Chapter Text
The classroom was quiet, save for the faint scratching of pencils and the occasional cough. A low hum of whispers carried between desks, though most students kept their heads down, eyes fixed on their work.
At the front of the room, Miss Circle sat perched at her desk, long claws clicking against the edge as she flipped through stacks of papers. Her sharp gaze darted from one sheet to another, lips curling faintly whenever she saw something that pleased her. She paused at one particular page, her narrowed eyes softening as a small grin tugged at her face.
A bold red “C” sprawled across the top of the paper. She set it aside gently, like a treasure among the others.
Engel sat stiff in his seat, doing his best to focus on his notes, until another thwip broke his concentration.
Smack.
A paper ball bounced off the back of his head.
“Cut it out!” Engel snapped, spinning around.
Oliver, Zip, and Edward were snickering at their desks, the scraps of crumpled paper piled beside them like trophies. Oliver gave a mocking shrug, his grin sharp with satisfaction, while Edward mimed throwing another.
Claire leaned in, her voice low but firm. “Ignore them, Engel. That’s what they want.”
He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to sit back down. His fists curled under the desk, knuckles aching. But for Claire’s sake, he stayed seated.
The bell finally rang, releasing the tension from the room. Everyone hurried to pack their bags.
Engel slung his over his shoulder, quickening his pace to catch up with his group in the hallway. He spotted Lana tugging playfully at Abbie’s hair, the poor boy squirming as he tried to fix it.
Lana noticed Engel’s stare and smirked. “So… Claire, huh?”
Engel blinked, raising a brow. “What about her?”
She only giggled, refusing to clarify. Engel tilted his head, baffled. Claire, walking beside him, looked at him with a small look of confusion as well but said nothing.
They didn’t notice the two pairs of eyes glaring at them from across the hall.
“You need to get Engel off her,” Zip muttered darkly, her tone sharp with irritation. Her tail flicked with agitation as she leaned against the wall.
Edward rolled his eyes, folding his arms. “Claire’s always hanging around him. It’s annoying.”
Before Zip could snap back, the bell rang again, signaling their next class.
Miss Bloomie’s classroom was a contrast to Miss Circle’s. The space smelled faintly of chalk and dried flowers, and the lighting wasn’t nearly as harsh. Miss Bloomie herself was small in stature compared to the other teachers her head barely cleared the tallest students’ shoulders but her presence carried enough weight to demand silence when needed.
She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat, looking over the class with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Today, students, we’ll begin projects. Group projects.”
A ripple of groans spread through the room, but Bloomie continued on, unaffected.
As she began passing out a printed syllabus, Engel’s sharp ears caught the sound of stifled laughter. He turned his head, narrowing his eyes. Across the room, Oliver, Edward, and Zip were huddled together, whispering and snickering like hyenas.
Something clattered.
Engel saw Edward’s hand slide back over his desk, something small spilling to the floor.
Miss Bloomie, making her way down the aisle toward the trio, stepped on it.
THUD.
She pitched forward, stumbling hard. The room went dead silent. Slowly, she pushed herself up, her face darkening. Her expression snapped into something feral.
“CLEAN. UP. THIS. MESS.”
Her voice cracked like a whip, shaking the students in their seats.
Before Edward could react, Bloomie’s hand shot out, slamming him against the wall with surprising force. A gleaming blade pressed against his throat.
The color drained from Edward’s face. His hands went up immediately, trembling.
“Was it you?” Bloomie hissed, her voice low and dangerous.
The entire class stared, whispers rushing through the air like wildfire. Everyone wondered the same thing
Edward’s mouth opened, but no words came. His eyes flicked toward Oliver, who only smirked back at him.
After a tense moment, Bloomie finally released him, letting him drop to the floor. A thin line of crimson red trailed down his cheek where her blade had grazed him.
Straightening her clothes, she turned back to the class with her usual prim tone, though her voice carried a hint of venom. “Because of this… incident, I will be assigning partners myself.”
The room groaned louder this time, but none dared to object outright.
One by one, she called names, pairing students at random.
“Petunia and Lizzy. Riley and Ruby…”
Engel tuned her out, leaning slightly toward Claire. They were usually paired together it was their rhythm. He fully expected to hear their names next.
“Edward and Engel.”
His stomach dropped.
“Zip and Claire.”
The air seemed to freeze. Both Engel and Claire stiffened in their seats, wide eyed.
The list continued, but Engel wasn’t listening anymore.
As soon as Miss Bloomie finished, he pushed out of his chair and approached her desk. He forced his voice to stay calm and polite. “Miss Bloomie… could I switch partners?”
She set down the paper she was grading and fixed him with a glare sharp enough to cut glass. “Give me one good reason.”
“I—I just think I’d work better with Claire,” Engel stammered, fumbling his words.
Bloomie’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Edward has one of the highest grades in this class. You’ll do better with him than with Claire.”
Her tone left no room for argument. She turned back to her papers, dismissing him without another glance.
Engel sighed heavily and trudged back to his seat.
“Any luck?” Claire whispered, her fingers tracing distracted patterns into the wood of her desk.
“None.” He groaned, leaning back in his chair.
Before he could say more, the chair jerked violently beneath him.
Edward stood behind him, grinning as he gripped the top of the seat. “Looks like you’ll be working with me, after all.”
“Knock it off.” Engel shoved the chair back, standing to his feet.
Edward only laughed. “No fun.” He stuck out his tongue mockingly.
Behind him, Zip walked pasted and appeared at Claire’s desk, leaning in close with a grin that showed too many teeth. “I’ll be a better partner than him anyway.”
She reached for her arm.
Claire yanked it back instantly, glaring.
Before Engel could react—THUD.
Claire was on the floor, her books scattered across the tiles. Zip had toppled over with her, landing in an awkward heap.
A sharp laugh burst out of Edward, but Zip didn’t bother looking embarrassed. Instead, she braced her hands against the floor, leaning over Claire with a sly smirk.
“What’s the rush? You like being underneath me?”
Claire’s cheeks burned not from fluster but anger. She shoved Zip off, scrambling upright and clutching her things to her chest.
“What is going on?” Miss Bloomie’s voice sharp like thorns and vines as she stormed over, her glare sharp enough to silence even Edward’s laughter.
Engel’s stomach twisted. If Bloomie thought Claire had caused the disruption, she’d be punished. Punishment here wasn’t detention it was way worse and everyone knew that.
But Bloomie only gave them a withering look before hissing, “Get to work. Or else.” She turned on her heel and stalked back to her desk.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Zip sat back with a giggle, twirling one of Claire’s fallen pencils between her fingers. “If you wanted to get that close, you could’ve just said so.”
Claire snatched the pencil back, refusing to meet her eyes. She shoved the rest of her books into her arms and stormed for the door, Engel trailing after.
But before they could leave, something yanked Engel backward. He glanced down to see Edward’s tail coiled tight around his arm like a rope.
Edward leaned close, his grin all teeth. “Your house or mine?”
Engel’s jaw clenched. He shoved the tail off with more force than necessary, his voice low and filled with irritation. “Mine.”
Edward only laughed, satisfied, while Engel turned and followed Claire out, something he didn’t know what to name burned in Engel’s chest.
As they left the classroom Engel rubbed Claire’s back in slow circles as they walked, her shoulders tight under his hand.
“Come on,” he murmured softly, trying to mask the irritation still prickling in his chest. “We have lunch at least.”
Claire let out a long sigh, one that trembled at the edges, before giving the smallest of nods. Her grip on her book bag was white-knuckled, the leather strap digging into her palm. Engel hated seeing her like this clenched up, bracing for more of the world to tumble down on her. But what else could he do except walk her into another battlefield disguised as a lunchroom?
Meanwhile, across the hall, Edward was smug as ever, tail swishing behind him with an easy rhythm. “Played it off nice,” he muttered with a smirk.
Zip, however, was red-faced, her whole body jittering with leftover embarrassment. “I didn’t know I was gonna fall on her!” she barked, hands fisting into her hair until the strands stuck up in messy clumps. Her voice cracked halfway through, her own frustration bubbling out, but Edward only chuckled.
“Relax. Lunch is starting,” he said smoothly, giving her a light shove toward the cafeteria doors. “And we have to meet with Oliver.”
That one word Oliver snapped her out of her fluster like a switch. Zip perked up, ears twitching, her face still red but her pace quickening beside Edward.
The cafeteria was already alive with noise. The clatter of trays, the squeak of chairs against tile, and the overlapping chatter of half-bored, half-hungry students created a thick haze of sound. Engel and Claire stepped into the lunch line where the rest of their group was already gathered.
Petunia and Lizzy slinked up from behind, both with that practiced sweetness in their eyes. Petunia tilted her head, giving Engel a look so pitiful it was almost comical.
“Would you let a rabbit and her friend pass?” she asked, her voice laced with a fake pleading tone.
Engel didn’t even need to think twice; he knew the act by heart. Still, he shifted aside, creating space.
“Thanks, cutie,” Lizzy cooed with a little wave, her smile just sharp enough to make Claire visibly roll her eyes. Engel forced a small, polite grin but said nothing. His attention had already shifted elsewhere.
At the end of the line, Skell towered over Kevin, his skeletal frame hunched just enough to make his presence suffocating. His voice was deep, raspy, and dripping with mockery.
“Really? Homework during lunch?”
Kevin’s pencil trembled in his grip. His jaw was tight, eyes fixed on the notebook in front of him. “Wit has more use and you know it,” he hissed back, the words out Kevin’s mouth having bite. His pencil made a faint crack as if it were on the verge of snapping in two.
Engel frowned, chewing at the inside of his cheek. Right. Kevin and Skell got partnered up. The thought only twisted his stomach further. Miss Bloomie must have planned it this way pairing opposites, stirring chaos. And him? Stuck with Edward. For two weeks.
By the time they all reached the trays and Engel took his sandwich, his appetite was already half gone. Still, he made his way to their usual table. The chatter around him rose and fell in waves, friends teasing and talking over each other, but his mind drifted away from the noise.
What was he going to do?
Two weeks of Edward’s relentless bullying, his sharp comments, his smirks… and Claire, trapped with Zip who was no less dangerous. Every time Edward needled him, Engel knew he’d want to stand up. And every time Zip poked at Claire, he’d feel the same fire. But if he kept throwing himself in between, what would that do to her? Would it make her feel protected or small?
He picked half-heartedly at his sandwich as the question gnawed at him.
Then came the snap of Petunia’s voice.
“Drop it.”
It cut through the cafeteria noise like a knife. Engel looked up sharply.
In the middle of the room, Petunia stood stiff, her rabbit ears pinned back flat with irritation. Her matching crown the little accessory she always wore with Lizzy was dangling in Oliver’s hand.
Oliver dangled it just out of her reach, swinging it slightly back and forth like bait. His smirk widened as Petunia jumped futilely, her frustration growing by the second.
“Aren’t you a rabbit?” Oliver teased, lifting the crown higher. “Hop.”
Laughter rippled across a few nearby tables.
Engel’s jaw clenched, a scowl pulling at his face. He shoved his tray aside and stood, his chair screeching against the floor.
“Don’t,” Claire mouthed quickly, her hand darting out to grab his arm. Her grip was small but desperate, her wide eyes pleading for him not to do it not to make another scene.
But Engel ignored her. His legs carried him forward on instinct, every step heavier as his anger bubbled into his chest.
He reached Oliver in a few strides and squared his shoulders in front of him, the crown dangling between them.
“You heard her,” Engel said firmly, his voice low but sharp.
Oliver’s grin only widened. “Awh, Petunia’s hero,” he spat, his tone thick with mockery.
Engel didn’t even hesitate. His hand darted forward and snatched the crown from Oliver’s grip. His fingers curled around it tightly, but before he could hand it back, Oliver’s palm slammed against his shoulder, shoving him back.
“The hell’s your problem?” Oliver barked. “Can’t a guy have fun?”
The shove sent Engel stumbling, his heel catching the edge of the table behind him. His vision blurred, heat rushing into his head as he hit the ground. His breath hitched, coming sharp and shallow, the cafeteria around him fading into static noise.
And in that moment, Engel thought of nothing but standing his equal ground.
His fists curled, nails biting into his palms, and before he could think, before Claire could reach him, before anyone could pull him back
Engel threw himself at Oliver.
Engel’s fists clenched as Oliver’s shove sent him skidding a few inches across the cafeteria floor, the breath punched out of him. Gasps rose from the surrounding students, chatter dying down into an anticipatory hush. Oliver’s grin widened, sharp teeth glinting as he cracked his knuckles.
“Didn’t think the quiet kid had the guts to step up,” Oliver sneered, taking a deliberate step forward. “You really gonna fight me over a stupid crown?”
Engel’s chest heaved, the weight of everyone’s eyes pressing on him. His vision wavered for a moment his instincts screaming to sit down, to walk away but then he saw Petunia’s trembling hands and Lizzy’s worried face behind her, both crowns missing now from their heads. His jaw tightened.
“Give it back,” Engel growled, forcing himself to his feet. “Now.”
Oliver chuckled darkly. “Or what? You gonna cry until Bloomie saves you again?” He dangled the crown tauntingly between his fingers.
That was it.
Engel lunged forward, ramming his shoulder into Oliver’s gut and knocking the air out of him. The cafeteria erupted into a chorus of cheers and shouts as trays clattered to the ground. Oliver stumbled back, snarling, and swung a wild punch. Engel ducked barely and shoved upward with his forearm, slamming it under Oliver’s chin.
“ENGEL!” Claire’s voice pierced through the noise, panicked, but her warning was drowned in the roar of students banging their fists on tables.
Oliver stumbled but didn’t stay down long. He grabbed Engel by the collar, dragging him forward before headbutting him with a sickening crack. Engel’s knees buckled, stars bursting in his vision, but adrenaline shoved him back into the fight. He swung blindly, knuckles colliding against Oliver’s jaw with a sharp thud that sent Oliver sprawling over a table, trays and food scattering everywhere.
“Damn!” Zip laughed from the sidelines, clapping. “Get him, Oliver!”
“No Engel’s got him!” someone else shouted.
Oliver spat blood, as he pushed himself upright. “You’re dead, Engel!” he roared, grabbing a tray from the floor and swinging it like a shield. Engel blocked with his arm, the metal tray smashing hard against bone, and pain shot through him. But he gritted his teeth and grabbed Oliver’s wrist, twisting until the tray clattered uselessly to the floor.
They grappled, claws raking at uniforms, shoes squeaking on the slick floor. Engel kneed Oliver hard in the stomach, but Oliver responded by slamming Engel against a lunch table, rattling plates and knocking milk cartons to the floor. The crowd went wild, some students climbing on chairs to get a better view.
“Break it up!” Kevin’s voice barked from somewhere, but no one listened.
Oliver got the upper hand for a moment, pinning Engel down against the table, his breath hot and ragged. “You should’ve kept your head down!” he hissed.
Engel’s eyes narrowed, and with a sudden surge of strength, he slammed his forehead into Oliver’s nose. Blood gushed immediately as Oliver screamed, clutching his face. Engel shoved him off, sending Oliver sprawling again.
But Oliver wasn’t done. Snarling, he charged low, tackling Engel to the ground.
They rolled, fists flying, claws scraping. Engel’s cheek split open under one strike, but his fist found Oliver’s ribs again and again until Oliver wheezed in pain.
“Stop! You’re gonna kill each other!” Claire screamed, trying to push through the ring of cheering students, but hands held her back.
Oliver’s roar filled the air as he grabbed Engel by the hair, yanking his head back, but Engel snarled right back, teeth bared, and drove his elbow into Oliver’s throat. The bigger boy gagged and stumbled off him, coughing, giving Engel just enough time to scramble back onto his feet.
They circled each other now, bloodied, bruised, and panting, the cafeteria floor littered with spilled food, overturned trays, and milk dripping down the walls.
“Come on, Engel!” someone from the crowd shouted.
“Shut him up, Oliver!” another barked back.
Oliver spat blood on the floor, smirking through his swollen lip. “Not bad, little hero. But you’re not walking out of here standing.”
Engel’s hands shook, his body screaming at him to stop, but his eyes burned with defiance. “You should’ve listened”