Once upon a time... (Weak Hero fanfiction)

Ted, the blue cat

Jake was waiting nervously behind the wooden door of the old library, his hands shaking furiously on his hips. He could hear the excited squeel of the children inside, only increasing his anxiety. He took a quick glance at his new story, the one he was supposed to read today.

"Ted, the blue cat", a story inspired by Teddy Jin, who happened to be a cat lover.

His first time meeting his little fans... He wanted to run away just thinking about it. He felt kinda embarrassed being intimidated by children, but they could be really terrifying sometimes.

He remembered a time when Timothy and him met a small group of kids, looking harmless enough to pass by them. But, as they were crossing their path, the little monsters started to make fun of them. "The tall one look like my bogey", "Why is this one bald ?", "The small one looks like a monkey", "They smell like poop"...

His traumatic thought were interrupted by the bookseller, whose smile was able to clear his cloudy mind.

– The kids are finally ready to meet you. And don’t worry, they don’t bite, they’re just excited to hear your new tale !

He returned her gentle smile, starting to feel a little nauseous. Behind that door wasn’t a few sassy kids, but a whole regiment of them. He kinda felt like crying, you know ?

Jake anxiously followed the pretty girl who, despite her friendly behavior, looked like the Grim Reaper ready to take his soul away at any moment.

– Ready ?

Nodding firmly, he walked past the bookseller, ready to face the mocking grin of his little audience. But the first thing he noticed was a tall man sitting among the children, looking as excited as them by the all ordeal.

Ben Park...

Finally noticing his idol, Ben locked eyes with what he thought would be a total stranger. Their eyes locked and widened in shock, a staring contest not going unnoticed by the bookseller.

– Do you know each other ?

Ben, still glaring at Jake, answered the young woman.

– You can say that... But, what is he doing here ?

The bookseller, foremost surprised, started giggling softly at Ben obvious stupidity.

– So you know him and you don’t know what he’s doing here ? Ain’t you a little slow up here ?

Not enjoying the girl obvious mockery, he started pouting, his childlish behavior competing with those of the kids around him. Realizing that Ben wasn’t going to interrupt her, the bookseller announced, her voice echoing through the old library.

– Alright children, let me introduce you Kim Tea, who was kind enough to accept my invitation ! Everyone, say "Hello" to mister Kim.

While all the children were litterally screaming their greeting to Jake, Ben was trying to localized the famous childbook author, still not getting the hint.

Jake, feeling like dying now, said with a muffled voice.

– Hello everybody, nice to meet you...

He threw a pleading look at Ben, asking him to stay quiet about his real identity. He really hoped that Ben would get the meaning of his insistant glare, because he didn’t wanted him to misunderstand his real purpose.

Ben looked right back at him, a mixt of worship and incomprehension enlivening his gaze.

Jake was Kim Tea...

Why was he hiding behind a fake name, since he was this good at writing ? Does this have something to do with his reputation within the Union ? And why does he looked at him as if he was going to kill him ?

Ben, even if he doesn’t see Jake as a close friend, respected him as a fighter. Their rivarly only count on the battlefield. It wasn’t like he was Jimmy Bae, then he would’ve tried to kill the guy. Realizing that Jake looked nervously at him, he smiled softly at his idol, hoping to pacify his obvious worry.

Jake returned his grin, glad to see Ben acting friendly towards him.

– Alright kids, (and Ben), Kim is going to read us his newest story !

The bookseller was answered by a dozen of high pitched cheers (the louder one coming from Ben), comforting Jake that everything was gonna be fine. The children weren’t monsters in disguise, and Ben seemed to like his story more than them, no matter how weird it might sound.

- "Once upon a time, a little kitten named Ted who was the stronger cat of his town. Everyone was admiring his strenght but, most of all, his beautiful blue fur..."