Trigger Warning: Bullying (mainly instances of homophobia)
Shipcoln, 2018 AD
"Oh my god, we're all gonna die..." a soft panicked voice, too small to be heard, with the owner of it trembling and crouching under the desk had been saying the same seven words ever since they'd come up here.
"No, we aren't," another voice replied, this one sounding more composed and elegant.
"But, if you keep on moving your leg like that, we might." Another composed voice added on.
"Dude, he's about to faint." Someone mentioned, and they all looked at the first speaker, who had become paler than usual.
However, the story does not start here.
Two weeks ago.
It was a usual day for Desmond, who stepped into the bookstore, no sweat present anywhere on his body, and although he had been running as fast as he could, he was not panting.. His stature was of a relaxed person, but he was in a hurry. Yet, he would never break his routine, just because he was late for school. Although it did not matter to him if he learnt anything at school, it would help him take his mind off everything, and that was the only reason he was even trying to bother going.
"And I'm assuming you finished the two classics you bought yesterday?" The shopkeeper, who happened to have the name of Jake, looked up as Desmond entered and smiled, just as Desmond turned his gaze upwards.
"I did." He nodded his head enthusiastically. "And the rest too."
"Alright." Jake smiled softly. "There aren't any new books here, but I have ordered a few books just for you, and they will be on their way. I must ask, young boy, why do you not order it online?"
"Sir, I would, but it is not as fun as entering a bookstore, with the small allowance in your pocket, the note crumbling in your hand when you grip at it hard enough, letting the excitement flood through your veins at the sight and smell of thousands of books around, and the sight of the tourists and bookworms standing still, yet in a relaxed position as they flipped through the pages, deciding if the book was worth the effort, and with a kind word, asking the cashier to register the purchase, and then skipping away, while you kept on staring at the numerous books for sale." Desmond paused. "Buying it online surely does not impart the feeling."
The man looked amused and intrigued. "Wise words, young one." He smiled at Desmond, before standing up, and walking around the shop, Desmond following, his nose greedily taking in the smell of the hundreds of thousands of books around, most of which he had already read, and some that he would never like to input into his brain.
"Well, you have this book here," Jake told him as he took a hardbound book from the gothic fiction genre, and Desmond nodded with a nod of his head. "It may have the themes that you probably would do better without, but the book talks about how a person's character is defined by the people they hang around with, and" The old man put the book into his hand, a smile on his wrinkled face as he looked at Desmond. The latter was standing in a very attentive position, a friendly smile on his otherwise blank face. "I think you'd like it." The man completed.
As the man seemed to not make any motion to go back to his desk, Desmond tilted his head in confusion and looked around to see if any of Jake's helpers had come as early in the morning, but when he saw nobody around, he turned to look at the man, his face screaming volumes about his confusion, but he saw that the old man had a huge grin on his face.
"Take it as a birthday gift from me, Desmond." He grinned widely, before putting his arms around Desmond, who responded with the same action.
"You didn't have to do that." Desmond looked almost embarrassed to take the book for free. "But my birthday..." Desmond spoke awkwardly, while the man simply chuckled.
"...is not until next week, I know." The man spoke warmly, his hand touching Desmond's shoulders with affection. "And, no need to feel guilty about this, Desmond. You've been like a grandson to this old man, one of whose sons died in the war, leaving no heir behind, while the other, still young, is sick with leukaemia." The man smiled sadly. "And almost everyone refuses to come around here anymore. Perhaps they are too engrossed in their own lives, or they watch movies for the same things that they could have as easily read."
"But, why now?" Desmond asked him, curiosity eating him from inside out.
"Because I won't be back here anytime soon, Desmond." The old man smiled.
"Where are you going?" Desmond could not help asking.
"To visit my son." He answered. "A donor has been found."
"Do you have enough money for that?" Desmond almost cursed himself for sounding so direct, but he wanted to help the man, somehow, especially since he had come to love the man as his own family.
"Yes." The man replied. "All thanks to the young lad of almost seventeen who makes rounds here every day, and buys twenty books a week, and tells me that he has finished all of them. Tell me, how many books have you read in these twenty-eight days with such an estimation?"
"Eighty."
"And how many were exquisite books?"
"About twenty of them."
"Yes, with almost every one of them going to four thousand dollars." The man smiled, giddiness filling his face. "So, yes, I have enough money to treat him, Desmond." He pulled the boy into a hug again, before looking at him sadly. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Jake," Desmond answered. "When are you leaving?"
"In a day." He answered, and Desmond nodded, his mouth opening to form the words "Safe journey" before he turned about and exited the shop, the hardbound book in his hand.
* * * * * *
Desmond lost himself in his thoughts again, making him forget where he was going until he bumped into someone, who made a loud hissing sound, and Desmond looked up to see a boy he did not remember seeing around.
"Careful," he said, peering in closely to see if he had somehow injured him. He released a sigh of relief only when he saw that the boy seemed perfectly fine.
"Sorry about that." The boy, Kaito, gave a small smile as he walked past Desmond to his locker. He was about to move from his post after taking his books out, when he was forcefully slammed against his locker, by none other than Callum Wells, who he knew to be an asshole, while others simply looked up to him.
"Let me tell you if the message was lost while I was suspended, Akiyama. But, this is my territory, and if you want to go to your class, you have to take the other route." He spoke, his hands pointing in the other direction, the one hallway that nobody would ever like to use.
"Akihiro." Kaito corrected. "And, to be honest, Callum, I'm not really in the mood right now." He told him, his eyes holding a bored expression.
"Of course, you wouldn't be, you little-"
"Callum, look. I don't care about the people you've messed around with, but you don't want to mess with me." He scoffed, turning his head to the side, and making a gagging sound. "And, do you never brush your teeth?"
Callum, in a fit of a bruised ego and the hope to prove a point, raised a punch, and hurled his fist against Kaito's face, which he easily dodged, thus making Callum howl due to the pain that Newton's third law of motion had inflicted upon him as his fist collided with the metal locker, that was sturdy enough to not have a dent, but Callum's fist did not seem to be made for it. Callum looked at him with rageful eyes but stopped, a frown forming, as he saw Kaito's eyes beginning to change colour.
Kaito silently cursed as he pushed Callum out of his way, and started moving towards the classroom where he had a class after twenty minutes, but he wanted to be away from this stupid drama, and his hormones.
Callum, however, cradled his hand as he looked as Kaito walked the hallway he was forbidden to walk along, disgust in his eyes, and a little speck of fear too.
* * * * * * *
Kaito somehow failed to see a boy hidden underneath his desk at the back of the classroom when he entered. His seat, right at the front, a little farther from the teacher's desk, seemed to be the only thing he had in his mind, as he sat himself down on his chair and took out his notes to start revising.
The boy behind, called Blaze, looked up when he heard footsteps enter the class, but not being able to see anyone from the position he was in, he looked down at his knees again, which were brought under his arms, and he again rested his head on them as he tried to remember what he had learnt at his house before.
However, all of his efforts amounted to nothing as someone hooted above him, and the shrill voice brought him to look above, a mistake on his part, as water entered his nose and his eyes and his mouth that had remained open when he had looked up. He coughed on his side and had to blink quite a few times before his vision was restored. He didn't bother wiping his face, and, it was evident that he was upset. Unlike the other times he had fended off the people who wanted to pick on him, he couldn't. Not with Callum. Never with him. He looked at Callum to see if he was feeling any remorseful after what he had just pulled, but there was nothing. Only pure hatred for him.
"Ooh, freak, who or what are you thinking about?" He sneered, and a few voices joined him, laughing at the torment their friend was giving Blaze.
"Fuck off, Wells." He turned his gaze away from him as he tried to control his anger. He had promised his grandmother that he would never give way to his emotions ever again, and he wanted to follow up on it.
"Seriously, you damn freak? You dare insult me?" He raised an eyebrow threateningly. "Get up, right this second." A few of his friends hollered, making Callum smile sinisterly again.
"Or else? I wasn't insulting you in any way, Callum. Your presence is already an insult to the whole world." He smiled innocently, and Callum's eye twitched. A few laughs were heard, followed by "Well, that's a first." But, before Blaze could take back what he had said, Callum's hands had already reached out to Blaze's throat as he was pushed and pressed to the floor. He was punched. Twice. But, the hand remained on his throat, and he found himself struggling to breathe.
"You'll regret that." Blaze's voice came out as a hoarse whisper that was tainted with anger and pent-up frustration at being treated as someone who didn't deserve to be respected, and a small fire emerged, one so small that it wasn't noticed by either of them, until it scorched Callum's exposed arm, and he cried out in pain and surprise.
"Sick freak!! Did you see that? Did you?" He yelled into the classroom, and the students turned to look at what the hassle was about. His friends had confused expressions on their faces. And, even Blaze stood there with a dumbfounded expression, but for an entirely different reason. The same spell that he had been trying to perform for days had been used to scorch Callum with the heat, and without any difficulty or chant, might he add. He made sure to look into this matter a little more in the future, but for now, he was trying to act as though he didn't know what was going on. But, boy... this guy's got terrible acting skills. Ten seconds after, he burst into laughter.
* * * * * * *
Kaito had already begun approaching them to pry Callum's hands away, but that was when Callum yelled in pain, cursing out for the whole classroom to hear. They probably wouldn't have cared what was happening around them, but Callum was quite popular around school, especially since the school in the middle of nowhere had people who believed in what Callum believed.
He trained his eyes on Blaze who suddenly burst into laughter, bringing sparks all around him, and he silently wondered if he was doing okay, and then silently chastised himself in his head when he saw a red bruise on Blaze's neck, and a cut lip, alongside his clothes that were soiled when he was pushed down to the dusty floor.
Blaze swayed from side to side, just as Kaito reached him, gently guided him out of the classroom, and glared daggers at anyone who so much as looked at them.
"You okay, dude?" He asked Blaze, concern filled in his eyes, as he tried to inspect any further injuries as quickly and discreetly as could have been possible by him, but that was all he could see.
Blaze had a smile as wide as Cheshire Cat's, which instantly dropped as he covered his mouth with his right hand, looking at Kaito with an alarmed gaze, and Kaito, understanding what was going on, without any hesitation, helped them both into the washroom, and into an empty stall, where Blaze then emptied everything he hadn't even eaten during lunch.
After he felt a little better and rinsed his mouth, Blaze drank the whole content of the water bottle, which Kaito had carried in his pocket.
"Why did you help me?" He asked him as he felt a little better, leaning against the counter.
"What do you mean?" Kaito tilted his head in confusion.
"Well, I'm not used to it," he spoke honestly. "And, besides, you never came to my aid before, so..." He paused as he looked at Kaito who looked at him with a frown on his lips and a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Kaito told him, sincerity in his voice. "I just joined here a week ago, and I didn't know how to talk to you. You were always reserved, you know? The day I first joined, I asked you if I could sit beside you, but you told me that it was already taken."
"Oh," Blaze told him, as understanding dawned in. "I'm sorry about that." He smiled sheepishly. "Made any friends yet?"
Kaito shook his head, his nose scrunching. "Well, if you count Callum, then, I guess."
Blaze laughed. "You're friends with him?"
"No, but he likes to attach to my hip all the time, so maybe." He rolled his eyes, mirth filling his voice.
"Oh," Blaze suddenly spoke, his cheeks turning crimson. "I'm Blaze Coker, by the way."
Kaito nodded in acknowledgement. "Kaito Akihiro."
"Um, I don't know how to say this..." Blaze looked at Kaito with an apologetic look. "I apologise for being a jerk a few minutes prior."
"No problem, I think I would have acted the same way." Kaito smiled. "And, want to tell me something about your magic?"
"Magic?" Blaze asked nervously, his eyebrows scrunching together, as he tried to look anywhere but at him as if he suddenly felt stark naked. Kaito sighed and put his hand on Blaze's shoulder as he told him in a comforting way, the way his mother used to do when he was uncomfortable about something. "I know." He smiled, and Blaze looked at him curiously.
Blaze opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Kaito. "Don't even start to think of lying. And, do you want to see something?" Kaito asked, to which he was given a nod as an answer.
Kaito opened his mouth and Blaze almost started when he saw two of his teeth on the upper jaw slide down lower than the rest, thin and sharp canines, that looked too prickly to mess with and halfway through the journey, the bottom canines followed too, a little smaller than the upper ones, but still as vicious. He gave a small jump, as he saw his brown eyes turn golden, a shade that seemed even more natural than his brown eyes, and yet just as strange.
"So... you're a vampire?"
Kaito rolled his eyes good-naturedly, before snapping his mouth shut, his eyes returning to their original colour. "Vampires have crimson eyes when their fangs begin showing," he told him. "Werewolves have golden, while shapeshifters will have blue."
"So, you're a werewolf?"
Kaito nodded his head. "Considering that to fully transform into a werewolf, I need to unclothe myself, I think my canines and eyes are as much confirmation as you need that you should be scared of me."
Blaze smiled. "Perhaps we should go back to class," He said after a while. "Would you allow me to sit beside you then, Blaze?"
Blaze answered with a smile of his own as Kaito looked at his watch before looking at Blaze. "The class started twenty minutes ago, so we should probably be going." Blaze nodded in agreement, but before they could even start moving, a strong swishing sound was heard, as though it were coming from the hallway. The boys looked at each other as a scream was heard, just outside the bathroom door, and they stopped in their tracks.
"Now, what?" Blaze asked, his voice reaching an octave higher.
"I'll see what's going on," Kaito answered, as he walked forward and opened the door, only to stop dead in his tracks, making Blaze shuffle closer, and he looked at Kaito before turning to look at the source of the scream, and, he, too, gained a deadly stop.
* * * * *
A/N: Well well, this is too dramatic to be true, but I am trying my best to bring justice to the characters, and I would be very very grateful if you would drop in a kind word, or even if you give me your constructive criticism, because although I am very well aware that my work may not be the best, it is still something I hold dear to my heart, and that said, thank you so much for reading. I hope you have a good day or night, wherever you may be living.