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"You're thinking too hard."
"I'm going to hit you too hard," Goro grumbled, trying to relax so he could focus on his mana control.
"It's really not that hard," Ren said beside him, his voice grating on every nerve.
"Shut up, " Goro growled, the book he was levitating dropping to the ground with a thud. Goro stared at it for a long while before dropping his own shoulders. "Look at what you did."
" I didn't do anything," Ren shrugged, picking up the book and handing it back to Goro.
They'd just started at the academy as was expected by children once they completed their twelfth birthdays. Goro had the bliss of not having Ren around for a whole year but now that Ren was a fledgling he was there to annoy the daylights out of the young noble. Though because of his exceptional skill, he was able to skip his first year and immediately start with the second years – Goro’s year.
"You wouldn't stop bothering me," Goro snapped as he ripped the book from Ren's hands. As children they were close but it seemed like all Ren did was piss him off. Why did he have to be so annoying all the time?
"Fine, sorry," the raven muttered, playing with his fringe. "Did… did you want to have lunch together later?"
Goro made a face. Why did Ren insist on spending time with him so much? Surely he had other friends. Ren was social enough and had the unique ability of getting along with almost everyone. Though, it's not as if Goro had many other friends too. His father made certain of that.
"I guess," he said exasperated.
Ren grinned at his response nonetheless as he grabbed his own books. "Great! I'll be waiting for you after the bell."
The raven then left the room, leaving Goro to his own devices. It was still an hour before their morning lessons and Goro was adamant on mastering this simple levitation spell. He had only learned a few spells as of late and he was barely able to cast them. His mother was patient with her advice while his father didn't even bother, already looking at him with disdain.
He wanted to do better; he needed to do better.
***
"Amamiya please demonstrate for the class a glamor illusion," the professor said, gesturing towards the front of the class.
Ren nodded and strode to the front. Goro could hear the whispers around him pointed towards his best friend.
Did you hear that he's the only magic user in his family?
I heard his family became nobility almost overnight.
Is it true that he's a genius? He doesn't look all that special to me.
People say his dad bribed the headmaster to let him study with us.
Goro wanted to scream at them to shut up. None of these idiots knew what they were talking about. Ren wasn't like that at all. He was annoying sure, but he did earn his place at the academy as much as it irked Goro.
"Go on, imitate anyone here in the class," the professor urged.
Ren nodded and took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face. When he was finished, Goro found his face looking back at him. The whispers around him grew louder.
Ew why did he pick Akechi?
Oh, he's really scary.
Do you think Ren has a crush on him? They're always together.
I heard that-
"Akechi, please come to the front to compare."
Goro almost didn't get up from his seat. Something inside of him hated that Ren chose to copy him. There were other students to choose from but of course Ren had to choose him. He scowled at the fact that the raven was just showing off now. How dare he make Goro feel inferior?
The sound of his chair hitting the ground as he stood up was enough to make everyone in the class talk. He didn't care though as he was already out of the door.
The professor was yelling at him but Goro ignored him as he left. No one chased after him anyways. His parents would hear about this but he could deal with that later.
He left the building and escaped outside. It was mid-morning so the prefects wouldn't be around. He just needed a few moments to get out his annoyance.
A small parting in the trees made Goro stop in his tracks. Making sure no one was around, he crept closer to find that there was a small opening for a body to pass through. He kept his hands along the trunks of the trees as he kept through the narrow passage. Eventually, he came to a clearing that was enveloped on all sides by trees.
Goro went to the center and plopped down. He'd stay here for the time being until he felt better. It was then that he remembered how annoyed he was.
Stupid Ren and his stupid need to show Goro up at every moment. He just had to prove that he was competing for top of their class with Goro. What did he even hope to accomplish by beating him? Ren knew how much Goro needed the approval of his father. So why would he take that from him?
He fell backwards and laid there staring up at the leaves and the sunlight that barely poked through. He didn't want to go back to classes, he decided. It felt like a better idea to stay in this place and sleep the day away. Perhaps then he wouldn't feel so annoyed with Ren.
"Goro?" A soft voice called.
Goro stilled and stared at the entrance of the clearing as he half sat up. Ren hesitantly walked inside but stayed in the entrance. His dark grey eyes roamed the area before settling on Goro.
"What are yo-" he began to say.
"Leave," Goro snarled at him before laying back down.
"People are worried about you," Ren said, coming a little closer.
"I don't care ," he groaned, covering his face with his arms.
"But I need to-"
Goro sat back up again and glared at the other boy. "You need to what ? Show me up again? Humiliate me? Bring me back to receive another golden star? Go fuck yourself."
Ren stared at him, his bottom lip quivering. "Why are you being so mean to me? You're such a dick these days." His words are soft, barely heard over the wind.
"You're the one who's being super annoying," he pointed out, his tone biting.
"I… I didn't think I was…" he said, his shoulders drooping. "I'm… sorry…"
Goro sighed once he heard him start to cry. Shit, well now he really felt like a dick. He should have known better than to tell him that. Ren's parents already treated him like a burden. His father almost never interacted with him and his mother only cared for him when it suited her. The only reason they didn't ship him off to his uncle was because of his talent and the favor that he brought to their family.
To call Ren annoying was a betrayal and Goro went ahead and did it without a second thought. Goro knew better than anyone what it was like to be treated like scum and he hated that he made his best friend feel like that.
Slowly, he stood and went over to the weeping boy who was crying but refusing to wipe his face. Instead he stood there, staring at the ground as tears ran down his face.
"Ren, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You're not annoying…" he said carefully, pulling the boy into his arms.
He probably wouldn't have done this had other people been around. Instead, he might have pulled him to an empty room where no one could see him. Goro knew how Ren hated letting people see him cry. Barely even a teen and he was taught to hide his weaker emotions. Around Goro though he had no problems displaying them because he knew the red eyed boy wouldn't judge him.
"Ren, please. I'm sorry," he said, burying his face in his shoulder.
Ren's thin arms came around his body and held him. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Shh, I was being a dick to you." Goro pet his messy hair the best he could without tangling it further.
"I was being… annoying…" he mumbled.
"You know I didn't mean it. I just… I got so mad because you're so good at magic and it felt like you were showing off," Goro said, pulling away to look at the boy.
Ren looked at him with red rimmed eyes under his glasses. The expression on his face was odd and Goro couldn't place it. His face was completely flushed but that had been because he was crying. "I wasn't trying to show off."
"Then why do you always copy me or have to correct me?" He asked exasperated.
Ren sniffled and stepped back a bit. "I thought I was helping you by correcting you… and I only like copying you because the last time I copied someone else I got bullied for it…"
Goro frowned at that. "Who's bullying you?"
Ren waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. They transferred out."
That didn't make Goro feel better at all but he supposed if the assailant was gone he didn't need to worry about it. "Still, why didn't you tell me?"
Ren wrung his hands as he looked at the ground. "You already started at the academy so we barely spent time together as is. It was back in primary and they were in my class. I copied them to prove that I knew the spell just from reading about it so they got mad saying I was a cheat.
"It lasted for a month or so. Eventually they had to move away because their parents bought a villa somewhere else. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to bother you more than I already have," he admitted.
The fact that Ren saw himself as a bother made Goro feel guilty. They were best friends meaning they should be able to go to each other for anything. Goro didn't even know the boy was being bullied because he had been so delighted about starting at the academy.
"You aren't a bother. I shouldn't have said that," he said, deflated and defeated. The annoyance was now gone but in its place was guilt.
"But you're right," Ren sighed. "I am being annoying. And I'd rather you tell me as opposed to keeping it a secret."
Goro wasn't going to argue further with him since it proved to be pointless. "Should we head back?" He asked.
"In a bit. What is this place?" He asked, staring up and turning in a slow circle.
"Not sure. Found it by chance." He shrugged as he watched the boy explore the small area.
"We should make this our hideout," Ren said, stopping to talk with a wide smile. "It'd be our secret place."
Our secret place… For whatever reason, the thought of a place like this for themselves makes his chest warm. "You're a dork. Though, having a place like this would be nice."
Both boys paused as they heard voices calling out to them. Neither moved until the voices faded. "We should head back," Ren hummed after a moment, pulling his cloak tighter around him.
"You're right. Sorry for running out earlier," Goro finally said. He didn't like to admit he was in the wrong ever. Ren and his mother were the only people he'd admit he was ever wrong to.
"No… I understand why you did it," Ren said with an easy smile on his face.
"Still…"
"Doesn't matter. It's over and done with," Ren urged softly, a gentle plea for Goro to drop the subject.
Goro nodded and together they left their haven and made their way back to the classroom.
***
"And for today's pair up it will be Akechi and Amamiya," the professor said from the front of the classroom. "They will be demonstrating how spells can be passed between magic users."
Both boys nodded and stood before coming to the front to join the professor. Ren cast a simple water spell, a flowing stream that whipped and curled in the air.
Goro took a deep breath and held out his hands to catch the spell. Ren looked at him and smiled in reassurance. Goro was still uneasy about manipulation but at least Ren was his partner.
The water came at him and he felt the cool liquid skim his fingers as he let it coil and dance in his hands. His mana was keeping it from losing its form otherwise Goro would end up with a soaked uniform. For a few moments he played with the water, admiring the strength of Ren's spell. Before long he passed it back to Ren, his hands just barely shaking as he did so.
Ren caught the spell and dispelled it into a glittering mist between them. The girls in the class gasped in awe at the spectacle. Always the showman Ren was.
They went back to their seats next to each other. As he sat he felt a piece of paper under his fingertips.
Silently, he unfurled the paper and read it.
You did great.
He had to refrain from snorting and thus alerting the professor that they were passing notes. Quickly, he scratched out his response.
You did most of the work.
Ren hummed as he took the note back and wrote his own response before sliding the paper under Goro’s fingers once again.
Maybe like half. Either way, you worked hard on that spell. Be proud because I am.
Goro wasn't sure why those words made his face and his ears burn but they did nonetheless. He was going to scowl at his best friend but Ren was too busy paying attention to their professor.
Goro smiled at his words after a moment. It was nice that there was at least one person proud of him. And he wanted to always make him proud.