As Kale and his brother passed people on their way to the cafeteria, no one paid them any extra attention. While seeing conjoined twins, or any conjoined pairs, were extremely rare now, they were sophomores at Francois Luisonne University, so both staff and students had seen them walking around campus. And, they were not the only conjoined pair on campus. The university offered a large scholarship to those permanently afflicted by the duosion energy, so many elected to attend. So, they were not a rare sight.
The twins knew of the other conjoined pairs, and were friends with several. They even attempted dating a pair of twin girls, but it unfortunately did not work out. They broke up just after the first semester of their freshman year. That was the last serious relationship either had. Kale and his brother each tried dating a few un-conjoined girls, but all of those flings ended quickly.
They took the stairs down to the first floor, and turned in the direction of the cafeteria. Karl forced them to stop just outside to pick up a quarter from the ground. Having spent six years attached to his brother, Kale was well adjusted to moving as a single unit with his twin. They used non-verbal cues more often than verbal now, so it sometimes appeared as if they could read each other's minds. "Do you always have to pick up every loose change you spot!" Kale complained, though he was used to his brother's habit.
They made it to the cafeteria within a few minute stroll, and both twins breathed in deeply. The air smelled of grease. "Mmmm... Bacon." Kale smiled.
The twins grabbed a single plate and stood in the buffet line. They had learned long ago that they only needed a single plate to feed themselves, or else risk dealing with a stomachache from over eating. Kale's only issue with sharing a plate with his brother was how to split up what food they got. However, the breakfast menu was limited, so they filled their plate with bacon, eggs, sausages, and hash browns without any arguments.
Karl scanned their food card. He lead them to an empty table, and then immediately began to devour the bacon. "Save me some!" Kale exclaimed before stealing a piece from his brother's hand. They divided the remaining portions, and finished the meal. "So..." Kale turned to his twin. Sundays were usually their free days, where they avoided doing any homework unless something was pressing. These were the days that he wished they could split up and do their own things. "You want to check-in on Jeff and TJ?"
Jeff and TJ were the one other joined pair they were friends with; however, their conjoinment was far more unusual since they were father-son. Jeff was a single-father, raising TJ by himself. His wife left when their son was young, years before the incident. Jeff worked in construction, and saved every penny so that his son had the opportunity to got to college. TJ was studying architecture at a college out of state, but drove home to surprise his dad. The moment they embraced, the released energy permanently bound them together. Now, the two were resuming TJ's academic career in architecture, taking advantage of the scholarship.
While they were technically father and son, they did not exactly appear that way. The duosion energy did more than just merge people together. It provided a sort of fountain of youth phenomenon, benefiting those joined to someone younger than themselves. The older individual began to grow younger, while the other continued to age at a normal rate. Until the duosion energy was neutralized in Jeff and TJ, Jeff continued to get younger and younger. He now appeared to be a few years older than TJ rather than 20 years or more.
"Yeah, we can go check-in on them. It sounded like they got into a pretty big argument the other day, but they may want space." Karl replied. "We could also spend the morning lounging in our room. Our lazy morning was interrupted."
"Don't remind me." Kale stuck his nose up in disgust.
"Well, I mean you were a good kisser. If I was a girl, I would have the hots for you." Karl snickered.
"Just my luck. Instead, I am stuck to my pain-in-the-neck brother." Kale said before standing, dragging Karl with him. They scrapped the remaining bits of egg into the trash and place the plate on top of the dispenser. Kale lead them outside but paused just outside the threshold of the sliding door. "So where to dear brother?"