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Julian Loki was busy man.
Ever since being finally recognized as a young, and highly capable soccer player and representing his country. He was known as one of the best.
He trains. He gets money. He is able to provide for him, Charles, and Rin.
Charles and Rin were good kids.
Loki never thought they were the type to intentionally cause trouble. (At least, not Rin.) And they weren't harmful in a way. So when he got a call after training about Rin and Charles getting into a fist fight?
He was— maybe still is— slightly pissed.
"Is this Mr. Loki?" The teacher said over the phone. Voice professional. "Yes, who is this?" He answers back. This doesn't seem like a troll call nor one of Charles's prank calls (the brat..)
"Your two kids got into.. Trouble, at school. We'd like for you to attend a meeting with the boy and his parents alongside the principal with your boys."
His two kids.
He wasn't a single dad! Right?
"Yes, of course. I'll be there as soon as i can." Loki says. Keeping his voice calm. "Hey, Loki. You okay-?"
Loki hit the ball at him. The team mate winced. "Hugo. Handle them for a while." Loki says. Both his voice and face dark. Hugo merely hummed and tugged on a strand of his hair. "M'kay."
Hugo was an odd one. Perhaps he'd get along with Rin. They both were quiet like that, though he wonders how Hugo and Charles would be with eachother...
Rin tapped his shoes nervously against the plastic chair. He has long since gotten used to the difference of Japanese and French schools. But even then— it wasn't as familiar.
This all started because of him.
"I'm sorry, Rin. I- I should have controlled my anger more. 'M sorry." Charles quietly sniffled. "It's fine. Loki probably won't mind too much."
It was a lie. Rin doesn't know how Loki would react to this.. Issue. Considering they have to protect Loki's reputation more because of his popularity as a soccer player.
It would be a pretty bad blow to his reputation. A scandal of him and Charles—soccer players under Loki— fighting in school? Hurting an 'innocent' boy?
Reporters and journalists would be piling at their door.
"He won't be angry. Right, Rin?" Charles asks, unsure. He fiddled with his hands nervously.
"Probably not." The lie was heavy on Rin's tongue.
The door opened like a whirlwind. Loki at the doorway like he processed every stage of grief on the drive here. The principal slightly twitching. "Mr. Loki—"
"No." He hissed. The principal was way older then Loki. But even he snapped his mouth shut looking at the furious world player.
Loki scanned the two of them.
Rin's hair was neater. But he had a bruised lip. Light scarring on the knees and a bleeding nose. Charles blonde hair was disheveled and he had a black eye. Also with a bruised knee and scarred palms.
"What. The. Fuck. Happened." Loki hissed at the principal. The man swallowed before talking. "It's a issue at school, unfortunately, I'd have to-"
"I didn't ask you to give me a vague answer. I asked what the fuck happened."
"..."
///
Rin usually went to the cafeteria alongside Charles. But he had to return a book from the library lest there be damages.
"Rin, come on!" The younger tugged on his sleeve. "Charles. Go on without me. I'll be there shortly." Rin says, rummaging through his bag for the book.
"Whaa?? But i wanna stay with you!"
"Don't give me that sweet bullshit, Charles. Head on there. We both know you'll get bored already just at the line for checking."
Charles grumbles, but he didn't argue. Rin took that as a win.
Rin took a pretty long time. But that's fine. There's absolutely nothing wrong that could happen in under two hours, right?
Wrong.
The moment he walks into the cafeteria— it was chaos. Charles was on the floor. Small tears in those doe eyes. And his knees were injured. INJURED.
His little brother had a black eye. looking at him with those teary eyes.
His worldview turned red when he pinned the guy hovering over Charles down. He couldn't even think. Couldn't even translate the french spoken to him by the boy and the teachers gathering by him.
It took at least two teachers to restrict him before he finally stopped. Before the adrenaline in him slowly died down. But the damage was already done.
The boy had a bloody, broken nose. A broken knee. Bruised lip. A black eye. Rin couldn't exactly count the others. But he felt pleased looking at every single injury he inflicted on the little bitch that hurt his little brother.
Then he was brought to the nurses office. Rin pretended he couldn't notice her careful hands trembling. Charles was sniffling by his side.
The boys parents were, no doubt, very angry. Threatening a law suit.
"Charles. What exactly happened there? I won't be able to defend you both if i didn't even know what happened." Loki asks them patiently.
"I- he said Rin should go back to Japan. That he was worthless."
Racism.
It's not often Rin faced racism in France. He had pale skin and he smoothed in well enough. But of course. His name and overall features were a stark contrast.
"I'm sorry. I was so angry. He made fun of Rin's eyes and i just.. Exploded. I punched him in the face." Charles explains. Nervously waiting for Loki's reaction.
Loki's face wasn't obvious to his thoughts. He only gave a low sigh, patted their heads. "I'll take care of it." He said in that soft, stern voice.
Charles and Rin didn't ask.
They didn't need to.
///
Loki ended up pulling a few strings.
Being a world class player ended up getting him a lot of connections. What was a world class soccer player, a representative of France, compared to a normal family?
After a few under the table deals, a bit of bribing, a sprinkle of blackmailing. And sliding five thousand dollars to the principal. Everything was forgotten.
The boy ended up not talking to Charles and Rin after. Hell, he even switched schools once the semester ended.
Rin, the curious little owlet he was. Decided to let curiosity take over him just this once.
"What did you do?" Rin asks with a tilt of his head. Loki was driving them back home. Charles sleeping; leaning his head on the window.
"Money and fame can buy you almost anything, Rin." Loki only says. Rin twitched at that. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say anything. But he only looked like a gaping fish.
Then—wisely—he snapped his mouth shut.
"Smart choice." Loki says. "Too much questions can get you in trouble." Loki explains. Rin only looked away, staring at the streets of France. He felt slightly homesick. "I ordered ochazuke."
"There's Japanese food in france?" Rin asks softly. "Mhm. It might not taste as it is in Japan. But it's something, right?"
Rin stared dumbfounded at Loki, before giggling.
"Yes, it is. Thank you."
Loki only smiled in return.
Charles would soon wake up later and try ochazuke. He would generally be neutral at it. But later, he would complain that's all Rin ordered. Their banter becoming soft background noise as Loki looks on fondly.