If You Be My Bodyguard
Warnings: Some characters' questionable vocabulary, mild Jack abuse, some minor character OCs, and it's slightly AU-ish because of the politics/makeup of the Academy.
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Given the size of HD Academy, it was easy to not notice the appearance of a new arrival, particularly if one was high on the unwritten social ladder that was in place. But this one was impossible to miss, even from the uppermost rung.
It was mostly the colors. The Academy, although there was no formal dress code, tended to recruit people who were more reason-driven. Damian wasn't sure what to call the human being sitting at the far end of the table with a sketchbook, colored pencils, and a sandwich, but "reasonable" was far from it.
Damian always ate at his corner on the outermost table with his back to everyone else, but he knew that a lot of people were eyeing this new arrival like a hunk of meat. Whoever he/she (Damian honestly couldn't tell) was, it was likely that his/her life was going to be hell on earth here. That was how it went for the easy pickings.
Damian shoveled more food into his mouth and turned his attention away from the new arrival. It didn't concern him. If someone couldn't handle the Academy's politics, then they had no business staying.
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Damian and the new arrival (Jack, Ziggurat had told him) continued to eat in the same places each day for meals. Coming in from the entrance door, Damian ate on the far-right side on the corner so that he faced away from the people and towards the wall; Jack ate on the far-left side on the corner so that he could see everyone. Damian suspected it was so that his tormentors couldn't sneak up behind him, not that it kept them from coming.
One day, they poured melted butter over his head. Another, it was syrup. A brave lower-status kid threw a raw egg at him once; it hit him right in the temple. A lot of people threw things at him, come to think of it. He had stopped bringing a sketchbook after Carlson had taken it, tore out each page, and thrown them in the trash on spaghetti day. Damian always watched in his peripheral vision as Jack took everything the pecking order threw at him.
Today, it was Carlson again, with Briggs and O'Connor this time. They had first names, but Damian didn't even remember what they were anymore because he never used them. Carlson wanted Damian's place at the top, and Damian made sure to tell him that he wasn't the one in charge any chance he got. Not that Carlson could force him out of power. Damian had been one of the first recruits in the Academy and had used that time to build his empire. Carlson was relatively new; he'd only been in the Academy for a year or so.
Carlson sat across from Jack and leaned over the table with a wide grin on his face. Damian could hear his low voice as he said something to Jack, but couldn't make out any words. When Jack didn't respond, Carlson stood, leaned over the table, and took a fistful of Jack's hair, jerking his head towards him to whisper something in his ear before stalking off.
Damian kept Jack in the corner of his eye while he finished his lunch. Carlson had inadvertently exposed the right side of Jack's head when he'd grabbed him. Damian doubted he even thought that anyone noticed the dark bruise on Jack's temple.
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A/N: Hi! So, I had told myself that, since I am working on a long-term multi-chapter fanfiction already, I wasn't going to write any other stuff until I finished it. And, of course, right when I made that resolution this idea started bugging me and wouldn't leave me alone. I just missed writing these two so much! I couldn't resist!
With that being said, updates will be slow. I'm apologizing for that ahead of time. Reviews and constructive criticisms are more than welcome.
Have a nice day :)