Chapter Text
Mark was tired. Scratch that, he was exhausted. He trudged down the hall, entering his bathroom. Half asleep, he did his morning routine. Catching a glimpse of his alarm clock, however, he decided to speed it up a little. He had to get to the bus in about 10 minutes.
Five minutes later, he threw on a striped hoodie, and pulled on his red Converse, snatching up a granola bar and his backpack, rushing out the door. He reached the stop just as the bus was arriving, climbing up the stairs and into the not-so-welcoming vehicle that he liked to call ‘Hell on Wheels.’ Being a bit of a nerd, he got picked on quite a lot. He had barely made it to his seat when a few of the upperclassman started dicking around with him.
“Oh, look, it’s Fish-back,” one of them taunted. Mark frowned and tried to ignore him. He tried to focus on the exciting events that the day held.
Today’s the day, Mark, he thought to himself, drowning out the bullies, today you’ll get your Tian. Be glad you’ve got first period Biology.
Tians were a tiny species, much like Borrowers, or fairies, that the majority of the world labeled as pets or prizes; inferior to humans. They stood at 3-6 inches tall, making them easier to overpower. So, Mark’s school decided to use them for an experiment. Thankfully, not dissection. Mark was one of the people in the world who didn’t believe that Tians were pets. He didn’t believe they were inferior.
He’d thought about opting out of the project; taking a study hall instead. But, then he thought about the poor Tian that he would be assigned. He thought about how they’d be assigned to someone else, someone far less caring. He thought about what would happen at the end of the year, when they were given the option to purchase their Tian and keep them. He could save that poor Tian.
So, he decided to stay. And today was the day they received the Tians. They would stay at school for the first semester, and after that, the students would be in charge of bringing their Tians to and from school and keeping them at home. They’d have to provide for them as well; proper clothing, a place to sleep, food, etc.
And that was something that made Mark physically sick. The staff didn’t treat them as living creatures. If some dumb jock forgot to feed his Tian, then the poor thing would starve. If some stingy jerk didn’t want to ‘waste’ money on proper clothing or a place for their Tian to sleep, they’d freeze to death or get sick. And the school wouldn’t do anything.
So, Mark made a vow to be the nicest human ever to his Tian. He would spoil the hell out of them, and bring them lots of food, and be super kind and understanding.
He stepped off of the bus with a smile on his face, but it was wiped off by the pavement as his face made contact with it. He could feel his cheek burn; it was definitely scraped up. The bullies had pushed him. He sighed and stood up.
When he finally made his way to his first period class, he sat up front, leg shaking with excitement. I wonder if they’ll be a boy or a girl. I hope it’s a guy. I wonder if they’ve got names. Do we have to name them? Were they given names? Where are they gonna use the bathroom? Oh, gosh, do I have to figure that out? Please tell me they give us the basics…
Mark took detailed notes on the care of Tians, paid close attention to the supplies he would be given, and wrote down the ones he’d need to get. (They were indeed providing bathrooms). He sat on the edge of his chair as the teacher started handing out the Tians.
They were contained in rectangular boxes, and no one was allowed to open their box until everyone had one. With each box came a packet, with the Tian’s basic information and specifications (allergies, mental state, basic interests, etc.). Mark read through the packet excitedly.
Name: Sean McLoughlin
Age: 16
Sex: Male
Notes: Prefers to be called Jack.
Jack, Mark thought, Jack McLoughlin. I’m guessing Irish? Awesome! He waited anxiously, absentmindedly stroking the box as the teacher finished handing the rest of the Tians out. Finally, he was allowed to open the box. As he eagerly lifted the lid, he was met with a sight that broke his heart. The tiny teenager was curled up in the corner of the small box, visibly trembling. His big, blue eyes were wide and terrified, and Mark’s own brown eyes softened. He was instructed to skillfully remove Jack from the box.
“Hey, Jack, right?” Mark spoke softly. Jack flinched, but nodded. “It’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you. My name’s Mark. Do you wanna get out of that box?” Jack shook his head frantically. By now, everyone in the room had just grabbed their Tians out of the boxes, and were now staring at Mark.
“Jack, it’s alright. I won’t touch you, but you’ve gotta get out of the box,” Mark coaxed. Jack was extremely hesitant, but nodded. Mark tilted the box, and Jack crawled out and onto the desk. Mark smiled, but then flushed as he realized that the whole class was staring at him strangely. Jack looked up at him curiously.
The teacher handed each of them a shoebox containing the bare minimum of required items; a bathroom, a package of food, and a thin cloth described as a blanket. Mark automatically decided that Jack would need better bedding than that, but he handed Jack the blanket anyway. He was obviously cold. Jack backed away from Mark’s offer, so Mark just draped the blanket over his tiny shoulders himself. Jack gave him that same curious look as he tugged the blanket around him.
Also figuring Jack must be hungry, Mark offered him a piece of pretzel from the food package. Hoping that Jack at least trusted him enough to take the pretzel, he held it out to him. Cautiously, Jack grabbed it with both hands and pulled it toward him, and Mark let go and gave him a small, warm smile. Jack blushed, and focused on nibbling at the pretzel.
When the time came to go to their next class, everyone grabbed their Tians and shoved them into the shoebox. Mark frowned, and Jack looked up at him, frightened. Mark closed the shoebox, and there was Jack’s confused look again. He slipped on his bookbag, and tucked the box under his arm. He placed a hand in front of Jack.
“I’m not gonna shove you in a box, Jack. You’re coming with me. But, you gotta trust me and hop on,” Mark said softly. He remembered the other information he’d read in the packet.
Notes: Prefers to be called Jack.
Claustrophobic.
The word stuck out like a sore thumb on the page. Mark wasn’t about to keep a claustrophobic teenager in a shoebox. He wasn’t cruel. He glanced at the clock, and then back at Jack desperately. “Dude, please. I’m gonna be late.”
Jack slowly made his way into Mark’s hand, dragging the blanket behind him. Mark picked up the pretzel piece he’d left behind, handing it to him and rushing to his locker to deposit the shoebox. Then, he sprinted off to his next class, not ignoring the fact that Jack was clinging to his thumb like a support railing. Mark reached his seat not 4 seconds before the bell rang.
He set Jack down on the desk and caged him in with his arm, getting out a pencil and notebook. Throughout the whole class, people whispered about Mark; no one else had brought their Tian to class, let alone had them sitting on their desks. Jack spent the entire period hiding behind his blanket and leaning against Mark’s surprisingly buff arm, staring up at him. Mark refrained from staring back. This went on for several periods.
By lunch time, Jack was a little more comfortable with Mark. Mark’s friends, Bob and Wade? Not so much. Bob and Wade didn’t take Biology; they took Chemistry, since they were sophomores. So, they didn’t have Tians of their own. Jack had shied away from them immediately. Mark stared at him in concern as Bob and Wade examined him excitedly; perhaps too excitedly. “Guys, back off, you’re freaking him out,” Mark said as Jack opted to hide behind his arm, “and, honestly, you’re freaking me out.”
Bob and Wade apologized, turning back to their lunches, but Mark could see them sneak glances of Jack. The Tian was still wrapped in the thin blanket, nibbling on the pretzel piece, but had positioned himself in the crook of Mark’s elbow as the latter typed away at his laptop. Jack was pleasantly surprised to see that he was looking for places to find stuff for his new companion.
“Alright, Jackaboy, what do you want to start with? I’m thinkin’ clothes?” Mark questioned, looking down at the little teen with a smile. Jack blushed at the nickname, but nodded. Mark scrolled into the clothes section of the website he’d found. Jack was excited to get out of the boring and uncomfortable t-shirt, sweats, and socks he’d been stuck in. Spotting a blue and green, striped hoodie, he tugged excitedly at Mark’s own grey, striped hoodie sleeve. Mark glanced down at him.
“This one?” he confirmed, pointing to the item of clothing on the screen. Jack nodded shyly. Adding it to the cart, Mark continued to scroll. By the end of lunch time, they’d collected the hoodie, a pair of green Converse, multiple pairs of black skinny jeans, and a few plain t-shirts. And, of course, underwear and socks.
Mark shut his laptop just as the bell rang, telling Jack they’d finish later as he laid out his palm. Once Jack had crawled on, he said goodbye to Bob and Wade, grabbed his bag, and started walking to his next class. He started to notice how tired Jack looked. Wordlessly, he placed Jack on his shoulder, between the hood of his sweater and his neck. Jack grabbed hold of the hood, confused. “You can sleep, if you want. You look like you could use it.”
Jack stared at the bottom of Mark’s jaw apprehensively for about three minutes before giving up and cuddling closer to the larger teen’s neck, flustered.
While Jack was sleeping, Mark felt the blood rush from his face. Jack has to stay here, at school, for the whole semester. He’s going to be terrified. Oh, Jack, I'm so sorry...