Prompt #87: Trick or Treat

Disclaimer: Ares and all related characters/scenarios/crapit pies belong to Ryu Kum Chel.

"Michael…help me…"

Wide, pathetically tearful eyes beseeched Michael, as the owner of the eyes tugged incessantly on his sleeve.

"Oi…oi, Michael…"

Ares sighed dramatically, throwing himself onto the ground next to Michael. He then settled into a comfortable position – namely, with his full weight resting against the other boy's back.

"Seriously, Michael, will you freaking help me out? I got the crappiest lunch, like, ever, and I know you got in line before me- I saw you! So you must've got something good, right? What'd you get? C'mon, Michael, they were out of every single freaking thing by the time I got to the front! Hey, you're not even listening, you dumbass! You're supposed to share with your friends, selfish little bastard!!"

Michael didn't even glance in the howling boy's direction, intently focused on the half-devoured hamburger in his hands. "Should've been faster."

"What?! Are you kidding! It's not my fault they let the A-ranks go first!!! Michaaaael!" Ares beat his fists halfheartedly against the boy's shoulder before collapsing onto Michael's back with the desperation of a man condemned to the guillotine.

"Please…" he sniffled, before snapping upright when someone else caught his eye. "Baroona! Tell him! Tell Michael he has to gimme some food!"

The hastily recruited accomplice made a questioning sound and cast a languid glance towards the pair. He skimmed over the fuming Ares to study instead the self-absorbed Michael, whose hamburger was now definitely more than half-devoured. All the while, Baroona's expression remained distinctly, almost painfully, blank and neutral.

"Hm."

Ares' visible eye twitched at the lack of sympathy from his so-called 'friend'. "I'm gonna kill you bo-"

"Ares, didn't you already steal extra food after breakfast?" Baroona asked with perfect disinterest, unwrapping his own hamburger. "I'm pretty sure I saw some new grease stains on your travel pack."

Thunderstruck, Ares sputtered something about keeping up strength in battle and stupid, unloyal comrades. In return, Baroona congratulated himself on being kind enough not to point out that they couldn't be unloyal, simply because that word didn't exist.

"Hey now, don't say that about your friends!" Gohu scolded, trotting over to join the trio with a bright smile contrary to the hurt tone of his voice. "Look, if you really don't like what you got for lunch, I'll trade you, ok?"

"Really?" Ares previously tear-filled eyes sparkled with a dangerously ferocious light as he leapt to his feet. Gohu nodded with a little chuckle, peaceably handing over a small box of food.

Clutching the box to his heart like it was some long-last family treasure, Ares beamed at his pal. "You know, for a coward, you're actually a pretty great guy!"

Gohu laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck with a strained smile. Without a word, he bent over and scooted Ares' lunch under his arm. "Yeah, yeah, no problem, Ares!"

Scuttling away from the three, Gohu glanced back once, smile wavering when Ares shot him a big thumbs-up of gratitude.

"See, guys? That's a real friend," Ares smirked at the pair, ignoring the fact that neither boy was looking at him, never mind paying attention to the lesson on camaraderie. Plopping down on the grass, Ares gingerly set his hands on either side of the lunch box, savoring the moment with a theatric lick of his lips. With tantalizing slowness, Ares withdrew the lid from the box, delighting in every creak that anticipated the glorious feast within. He triumphantly pulled it off to reveal a tin box devoid of anything more than two crumbs huddled in the corner.

"He- that- GOHUUUU!"

The roar echoed throughout the courtyard long after Ares had torn out of the place, stalking after a certain back-stabbing bastard with a gleam in his eye that could not be mistaken for anything other than bloody murder. Meanwhile, Michael carefully packed his trash into a ball then, turned his gaze to Baroona's untouched burger.

"You're sharing that."

Baroona looked the blonde kid squarely in the eye, noting a disturbingly similar appetite for murder in Michael's gaze. He smiled.

"Sure."

Ares is a Korean manhwa by Ryu Kum Chel. It's ridiculously amazing and spectacular and the art style is so inspiring in its sketchy/slouchy-ness. I love it enough that I'm trying to write 100 prompted drabbles from it. We'll see how it goes.

Reviews, as always, get much love.