Title: Bloody noses
Summary: Shut up, and do me a favor. Suck it up, Ripper. We're mates for life.

Characters/Pairings: It's Young!Ethan Rayne and Young!Ruper Giles, while they were in school together. They're twelve in this fic, but Ethan is still a foul mouth little guy as well as Giles too.

Warnings: A bit of crude language, so heads up on that. Ethan and Rupert aren't angels, so yeah.

A/N: This is set during their school years, when their friendship began. I read that they became friends when Giles started getting rebellious and I don't know, I just chose for them to be friends at this age. Hope you all enjoy the fic, and thanks for reading.
Disclaimer: I own none of this franchise.

For the hundredth time, Rupert felt his hair being yanked. He didn't even have to look back to know who it was. His lips twisted into a frown but he kept writing, shaking his head. Ignore him, and the boy will stop, that was what his teacher told him. It was what his father told him.

After a minute passed, Rupert felt his hair yanked again but this time it was different. There was something…something in his hair. He put his pencil down, reaching back then to touch his hair and immediately yanked his hand back.

That little bast-

Rupert stood up quickly, knocking his books off his desk. He whipped around and his hand slapped Ethan Rayne so hard both boys feared Rupert had just knocked out one of Ethan's teeth. Luckily nothing fell from Ethan's mouth but a crude gesture.

Spit hit Rupert's face right after the slap.

"Bastard!" Rupert usually didn't let himself get so worked up over Ethan's antics.

Ethan's smirk only grew into something more.

"Cunt!" Ethan shouted back as he grinned like the trickster himself. The boy who grinned as the devil was tackled onto the floor then, and pinned. Rupert Giles glared down at him, as if ready to pumble him right then and there.

Ethan grabbed him, managing to twist port Rupert Giles around. Ethan had his arm around him, around that throat "Stop being such a wuss, Giles!"

Rupert kicked his feet some, still struggling as much as he could. His fingers groping at the arm around him, eventually gripping the boy's sleeve tightly as he could manage.

"You ruin everything you touch, Ethan Rayne!"

Ethan laughed at him though and kneeled him in the gut harshly without a second though "Make me, Giles."

Rupert and Ethan both rolled around the classroom floor for what seemed ages, until both boys were picked up by their shirts. Ethan was sporting a freshly bloodstained jacket, and blood still dripped down his nose onto the floor.

One of the boys in the class made a face "Ew! He's bleeding!"

Rupert tried to reach for Ethan but a ruler smacked his hand "Both of you. To the nurses' office and straight to the headmaster's after."

"But Ethan—" Rupert looked up at his teacher only to be rewarded with a stern look. He melted away his anger, and stared at his feet. His eye was bruised already, a dark set of colors under it "Yes, teacher."

Ethan blew a raspberry at him.

"You will be going as well, Mr. Rayne, of you will be suspended from this school faster than before. Do you wish to have your mother come down here to speak with me again?"

"No, teacher." Ethan rolled his eyes, and held back his comment. Both of them were shoved out the door but not before receiving a comment of if they disobeyed they'd both get detention for the rest of the month.

Ethan began to walk the opposite way, but was yanked back by Rupert. The boys were only twelve but both seemed older however for different reasons. Ethan appeared older because of height, and Rupert because of maturity.

"I am not getting detention because of you, Rayne." Rupert glared at him, gripping onto Ethan's jacket so tightly, he didn't even mind the bloodstains.

"Oh, Rupert, you make me swoon." Ethan suddenly leaned in, a cheeky grin "Will always be as rough as this?"

That sent chills through Rupert, he never wanted to think about that ever again. He hated Ethan for saying such crude, tasteless things. Ethan was just trying to put him in a bad mood…to be a pain in the neck.

"I'll probably have to get my hair cut, you twat." He muttered under his breath, continuing to yank Ethan to the nurse's office.

He didn't have to look up to know Ethan was smirking. Rupert kept his frown, hair in his face. He kept walking, dragging him around the corner. Rupert tried to ignore the pain under his eye, it still hurt like hell.

Why did Ethan have to be so…brutal? The other boy always left a worse mark than Rupert ever did. Ethan was always getting into fights, picking fights, whatever else could be managed.

"You know you're a real brown noser."

Rupert glanced back at him but rolled his eyes. Stupid. He looked away from him though and shook his head. Ethan was so stupid sometimes. There was a nudge at his back, but he ignored it.

"Hey. Hey, Rupe." Ignore him.

"Rippeeeeeeer."

Rupert hated that nickname.

"Ripper." Another nudge to his back and Rupert skidded to a stop. He looked at the boy.

"What?" He snapped, letting go of Ethan finally.

Ethan just grinned ear to ear, before the grin faded into a small smile like he knew nothing Rupert hadn't. The boy nudged his friend, blood stained face and all, his lips giving a messy, bloody smile "Shut up and do me a favor."

Hands grasped his arms so tightly, yanking him close. Rupert was sure he heard how his shoes scuffed the floor "Suck it up, Ripper. We're mates for life."

Mates for life.

It sounded more like a contract than a friendship.

But then again…

What wasn't with Ethan Rayne? Everything was a contract to him.