"Why do you keep coming to my room?"

Filip zipped up his shirt to fully face Aric leaning against the doorway to the Doom Room. The latter wiped a bloody smudge from the face of a knife idly, not even looking at the shell-shocked boy who, before his completely polite and friendly intrusion, had just been out of the showers and had taken his time to prime his hair before the thought of actually putting clothes on ever reached his comfort zone until the door had been busted open.

He should've, however, known better. There wasn't a day of the week when Aric didn't come to fright the heart out of him. If he had to be more specific, this'd be the seventh time. In four days.

"Making sure you're not up to any trouble," said Aric, even letting out a yawn.

"'Making sure I'm not up to anything' sounds a loooot like spying on me," teased Filip, his voice cracking oddly. "I know I'm handsome, really, Aric, but I—"

"You are hiding something," Aric spat, flicking his wrist as the knife flew to the floor, just inches from Filip's left boot. "And whatever that is, I'm going to find out."

Looking conversational, Filip made a face and sat down the bed opposite his own. "Fine. Search me, O Suspicious One."

Much to Filip's satisfaction, Aric scowled. He did that a lot lately, if he wasn't swaggering like a stallion. He strode over to Filip's bed, inspecting the shadiest of things there, which were toothbrush and toothpaste and floss and fresh mints, pulling up the frigid blankets with ominous stains, angrily whipping them around as if he'd magically conjure a Dark Object that belonged to either the tenants of the room.

Lazily Filip watched him.

Seriously, he's doing the same thing over and over again. It's not as if they'd be able to sneak anything in here. He's only got a couple of nights left, too, and he's wasting his precious time just letting this jerk turn his place upside down.

"Need some help, Ricky?"

Aric grunted in pain after slamming his head up the bed frame. He scrambled to stand up, looking furious. "Call me that again and I'll rip out your throat."

Filip rolled his eyes as Aric resumed his 'investigation'. He is such a boy.

"No need for hostility, Leader." Filip tried again, but this time Aric whirled to him with a dagger to his neck and pinned his wrist to the wall.

"Try me, Ever," he snarled, and then let him go.

Filip groaned, massaging his wrist. To think he'd had enough of that in the past! He'd like to give Aric a freaking piece of his mind—

He stopped himself, realizing that his finger had been glowing a strange reddish color. Wouldn't want to arouse more suspicion, he bitterly thought.

"What the…"

Aric yanked something out between the covers and held it up.

Filip thought his heart had stopped beating.

Aric stared at it. Filip stared at it. They exchanged shocked glances, then looked at it again, and Aric knew with perfect certitude that it was what he thought it was.

"…"

"…"

"…It's a—"

"THAT'S MINE!"

Next thing he knew, Aric was sent flying out of the new boy's quarters, red in the face and swearing to never come in that nutjob's room ever again. Nobody really knew why, but that remained between the two of them, and that was good. It better stay that way.

Back in the room, Filip locked himself in there, stuffing the bra back in another secret place.

Just a few more days, he reminded himself. He could get through this. There's a reason he'd been chosen.

Aric touched it. A boy literally held—

He flushed a deep, deep red and screamed into his pillow.

FULL AUTHOR'S NOTE IN PROFILE