The clock slowly ticked by: the heat resonated off the sides of the wall, and even from the tops of the desks of every student in the room. His face was plastered to the skin of his paper, and no one could notice the single tear that trickled down the side of his face, dropping a diamond on to the ink stained parchment below. Sweat soaked, curly brown, locks stuck to the sides of his face. No one saw how his hands trembled, and no one even bothered to look; they were all far too busy staring at the lecture in front of them. It was as if all of the boring, meaningless banters of numerals and equations actually mattered in life.
It didn't hold the key to happiness.

As the bell finally rang, every single student, but one, eagerly rose and grabbed their bags, cheerfully addressing their friends and counterparts as they raced out of the room, eager to start their Christmas breaks.

Flinching, he only tensed as he heard the almost inaudible click that the door gave after it was locked. He ignored the sound of ripping tape as the glass of the door was being covered by a sheet of paper. He ignored the sound of footsteps as they only crept closer. He ignored the hand that pressed itself against his thigh.

"Well? Let's discuss that last test grade, hmm?"

*Three Months Ago*

The houses of the neighborhood could only hear laughter: it reverberated off of their shutters, embedding itself into the small, tiny and old, crevices of their worn down siding. The windows smiled and rolled their eyes as they watched two boys, or rather young men, running down the streets. The chimneys grinned and chuckled as the boys laughed and shoved each other. However, the doors were stuck up bitches that ignored the two, continuing their long and boring days by gazing at the windows, like the perverts that they were.

"No fair, Lovi! You cheated!"
"No way, Bastardo! You had it coming!"
"But you started running before I said 'go'!"
"So what?"

"It's not fair!"

The windows giggled and observed them. They were confused by the fact that the two wore the exact same clothes: dark blue and plaid pants, white long-sleeved shirts, and black sweater vests with an insignia on top of their hearts. Even though their clothing looked the same, it wasn't hard to tell them apart. One of them had messy, chocolate brown hair that looked as if it had never seen a comb in his entire life. He had tan skin, and very deep, emerald green eyes. He held onto the strap of his well worn-out bookbag as he ran, and his shoes were scuffed and dirt ridden. He had the nerve to wear sneakers with such an expensive, formal outfit! His bright smile made up for it, though.

The other boy, however, held his back straight. Instead of running, he walked quickly and with purpose. His chestnut hair was neatly combed: he had a fringe that covered one of his eyes, and even a long curl that bobbed with every step he took. A brand new, pristine messenger bag danced against his side, and his charcoal dress shoes shined against the pavement as he took his steps, frowning and rolling his eyes.

"God damn it, Antonio! We're going to be late because of you, Bastard!" he yelled in frustration, kicking the ground with his freshly polished shoes, ignoring the curl that bobbed in front of his eyes. "I don't want to be late for our first day of high school! I especially don't want to get egged by some dumb ass seniors or something!"

"But we won't be late, Lovi! Not if you believe!" the other smiled as he ran a hand through his messy locks, laughing as if he was attempting to soothe their knots and make them purr. "We'll be okay! I'll protect you, forever and always!"
Crossing his arms, the one presumed to be Lovi looked off to the side as his cheeks flushed brightly, trying to ignore the fact that he probably knew his ears were turning red too, grumbling, "My name is not 'Lovi,' Bastard! It's Loh-vee-noh! Got it! So go fuck yourself or something! And for your information, I don't need your stupid protection! I can take care of myself, damn it! Hmph!"

Rolling his eyes, Antonio only laughed and stretched his back, folding the palms of his hands against the back of his head as the looked up at the sky, gazing at the clouds above him. Sunshine glowed behind the insipid puff balls, bringing them newly found, rejuvenating light. Looking over to his side for a second, his smile only widened as he saw the gold expose itself on his friend's eyes. Their olive tone brightened, and his hair had a slight orange glow to it, reminding him of the leaves in Autumn, which would surely be coming soon. His curl stuck itself to his button nose for only a second before it's owner blew it away with a look of annoyance, only causing Antonio to smile even wider. As if sensing his eyes, Lovino growled and looked over, glaring and crossing his arms once again.

"What the fuck do you think you're looking at, Bastard! I didn't give you permission to stare at me like a fucking pervert!"
Chuckling, Antonio shook his head as he closed his eyes, feeling a lazy smile tug on the side of his lips yet again, marking what would become his past and present. His future would not be so lucky to be graced with smiles, at least not for a long time.

"Nothing, Lovi. Absolutely nothing."