Legal [Madeleine]

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Lee had to blink twice before he could believe what he seeing. Well, blink twice, pinch himself thrice and bang his head off the wall once.
Even then, the belief was a hard one to accept.
Here was the situation:
Today, the 5th of November, 2008, was Lee Norris’ 17th birthday.
And today, Jack Trove- Lee’s very good friend- had taken it upon himself to create birthday banners.
CONGRATULATIONS, LEE NORRIS. YOU ARE LEGAL TODAY. AND MADELEINE’S CATCHING UP FAST!
These monstrosities were complete with a squinty-eyed photo of Lee with paint in his hair. He recognised it from when he was painting the shed a couple of summers ago. Clearly, Kira had been in on the joke.
“So…” Jack slid down beside him on the sofa, a festive grin on his face. A little badge bearing the same message had been forcefully pinned to Lee’s chest. “What d’you reckon?”
Lee didn’t trust himself to answer.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Well… that hadn’t happened last year.
It was Lee’s seventeenth birthday, and someone had draped the common room with banners. From up here, Madeleine couldn’t see what they said, but it seemed like a nice gesture.
Though, Lee probably wasn’t too pleased about the picture. She wasn’t sure what colour his hair was supposed to be, but it sort of reminded her of a bipolar Steve – five colours in his hair.
She took the rest of the stairs at a run, Lee’s birthday present in hand, reflecting on how this time last year, she hadn’t been physically able to run down them, after the coma. Yeah, that was another thing. It had been a year since the coma, two years since Shaun’s death.
Another year, this year. It looked to be a good one.
… until she got down the stairs and fully into the common room, and was able to see what the banners actually said.
Jack.
The guilty party was currently sitting on the couch beside the birthday boy, and on her way to Lee, Madeleine smacked him around the head not-so-playfully, before smiling at Lee. “Happy birthday… or, is it?” she added, gesturing at the banners.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Lee looked up miserably and Madeleine, and silently shook his head.
Jack was swearing. Evidently, Maddie had hit him hard. Very hard.
“I feel so old, Maddie,” Lee sighed, “I can drive, now. That makes me officially old.” … wait, he could what?
Maybe this seventeen lark wasn’t too bad after all-
“Well, Madeleine, now that Lee’s legal and all that…” Jack had apparently gotten over the blow to the back of his head, but he was still hovering. At a very safe distance, that was. “You gonna be taking advantage, or are you good boys and girls waiting ‘til the ball and chain is securely fashioned around your necks?”
Never mind…

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine rolled her eyes towards heaven, sliding down into Jack’s vacated seat on the couch. “None of your business, Jack.”
She leaned over and kissed Lee on the cheek quickly. “Aren’t you supposed to be 29 before you start worrying about feeling old? Besides, driving isn’t a bad thing. It’s not as though you’re ready for the nursing home. It just brings you one year closer to legally being able to damage your liver. That’s all.”
Besides, lots of people knew how to drive before they were seventeen. And okay, while maybe in some “lesser-developed” countries, seventeen might seem really old, here, it was really quite young. Age was just a number, after all.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Lee curled his arm around Madeleine's waist and dragged her closer, as had become his frequent comfortable habit. Responding with a fervent kiss on her cheek, Lee smiled slightly. "I still can't help it. I still feel old."
"Lee," Jack chuckled, from somewhere behind him. "You're gonna make me sound decrepit! I turn eighteen in a few months!"
Lee shook his head. "Next stop's the cemetary, Jack Trove."
"Don't exaggerate, you Drama Queen."

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

“You are decrepit, Jack,” Madeleine laughed, turning her head to smile sweetly at him. “I mean, God, you’ll be leaving Orchid soon, and actually growing up and being adult. Isn’t that weird?”
Then she turned and prodded Lee gently. “See? You never have to worry – he’s always going to be that bit more ancient than you. His bones will go first and he won’t be able to play rugby anymore, and you’ll be fine.”
That one should cause a reaction.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"Ohh, low," Jack rolled his eyes, but apparently, his good mood was not to be tampered with. "Ever heard of Wheelchair Rugby? Even when I'm 23 and my poor old legs have shrivelled up, I'll be playing the game of the gods."
"Gods?"
"Lee, you have no competitive spirit. Don't ask me to explain it to you."
"I have some-"
"No. You don't." Daring a step forward, Jack gave Maddie and Lee his biggest cheesy grin and wave combo. "Well- I'll leave you two lovers-" a coughing fit ensued- "alone, shall I?"

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine tilted her head and smiled sweetly at him, trying to get rid of him - comments like that really weren't needed, were they? "I would appreciate that," she smiled, pulling herself a little closer to Lee to reinforce that. "Thank you, Jack."
Maybe playing him at his own game here wasn't the best of ideas, but he shouldn't really be making those comments in the first place.
Besides, if anything more was said on the subject, she'd get him back in Battle Training tomorrow.
Oh! She'd get someone to compare him to Russ, that would do i-
But he was now opening his mouth to make what was presumably a smutty remark, so she stopped thinking and braced herself for it.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

"Bye," Jack said.
... huh!
Was that it? No... final taunt? No... smutty joke? No reference to Olivia? No reference to marriage? No reference to picking up tips? Just... nothing?
Really?
Really.
Jack left without a backwards glance, as good as his word.
"Didn't expect that," Lee said, not bothering to keep the surprise out of his voice.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

“Bye,” he said, turning around leaving.
… what?
And Jack still wasn’t turning to face them again. He wasn’t making any comments. At all. After the banners, and the badges? All the usual dirty jokes that he spewed when he saw them? Where were they? Madeleine couldn’t help but frown after him, a bit concerned. That wasn’t like Jack.
“Didn’t expect that,” Lee commented, sounding just as surprised as she felt.
Madeleine nodded, eyes still trained on the door, half-expecting him to come back. “Do you think he’s sick?” she asked, voice slightly hushed.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Jack? Sick?
Unlikely.
Jack wasn't the kind of guy who got sick. Or, if he did, he wasn't the kind to admit it. Before he became friends with Will, Jack used to try and avoid going to the Hospital Wing at all costs, his pride acting like a stopper between health and status. Nowadays, he approached Will under the strictest of private conditions.
"He's not sick," Lee replied, "or Mike would've been complaining... nah, maybe... maybe it's his way of wishing me a happy birthday?"

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine bit her lip. “Mmm, maybe.”
Well, if so, it was a nice gesture. She’d never known him to be so … unsmutty, for want of a word. Nice could also be a word to use.
But… after the signs and badges? Had he really just been able to bite his tongue.
He was sick. He had to be.
“Well, it’s a bit strange, isn’t it?” she said, flicking her glance back up to Lee again. “I can’t say I’m not glad of it, though.”

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Lee flashed her a grin, lounging back further on the sofa. For once, the stupid miowing furball was nowhere to be seen, and he was easily able to wrap his arm around Maddie and hold her close.
"Who's worse, d'you reckon?" he sighed. "Russ or Jack?"
Russ was every bit as filthy as Jack- though physically Russ was clearly the scruffier one- and both were equally eager to abuse Madeleine and Lee.
At least they hadn't experienced them as a tag team.
Yet.
Oh. God.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

“Jack,” Madeleine said quickly. “Russ is spending a lot of time outside – er, walking his dog, so I hardly see him anymore. I think there’s a girl, or, girls involved somewhere here. Besides, Jack’s been doing it for longer, and he knows how to push your buttons, not just mine.”
It was all true. Even after the past few months, Russ was still quite careful around Lee, and Madeleine didn’t know why. It probably had something to do with Russ’ confession of her secrets to Lee – and Lee still didn’t seem to be sure of what to make of Russ. They didn’t really talk much, as far as Madeleine was aware. If she was there with them, Russ’s energy would be spent on winding her up or chatting up some girl or other. Though, that had been happening less and less, recently…
Jack, however, knew exactly what to make of the both of them, and hit the buttons all the dámn time. It was strange that now, on the day that the best jokes could be made, he gave up.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Not just hers...
Russ bothered Lee. Russ' presence was a distraction- because though Maddie could say she only had eyes for Lee all she liked, her cousin had the magnetic eyeball pull of a bright white screaming jelly baby. And after the summer...
They regarded each other. That was all there really was to say on the matter.
It was funny. With all of the ever so obvious similarities between Jack and Russ, Lee never really... well. He didn't get how he could get on so well with Jack, and just... not, with Russ. Maybe it would be different if Lee was dating a sister of Jack's, or something-
Not that Jack had any sisters. Just the famous Malcolm.
Lee relaxed backwards, his head lolling upwards. "Well, Maddie. It's my birthday. Do I get a present?"