Chapter Text
Felix Kranken’s chest heaved as he lay on the dull tiles of the hallway. His tormentors’ antagonistic laughs and jeers faded into flat silence as they left the scene, leaving him to finally catch his breath.
The trickle of blood from his lip was beginning to congeal, and a pounding in his head was beginning to make itself apparent. Every part of Felix’s body hurt.
They had descended upon him after class, cornering him and leaving him with no hope of escape. They called him a pansy, a faggot, a queer -- cruelties that would cut far less deep if they weren’t true, Felix thought. No, no no they weren’t true. Felix was sure they weren’t true.
He sighed, knowing that if he laid there much longer, a teacher or faculty member who had stayed behind would find him. He had to get going and clean himself up.
When Felix opened his eyes, his breath hitched in his throat. A boy around his age was crouched next to him, looking at him curiously. When did he get here-- how did I not hear him? Felix thought as he struggled to sit up in surprise.
“...Ah, you’re alive,” the boy said, his voice deep and breathy, with a slight accent. It wasn’t an accent Felix recognized, but he thought it sounded nice. A voice he wouldn’t mind hearing more often- no. No, Felix, not like that-
“Did you think I was dead? I was- I was very obviously breathing, and…” he stopped himself there. Now wasn’t the time for one of his rants.
“I couldn’t tell, really,” the other said. Felix waited for him to continue speaking, but it seemed that was all he was going to say.
The vaguely uncomfortable silence gave Felix a bit of time to study the odd boy in front of him. Even when crouched down, he was clearly very tall. His unkempt hair brushed his shoulders, curling every which way but still framing his face nicely -- his heart-shaped face with dark eyes that gazed at Felix with curiosity and slight… was that apprehension in his eyes? Under those eyes were crescents of darkness that betrayed the boy’s lack of sleep. That, the worry in his eyes, and his ill-fitting clothes left Felix wondering if he was alright.
“Who are you? Shit- I mean… I did- I don’t mean that in a mean way, I just haven’t seen you around before, which is odd because I see everyone, and-” shut the fuck up, Kranken, he cursed internally. What a fantastic first impression he was giving to his new peer!
The other still paused, and Felix’s heart sank. He must have made him uncomfortable, and--
“I’m new here. I used to be homeschooled,” he said matter-of-factly, “my name is Jack. Jack Walten.”
“Nice to meet you, Jack Walten. I’m Felix. Now- could you please… move over a little bit? I need to- I need to get up.”
Jack nodded and rose to his feet quickly, taking a step back. He seemed to lose himself in thought for just a moment, and when his attention returned to the present situation, he offered Felix a hand.
Felix studied this, caught up in just how tall Jack was, he had to be over 6 foot -- gargantuan compared to his own 5’6 stature. Of course, Felix being on the ground and Jack standing only served to heighten this difference, and-- oh. His hand was still out, he was waiting for Felix to take it, how long had he been lost in these thoughts?
He took Jack’s hand and was slightly flustered by how easily the other had pulled him up. Was Felix really that small?
“Thank you,” Felix said, finally seeming to catch up with his mind, but then he realized, “Oh shit, I’m still bleeding.”
“Yes, I was wondering about that. Are you alright? What happened?” Jack inquired gently, not letting go of Felix’s hand. His face showed genuine worry mixed with hints of confusion, and Felix wondered why someone would be so kind to him.
“I’m… I think I’m okay, I just-” he faltered, feeling dizzy. Why did he feel dizzy? He was fine just moments before. Was it… how close Jack was to him? No, it couldn’t be.
Jack used his other hand to steady Felix, softly grasping his shoulder, “Are you sure? If you can walk, I have a first aid kit at home that you can use, it’s not too far from here.”
It was such a mundane thing, such a simple offer, but it had Felix blinking back tears. He collected himself quickly, only barely managing to get the words out, “that would be good, thank you, Jack.”
Felix guessed this made them friends.