Work Text:
“It’s because of your mouth that we get into these tussles with Laverton in the first place.”
Annoyed, a 12-year old Stanley Snyder kicked at a small rock as he and his best friend continued to trudge along the side of the well-worn, familiar road. His steps fell short, realizing that the other boy slightly in front of him had stopped walking. Xeno Wingfield crooked his head with constricted eyes and a scowl on his face:
“Nobody asked you to step in, Stan. I can handle myself.”
The blonde-haired boy felt a pang of irritation flare at the way Xeno had hissed out the words and so he stomped toward the other teen with purpose.
“No, you can’t. Look at you.”
Xeno winced.
Fuck.
The sooty eyes widened in disbelief, immediately comprehending the insult, then narrowed again. Mouth twisting in an unpleasant manner, the white-haired boy’s palms shot out to shove the other boy away in anger.
“So…that’s what you really think of me, that I am pathetic.”
Stanley shoved back on reflex, causing the smaller boy to recoil and stumble somewhat. After regaining his sense of balance, Xeno’s hands clenched as if he were about to throw his fists. But as the blonde readily braced himself, Stanley caught the sheen of glossiness in the other boy’s eyes as he turned abruptly from him and began to trudge away.
Instant regret rose within him and so he darted forward.
“Xe, wait-”
“No. Leave me alone.”
“Xe-Xeno, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say-”
The budding scientist flicked his head toward the other in resentment while managing to maintain his brisk, ill-tempered steps.
“Why don’t you go hang with your cool friends instead of a pitiful weakling like me who can’t even-”
“XE, WATCH OUT!”
Xeno tripped forward onto the beginning of a slope, stumbling as both hands shot out on reflex in an attempt to grab at something, anything as he realized that he’d lost his balance entirely. Stanley had quickly ascertained the impending danger and had instinctively thrown out his own hand to grab at his incensed friend.
But their hands did not meet and Stanley cursed out loudly, watching in dismay as Xeno began to tumble down the little ravine with an expression of shock on his face. The blonde winced, ears picking up on the rattling of various small bushes as his friend disappeared into the thicket.
Immediately, Stanley threw himself forward, managing to carefully but quickly follow on his own feet, not caring that the various branches and leaves were whipping against his face as he tried to catch up to the other boy.
Near the bottom of the ravine, however, trepidation crept over him at the sight of Xeno face-down in the dried up ditch. Xeno wasn’t moving and there was suddenly a thick knot in his throat as his train of thought plunged into a series of worst-case scenarios.
Had Xeno hit his head?
Is he unconscious?
Shit, do I try to touch or move him?
Could I carry him back up?
I should call for help...
Eventually, he picked up a twitch of movement in Xeno’s hand and slowly, the white-haired boy rolled onto his back with a muffled groan, prompting Stanley to start moving again. He hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath as he scrambled over to Xeno, uncaring of the sharpness of the small pebbles piercing into his knees through the fabric of his jeans as he dropped onto the ground.
“Sh-shit, Xeno, are you alright?”
Xeno blinked, then his eyes rolled toward Stanley with a dazed expression. Only then did the blonde notice the nasty-looking, open gash near the other teen’s temple. He swallowed thickly, eyes trailing over the river of blood that had begun to congeal into Xeno’s loose hair. In morbid fascination, he moved his hand toward it but stopped himself at the last moment. Xeno had blinked again, eyes moistening once more as he realized where he was and what had just occurred.
“...’m fine…”
“No, you’re not fine, you’re bleedin’,” Stanley frowned and quickly wiggled out of the long-sleeve plaid overshirt that he had been wearing and crumpled it against the side of Xeno’s face. “Did…did ya hit your head?”
Xeno blinked again and with hesitation, raised his hand to lightly touch his fingers against the side of his head beneath the fabric. Upon drawing his hand away, he stared at the redness on his fingers, eyes widening in disbelief.
Regret and guilt flickered within the blonde teen once more as he realized that Xeno was trying not to cry as he slowly forced himself into a sitting position.
The dark eyes lowered from his in despondence and the accumulated moisture in his sable eyes began to trickle out tear by tear, “...I...suppose that I did…”
Shit...
“Don't-don't move too much,” Stanley huffed out, hands automatically reaching for the other boy's shoulders, “...I’m sorry I said that, Xe...We gotta get your head checked, c-can you walk?"
The young scientist was silent as his hand pressed further into the crumpled fabric against the side of his head. Shakily, he rose from the ground and wobbled slightly before Stanley wove his own arm beneath his armpit in order to stabilize him.
"...I am able to walk," the white-haired boy declared quietly, feeling disgraceful for the state that he was in, "...I must look so...not elegant at this very moment."
"Man, shut up about that right now," Stanley grumbled as they began to shuffle forward and he angled his head every so often to ascertain his friend's condition, "does it hurt? Your head? I think I see some steps that'll get us up on the main road again a little further ahead..."
The delicate fingers curled into the black and white fabric against his head, “...You are not wrong about me, Stan…I never wanted to admit it, but I guess I am pretty pathetic in not being able to take a more defensive stance when it comes to Laverton–well, anyone really...You always have to come to my rescue.”
"That's what friends are for."
"I...I liken myself to a damsel that's constantly in distress," Xeno mused out thoughtfully and drew the shirt from his head so that he could inspect it. The bleeding had seemingly stopped.
“Guess I'm your knight then,” Stanley asserted quietly, causing Xeno’s dark eyes to finally snap toward him.
For reasons unclear to himself, the taller boy felt warmth prickle across his face toward the back of his neck.
Wh-what the hell. Why did I say that.
The tautness in Xeno’s mouth relaxed and the corner of his mouth curled barely.
“...Is that so?”
“Y-yeah.”
“...That’s a very elegant assurance, Stan.”
"Hm."
"...Snyder? Wingfield?" A woman's voice rang out from the main road as the two boys finally happened upon the narrow concrete stairs leading away from the ditch. Simultaneously, the boys looked up in surprise.
"...My God, is Wingfield alright?!" Mrs. Martinez, their teacher from school, had already begun her descent as carefully as she could, "what are y'all doing down there?! What happened?!"
"I-uhm...took a little tumble down the side of the road," Xeno murmured, averting his gaze as the woman's concerned face loomed close to gaze upon the gash upon his head, "...I'll be alright though...Where did you come from?"
"I'm taking-well, I was taking my post-lunch walk and then-" she held her hands toward the two boys, then her eyes snapped toward the blonde, "...did you do something to him?!"
"What?! No!"
The ashen-haired boy waved his hands loosely, drawing the attention back to him, "No, Mrs. Martinez. It's as I said, I...tripped while we were walking and ended up in the ditch."
"We gotta get his head checked," the blonde piped and the woman nodded without restraint as she carefully guided Xeno toward the main road.
"Yes, yes," Mrs. Martinez nodded hurriedly, already drawing out the cellphone from the little fannypack around her waist, "Xeno, just sit there while I call an ambulance...You too, Stanley, and you notify both of y'all's parents that I'll be accompanying you to the hospital."
With a self-deprecating chuckle, Xeno sat himself on the little concrete block and the blonde took the spot next to him. Mrs. Martinez cast the science-brained boy an odd look.
"Xeno? Are you alright?"
"...I am," the white-haired boy replied, "I was just realizing that this resulted from one of our first major conflicts. Between Stanley and I, I mean."
The blonde bristled instantly, turning his head in desperation between the two, "I-I didn't do anything! We-we were just exchangin' words!! And I apologized anyway!"
Mrs. Martinez' eyes narrowed in suspicion, though Xeno cut across quickly:
"It's the truth that I wasn't paying attention and tripped though...Stanley is my best friend."
The woman's black eyes softened then, a small smile of understanding on her lips.
"You boys must be so close."
Amber and ebony eyes shifted toward each other, fully in-sync.
"That we are."
[fin]