C7EF2">n</span><span style="color: #8683F3">d</span><span style="color: #8187F3">,</span> <br/><span style="color: #7194F5">A</span><span style="color: #6C99F5">l</span><span style="color: #669DF5">l</span> <span style="color: #5CA6F6">I</span> <span style="color: #51AFF7">w</span><span style="color: #4CB4F8">a</span><span style="color: #46B8F8">n</span><span style="color: #41BDF9">t</span> <span style="color: #36C5FA">i</span><span style="color: #31CAFA">s</span> <span style="color: #26D3FB">t</span><span style="color: #21D7FC">h</span><span style="color: #1CDCFC">e</span> <span style="color: #11E5FD">t</span><span style="color: #0CE9FD">a</span><span style="color: #07EEFE">s</span><span style="color: #01F2FE">t</span><span style="color: #03F1FE">e</span> <span style="color: #0EE8FD">t</span><span style="color: #13E3FD">h</span><span style="color: #18DFFC">a</span><span style="color: #1EDAFC">t</span> <span style="color: #28D1FB">y</span><span style="color: #2ECDFA">o</span><span style="color: #33C8FA">u</span><span style="color: #38C4FA">r</span> <span style="color: #43BBF9">l</span><span style="color: #48B7F8">i</span><span style="color: #4DB2F8">p</span><span style="color: #53AEF7">s</span> <span style="color: #5DA5F6">a</span><span style="color: #63A0F6">l</span><span style="color: #689CF5">l</span><span style="color: #6D97F5">o</span><span style="color: #7393F4">w</span><span style="color: #788FF4">,</span><br/><span style="color: #8386F3">M</span><span style="color: #8881F3">y</span><span style="color: #8D7DF2">,</span> <span style="color: #8F7BF2">m</span><span style="color: #8A80F2">y</span><span style="color: #8484F3">,</span> <span style="color: #7A8DF4">m</span><span style="color: #7491F4">y</span><span style="color: #6F96F5">,</span> <span style="color: #659FF6">m</span><span style="color: #5FA3F6">y</span><span style="color: #5AA8F7">,</span> <span style="color: #4FB1F7">o</span><span style="color: #4AB5F8">h</span> <span style="color: #3FBEF9">g</span><span style="color: #3AC2F9">i</span><span style="color: #35C7FA">v</span><span style="color: #2FCBFA">e</span> <span style="color: #25D4FB">m</span><span style="color: #1FD9FC">e</span> <span style="color: #15E2FD">l</span><span style="color: #0FE6FD">o</span><span style="color: #0AEBFE">v</span><span style="color: #05EFFE">e</span></div><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #00F4FF">•</span><span style="color: #4AB6F8">•</span><span style="color: #9478F2">•</span><span style="color: #4AB6F8">•</span></div><br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #33FFEE">The day had started out like any other Sunday. Thirty-four degrees in early February was normal for London and the locals didn't seem to mind one bit. Scarves, heavy coats, and fur (faux or not) lined hats helped keep the cold at bay. Cups filled to the brim with hot tea or coffee kept hands warm. Those not willing to brave the freezing streets sat inside coffee shops, cafes, and pubs, the warm air thawing their bones. Even during the coldest days, the city was still bustling and moving; maybe at a slightly slower pace, but Londoners didn't let the cold stop them.<br/><br/>Especially not Silver Morgenstern. He welcomed the cold with open arms; the heat made him especially grumpy. Come winter, however, Silver was alert, much more active, and a whole lot more willing to be out and about. He absolutely loved winter and the cold days. Weekends were usually his time to wind down for two days; no work, no school, no going back and forth on the tube. At least Saturday had been that way. The previous day had been a calm day with nothing more on the agenda than to do some laundry and just relax. Unfortunately, Sunday hadn't continued the weekends relaxed theme.<br/><br/>The call came from his oldest brother Saturday night just as Silver was about to fall asleep. It hadn't been a particularly long conversation; at least it didn't feel that way to the twenty-year old boy. Hunter had asked a very simple question that took Silver a moment to register.</span> <span style="color: #66FF66">'We're all going out to dad and mum's for lunch. Do you want to join us?'</span> <span style="color: #33FFEE">A pretty simple question that should need much consideration, right? One would think so. Going to have lunch with one's parents and siblings seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do. But things were a little different when it came to Silver's parents.<br/><br/>His mother Sora was a sweet woman who loved to cook and garden. When it came to her three boys, she was such a doting and loving mother; anything her boys wanted, they could have. Originally from Tokyo, a young Sora decided to go backpacking through Europe and England with a close friend. She'd barely made it through Paris before meeting Henry, a young Englishman on holiday. The two fell in love and were married within the span of three years. Each one of her boys gave her so much joy, but Silver was her favorite. She loved all her boys, but there was something about her last that was special; she could feel it.<br/><br/>His father was a different story. Henry Morgenstern came from old money and was raised with old morals. He tried to raise all three of his sons the way his father raised him: work hard, meet a woman, get married, and have children. The key word in that was 'woman'. Silver had always been different and Henry stopped putting up with it when his youngest turned six. The man was more than pleased with the way Hunter and Sebastian had turned out, but when it came to Silver, he barely admitted he had a third son.<br/><br/>At just fourteen, Silver came out as gay. That did not blow over well with his father. It took Sora days to convince her husband not to kick their child out. For an entire year, Henry didn't speak to his youngest, refused to. It wasn't until Silver went to his father (with a little encouragement from Sora), that the man spoke to him. More like yelled. It was a day Silver tries to forget. If their relationship had been rocky before, now it was ten times worse. Henry barely tried to pretend to be civil and Silver tried to avoid his father at all costs. While his father had never been a physical abuser, he was definitely verbally abusive. Any chance he got he put Silver down. It always resulted in tears on Silver's end.<br/><br/>Needless to say, Silver was not exactly thrilled to be going to his parents' for lunch. Hunter and Sebastian being there would soften the blow some. Had for awhile. Lunch had started out normal; everyone spoke about their weekend and what's been going on in their lives. Sebastian and Alice brought up their upcoming wedding; no date had been set, but the details just kept coming. That alone took up the better part of an hour.<br/><br/>Come time for tea in the conservatory, Henry had his sights set on his youngest son. It started out civil: how is work, how is school, etc. Then Sora asked if he'd been seeing anyone; even though her husband despised it, she supported Silver and his choices. That set Henry off. The next half an hour was spent yelling in blind rage, Hunter and Sebastian yelling to try and defend their little brother, and tears pouring down poor Silver's face. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he just left. After taking several buses (Hunter had picked him up), Silver found himself sitting alone in a pub near his house, upset and well on his way to being drunk.</span></span><br/><br/>Notes: it's long and a rough. Sorry if its jumbled (I didn't want to make it too too long).