Chapter 1: Loner
Crash!
A young boy no older than eighteen was pushed, crashing into the shelf causing some equipment to fall, clattering on the floor beneath.
"You think you’re better than us, right?" Another boy spoke a look of disgust plastered on his face. His companions, laughing and mocking him from behind.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" He spoke again, lowering himself to meet the gaze of the other boy.
"I’m talking to you, Axel. Answer me."
He spoke as he grabbed him by the hair forcing him to maintain eye contact.
Axel gritted his teeth, using his own hand to try and free himself.
But he failed.
"Weak bastard"
"Ugh!" The boy sent a punch to his gut, knocking the wind out of him.
Axel was brought to his knees, clutching his stomach and trying to catch his breath.
"Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Leave him alone Ivan."
Ivan turned and his expression turned sour. "Why are you here, Jean?"
Jean however, walked past him and knelt beside Axel, trying to help him up...
Axel looked up, his grey eyes staring shakily at Jean.
"You think I wouldn’t notice? There’s no way Axel would meet anyone after school."
Axel gritted his teeth. Jean was right...
They hadn’t known each other for long but Jean knew him well enough to know that he’d been a loner.
Always by himself — coming to school alone and leaving alone.
So hearing Axel say he wanted to meet up with someone sounded strange. So strange that he couldn’t help but follow him...
"Don’t interfere. He always acts like he’s better than everyone. Move so I can teach him a lesson."
Jean stood infront of him. "You have to get through me first."
There was a stare down. Ivan flinched.
Tall, strong and captain of the soccer team. There was no way he was going to win a fight against him...
"Tch... you think he will always be there to save you huh?"
Ivan spoke as he started turning back.
"You got lucky this time. Next time I won’t show you mercy."
Saying that, his companions followed as they left...
Jean exhaled, glad he made it in time...
"Huh? Hey! Where are you going?"
Turning to see Axel dragging himself away, Jean called out.
"Stop trying to act tough. We both know that if I didn’t show up, standing up alone would’ve been a miracle." Rushing to his side and putting Axel’s arm around his shoulder, Jean spoke in a light teasing tone.
After a moment of silence, Axel spoke.
"Jean—"
"No need. I know, no need to thank me." Jean cut him off.
After staring at him in a few moments of stunned silence, Axel nodded.
Even though, he refused to admit it, Axel was grateful.
He had spent most of his life alone and unable to properly interact with people— not because he felt he was better than them, but because he never quite knew how. People read his silence as arrogance, his gaze as judgmental and once people decided what he was, it was difficult to correct them.
This caused misunderstandings which in turn made people believe they had to "put him in his place"
So meeting Jean and realizing that he could understand him—even if to an extent, made him happy.
Jean was the only person that understood... He wasn’t prideful or egotistic. He was just a kid with social anxiety and antisocial tendencies...
"C’mon, let’s get you home."
***
"Oh dear, again? Who would do this to you?"
The door to his house opened, revealing his mother.
Her grey eyes flickering to her son’s broken form, cataloguing damage in a way only a mother could.
Seeing him like that made her chest tighten. With a sigh, she spoke before helping Jean to bring him inside.
"Good evening Ma’am." Jean greeted with a warm smile.
"Oh please just call me Cassia. Thank you for bringing him home again. This must be very bothersome for you..."
Jean shook his head.
"Oh, no not at all. I’ll always be there to help my bud."
His reply caused Cassia to smile.
"You really are an angel..."
Jean gave a cheeky grin before standing up.
"Well ma’am, I’d love to stay but I gotta go now. I have a lot of things to get done."
Cassia smiled. "Of course dear. Thanks again see you tomorrow."
"Yo, bud. Heal up, I got a match tomorrow so I’ll be expecting you in the bleachers..."
Saying that with a wave, he left...
After the door closed, Cassia turned to him—holding his face with both hands and raising his head up slightly and making him turn his head to the sides.
"Goodness, they really let you have it... what’d you do this time? Well, I guess there’s no point in asking that since you obviously didn’t do anything."
Then she looked directly at him. Those lazy grey eyes that he’d inherited from her—a trait that made her look beautiful despite her age stared at him with warmth and tenderness...
His father was very lucky to be able to pull a goddess like her.
"Sweetheart, I’d love it if you got along with people. Seeing you come home like this... it hurts me."
She said with a pain in her voice that sounded all too familiar. She hated seeing her son in such a state and everytime Axel came back either wearing a bandage or too battered to move, it would take everything in her to stop herself from crying.
"You’re easy to love," she said, "You just make people work for it..."
"I have Jean. That’s enough for me." Axel muttered, his eyes fixed towards the ground.
Then his mother pulled him into a hug, running her hands through his hair.
"I know, sweetie. But Jean isnt the one you’ll end up marrying." She joked as she looked at him again.
"Come on now, what would your father say if he sees you like this?"
Axel stayed silent as she hugged him again, allowing himself to sink into her embrace...
***
After a while, his father came in.
Tall and radiating a calm and nurturing presence, he stood and stared directly at Axel.
"Got into a fight again. Dang, I’d really love it if you could fight back, son." He walked towards him to inspect his injuries.
Axel avoided his gaze. "I know."
"You won’t though."
"I know."
Then his mother’s voice rang from the kitchen.
"Welcome home, honey. I cooked your favorite. It’ll be ready in a few minutes."
His eyes sparkled as if he was a child. "Wonderful! Be right back." He said, heading to his room to get changed.
***
After this, they had dinner, sitting together and talking about their days as they ate.
The atmosphere was calm, quiet. Something that Axel loved.
Just hearing them talk about how great or stressful their days were made him happy enough.
He couldn’t ask for anything else...
"Thanks for the food."
Picking up his dishes, Axel stood up as he left for the sink.
"Oh. Don’t worry. I’ll handle the dishes tonight."
Axel blinked. "But—"
"You’re injured aren’t you? Go get some rest..."
Axel stared at her for a brief moment before nodding.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, sweetheart."
"Goodnight, son."
’Son’
Yes. He was their son.
Someone they loved.
Someone they cherished.
And he loved them just as much.
***
Axel was almost asleep when his vision tore open.
[Warning... Host... Synchronizing...]
He sat upright, heart pounding. The room was dark. Empty. Silent.
He could’ve sworn he saw something in the corner of his eyes.
"Weird."
He dismisses the thought and goes to sleep, unaware of what lurks in the shadows.
And in that darkness, something smiled.
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