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Entry tags:
years ago, when i was younger;
Summary: A short Blood+ AU of Moses and Kai, from Moses's wish of a different world.
“If we are reborn in another world, then I wish to be born next to you, Kai.”
The sun burned his skin.
Surely he would have terrible sores tomorrow. Already, the flesh on his face felt like someone had set a lighter to it, and though he tried to hide under his gloved hands, the sun was merciless. Nearly groaning from the pain, with one hand still covering his face, he tried to crawl to the shade.
“Fucker’s still trying to get up.” Another kick to the rib, and he crumpled again, futilely trying to clutch his stomach while hiding his face. He felt bile rising in his throat, and despite his best intentions, felt tears rising to his eyes from the pain.
Why did they do this? Such meaningless humans. But, he reminded himself softly, he was human too. But he was different because he couldn’t stand the sun, and everybody seemed to take advantage of that. There were wadded up papers thrown at him during class, unable to find his shoes in the morning, opening his desk only to find everything ripped in shreds.
The mounting pressure felt like it would destroy him.
“This is getting boring.”
He refused to feel relief at the words.
“Hey, freak. Did you bring the money today?”
Suddenly, he felt a tug at his hair and then his entire face felt like it was blistering. With a horrified gurgling, he tried to block his face, but the other boy’s body weight strained his hand.
“A-ah—“ Burning, burning, the sun blinded his eyes. “No—“
“He said he didn’t bring it.” It felt like his hair would be pulled out in bloody clumps, and he could feel his skin sizzle. And then the other boy pushed back his hand from his face, and the sun hit on full blast.
He might have screamed, he couldn’t remember, trying to fight against the boy’s grip desperately, rawly, until he could feel blood, though he wasn’t sure where, and the sun, and
“Hey! Hey, what are you doing with him?”
Suddenly, he was released, and he pulled his hood back on with quivering hands. He heard sounds, but he could not move until the dust settled down, and he could hear the footsteps far away. Someone stepped closer, and he tensed, ready to fight at any moment.
“Are you okay?”
A hand tried to gently pry away his from the hood, but he knocked it away violently.
“Get away from me,” he snapped, and attempted to struggle to his knees. But the beating had taken a toll on him, and he slumped over again.
“Are you sick? Do you need a nurse?”
“Go away!” He recklessly swung his arm, smacking the other boy’s away. Then he slowly, painfully, began to crawl towards the shade, body shuddering every few inches. And then he felt the boy’s arms around him, and being forcefully pulled.
“Wh-what are you doing?” he snarled, struggling.
“Oi-oi, stop—I’m trying to help—“
“I don’t need your help!” He managed to elbow the other boy’s ribs and smash his face before he was unceremoniously dumped on the ground. When he struggled to sit up, he realized he was in the shade of the school building, where he had been trying to crawl.
“Ma-ah,” the boy said unhappily, rubbing at the new bruise on his cheek. “I bet you could have taken on those bullies if it was one-on-one.”
There was a gloomy silence. The boy shifted his feet, and then tapped his baseball bat. He didn’t seem to be on the baseball team, but he had an athletic air around him, with splayed auburn hair and a defiant look on his face. But there was some kindness there, as well.
“You didn’t need to be so rough,” the boy complained, squatting next to him, and then toppling to a more comfortable sitting position. “I was trying to help.”
“I didn’t need your help.”
Another period of silence.
“So what’s your name?”
“I don’t need to tell you,” he said defiantly, and lowered his hood cautiously. Even the simmering heat waves of the sun lightly charred his skin, but the previous experience had made his skin particularly raw. He touched his skin, half-expecting to feel blood and sores. But it hurt to even touch it, so he dropped his hands and reclined in the shade.
“My name’s Kai,” he said.
He bit his lip for a moment. “. . . Moses.”
“Moses, huh?” Kai eyed him. “What’s with that get-up? Oh!” Then he straightened up. “You must be one of those guys that my sister told me to stay away from.”
Moses hunched over more. “As expected,” he said bitterly.
“E-eh? Don’t take it the wrong way,” Kai said helplessly, waving his hand to air away the suspicions. “I mean, if anything, it’s you who shouldn’t be near me. I’m a delinquent and all. I don’t even stop by school that much anymore.”
“Then why are you here?” Moses asked pointedly, shrinking further into the darkness.
“I couldn’t just sit around, doing nothing if I saw somebody getting beaten up.”
“I don’t need your pity,” Moses said even louder.
Kai laughed.
Moses looked at him in surprise. It had been a long time since he had heard such a loud laugh, an honest one without any malice. Kai threw back his head and laughed until he finished, slightly out of breath. He rubbed his eyes, and grinned at him.
“You remind me of a lot of people,” he said. “My sister’s always like that, too. She doesn’t need my help this, doesn’t need my help that. But I guess I know what she’s talking about.” Then he grinned, a wide grin. “It’s not pity, though.”
“What is it?”
“Just . . . helping out. I’m sure if I was ever in the situation—“
“I wouldn’t help you.”
Kai laughed again. “I wouldn’t expect it,” he said, and then glanced at Moses. “Is your class next?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“And your blazer’s all ripped and stuff, too,” Kai said. “If you have old man Satoshi, you’re going to get yelled at.”
“I don’t care,” Moses said bitterly. “They just don’t understand.”
“You’re really frustrating,” Kai said. And then Moses found himself staring at Kai for a brief moment before Kai slammed their foreheads together.
“What are you—“
Moses stopped when he saw the dangerous look in Kai’s eyes. Kai released them, and then took off his own blazer and drooped it over Moses’ head.
“I’ll come back for it later,” Kai said, getting up and stretching.
“I don’t need your charity—“
“Fine, fine. Then consider it a gift.” Kai climbed over the metal fence easily, dropping to the other side to his bicycle. He clipped his helmet over his head as he sat on his bike, taking the handles easily.
“Wait—“
Kai paused, looking at him. Moses gripped the blazer in his hand, standing in the shade, not daring to venture in the sun.
“Yeah?”
Moses opened his mouth. Then he closed it. Even he did not know altogether what to say. Why had he told him to wait? He should be glad that the annoyance was leaving.
Kai laughed. “It’s all right,” he said, “I’ll come back, anyway, to visit you.” And he was off, smoke trailing behind him. Moses gritted his teeth at his impudence. He didn’t need anybody’s help. Especially that stupid rat’s. He didn’t need him.
Despite himself, though, he wanted to see that boy again. Not to thank him. Or enjoy his company. Or anything like that. Just see him again, give him a piece of his mind. And certainly, certainly not to relieve his loneliness a bit, and certainly not to befriend him.
When he pulled on the blazer, it smelled like hope and summer.
“If we are reborn in another world, then I wish to be born next to you, Kai.”
The sun burned his skin.
Surely he would have terrible sores tomorrow. Already, the flesh on his face felt like someone had set a lighter to it, and though he tried to hide under his gloved hands, the sun was merciless. Nearly groaning from the pain, with one hand still covering his face, he tried to crawl to the shade.
“Fucker’s still trying to get up.” Another kick to the rib, and he crumpled again, futilely trying to clutch his stomach while hiding his face. He felt bile rising in his throat, and despite his best intentions, felt tears rising to his eyes from the pain.
Why did they do this? Such meaningless humans. But, he reminded himself softly, he was human too. But he was different because he couldn’t stand the sun, and everybody seemed to take advantage of that. There were wadded up papers thrown at him during class, unable to find his shoes in the morning, opening his desk only to find everything ripped in shreds.
The mounting pressure felt like it would destroy him.
“This is getting boring.”
He refused to feel relief at the words.
“Hey, freak. Did you bring the money today?”
Suddenly, he felt a tug at his hair and then his entire face felt like it was blistering. With a horrified gurgling, he tried to block his face, but the other boy’s body weight strained his hand.
“A-ah—“ Burning, burning, the sun blinded his eyes. “No—“
“He said he didn’t bring it.” It felt like his hair would be pulled out in bloody clumps, and he could feel his skin sizzle. And then the other boy pushed back his hand from his face, and the sun hit on full blast.
He might have screamed, he couldn’t remember, trying to fight against the boy’s grip desperately, rawly, until he could feel blood, though he wasn’t sure where, and the sun, and
“Hey! Hey, what are you doing with him?”
Suddenly, he was released, and he pulled his hood back on with quivering hands. He heard sounds, but he could not move until the dust settled down, and he could hear the footsteps far away. Someone stepped closer, and he tensed, ready to fight at any moment.
“Are you okay?”
A hand tried to gently pry away his from the hood, but he knocked it away violently.
“Get away from me,” he snapped, and attempted to struggle to his knees. But the beating had taken a toll on him, and he slumped over again.
“Are you sick? Do you need a nurse?”
“Go away!” He recklessly swung his arm, smacking the other boy’s away. Then he slowly, painfully, began to crawl towards the shade, body shuddering every few inches. And then he felt the boy’s arms around him, and being forcefully pulled.
“Wh-what are you doing?” he snarled, struggling.
“Oi-oi, stop—I’m trying to help—“
“I don’t need your help!” He managed to elbow the other boy’s ribs and smash his face before he was unceremoniously dumped on the ground. When he struggled to sit up, he realized he was in the shade of the school building, where he had been trying to crawl.
“Ma-ah,” the boy said unhappily, rubbing at the new bruise on his cheek. “I bet you could have taken on those bullies if it was one-on-one.”
There was a gloomy silence. The boy shifted his feet, and then tapped his baseball bat. He didn’t seem to be on the baseball team, but he had an athletic air around him, with splayed auburn hair and a defiant look on his face. But there was some kindness there, as well.
“You didn’t need to be so rough,” the boy complained, squatting next to him, and then toppling to a more comfortable sitting position. “I was trying to help.”
“I didn’t need your help.”
Another period of silence.
“So what’s your name?”
“I don’t need to tell you,” he said defiantly, and lowered his hood cautiously. Even the simmering heat waves of the sun lightly charred his skin, but the previous experience had made his skin particularly raw. He touched his skin, half-expecting to feel blood and sores. But it hurt to even touch it, so he dropped his hands and reclined in the shade.
“My name’s Kai,” he said.
He bit his lip for a moment. “. . . Moses.”
“Moses, huh?” Kai eyed him. “What’s with that get-up? Oh!” Then he straightened up. “You must be one of those guys that my sister told me to stay away from.”
Moses hunched over more. “As expected,” he said bitterly.
“E-eh? Don’t take it the wrong way,” Kai said helplessly, waving his hand to air away the suspicions. “I mean, if anything, it’s you who shouldn’t be near me. I’m a delinquent and all. I don’t even stop by school that much anymore.”
“Then why are you here?” Moses asked pointedly, shrinking further into the darkness.
“I couldn’t just sit around, doing nothing if I saw somebody getting beaten up.”
“I don’t need your pity,” Moses said even louder.
Kai laughed.
Moses looked at him in surprise. It had been a long time since he had heard such a loud laugh, an honest one without any malice. Kai threw back his head and laughed until he finished, slightly out of breath. He rubbed his eyes, and grinned at him.
“You remind me of a lot of people,” he said. “My sister’s always like that, too. She doesn’t need my help this, doesn’t need my help that. But I guess I know what she’s talking about.” Then he grinned, a wide grin. “It’s not pity, though.”
“What is it?”
“Just . . . helping out. I’m sure if I was ever in the situation—“
“I wouldn’t help you.”
Kai laughed again. “I wouldn’t expect it,” he said, and then glanced at Moses. “Is your class next?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“And your blazer’s all ripped and stuff, too,” Kai said. “If you have old man Satoshi, you’re going to get yelled at.”
“I don’t care,” Moses said bitterly. “They just don’t understand.”
“You’re really frustrating,” Kai said. And then Moses found himself staring at Kai for a brief moment before Kai slammed their foreheads together.
“What are you—“
Moses stopped when he saw the dangerous look in Kai’s eyes. Kai released them, and then took off his own blazer and drooped it over Moses’ head.
“I’ll come back for it later,” Kai said, getting up and stretching.
“I don’t need your charity—“
“Fine, fine. Then consider it a gift.” Kai climbed over the metal fence easily, dropping to the other side to his bicycle. He clipped his helmet over his head as he sat on his bike, taking the handles easily.
“Wait—“
Kai paused, looking at him. Moses gripped the blazer in his hand, standing in the shade, not daring to venture in the sun.
“Yeah?”
Moses opened his mouth. Then he closed it. Even he did not know altogether what to say. Why had he told him to wait? He should be glad that the annoyance was leaving.
Kai laughed. “It’s all right,” he said, “I’ll come back, anyway, to visit you.” And he was off, smoke trailing behind him. Moses gritted his teeth at his impudence. He didn’t need anybody’s help. Especially that stupid rat’s. He didn’t need him.
Despite himself, though, he wanted to see that boy again. Not to thank him. Or enjoy his company. Or anything like that. Just see him again, give him a piece of his mind. And certainly, certainly not to relieve his loneliness a bit, and certainly not to befriend him.
When he pulled on the blazer, it smelled like hope and summer.