Ugly Duckling
Chapter 2
April 5- 8:05 AM
Lussuria was curled up on a bench, dozing quietly, when he felt a cold hand brushing over his cheek. He opened his eyes, feeling drowsy still from the cold and mostly restless night, then reached up, rubbing them to help them focus. He soon saw Bel, a handful of blackberries in his little hand. "The prince went foraging," he explained. Lussuria smiled, and sat upright, allowing Bel to join him on the bench.
"You're quite adapted to living like this, aren't you, hun?" Lussuria murmured, accepting an offered berry from the younger teen's hand. Bel nodded.
"It's been a while since mama and papa threw me out," he murmured. "And when Jill and I used to go out and play in the forest, we learned which berries were safe to eat."
"Was Jill your brother?" Lussuria asked.
"Yeah," Bel sighed, looking down. "But I killed him... he's dead now..."
"It's all right, hun," Lussuria cooed, reaching out and giving the prince a gentle pet on the head. The older teen popped the berry into his mouth, and closed his eyes when the natural sweetness seeped into his mouth. "Good job, Bel-chan," he sighed. The prince grinned, and handed Lussuria another, and the older teen reached in, overcome by his gratefulness, and hugged Bel gently, resting his head on the other's. "You're very sweet."
"Like a blackberry?" Bel asked. The other chuckled.
"Yes, Bel-chan."
Lussuria then took notice of the old top hat that Bel wore and brought around, and saw that it was completely filled with an assortment of berries. "Bel-chan, what's the significance of the hat?" he asked. The prince backed out of the older teen's embrace, his usual grin absent.
"There was a man...," Bel began, "a while ago, just after I'd been thrown out... his name was... um... Well, I call him 'mister,' for the most part, 'cause I don't actually know his name. He was really nice, and he took care of me for a while. But one night, some mean people attacked him... he told me to run. I did, but I didn't go far. Soon, the voices died down, and I returned to his body. There were two big knife cuts across his chest in the shape of an 'x', just like the ones from when I killed Jill. This was his."
Lussuria petted the prince's head, and murmured, "That's good that you're remembering him, Bel-chan. It sounds like he was very nice to you." Bel nodded, and pulled another berry from the hat, and Lussuria noticed, thankfully, the bulge of coins in the prince's pocket that indicated that nothing was buried beneath the berries.
Suddenly, both boys noticed a dark form approaching them, and Bel instantly clung to Lussuria, quivering. "Who's that?" he asked shakily.
"I... I don't know, hun." The figure stopped, and Lussuria realized that it was another boy about their age. He looked dangerous, however; piercings decorated his face, giving him a sort of rebellious look. Immediately, he stood, and let Bel stay there. "Who are you?" he asked, disguising his slight anxiety. The other turned, and made a circle around Lussuria like an animal- rather, like a predator, and Lussuria bit his lip, his caution rising.
"Who are you?" the other spat back. "I've seen the blonde around town, but not you."
Lussuria glanced back at Bel, and the prince shook his head, answering the unasked question of whether he was lying about not knowing this kid. "Well, my name's Lussuria," Luss replied.
"You look weak," the dark-haired male answered. "You have food, too."
Lussuria immediately glared at the other. "I'm sorry, hun, but I'm not weak, and I will fight you if you initiate one." The other stopped circling Lussuria, and glared at Bel, then hissed, turning away. Somehow, Lussuria and Bel both knew it wasn't the last time they would see him.
Much Later, in another part of town...
There was a boy named Xanxus, who had recently discovered that he was raised by a man who had adopted him. His mother had given him up to this man, and 'this man' was a Mafia boss. The boy was devistated by the discovery, and he ran away, his blood-red eyes and long eyelashes soaked with tears. He had short, jet-black hair, and he was cut in a few places where accidents or people had gotten the upper hand on him. His hands were actually covered in bandages, for his adopted father had attempted to train him into an assassin, but Xanxus was clumsy at the time.
So Xanxus now prowled the streets, and his blood-red eyes, now bloodshot from the lack of sleep and from crying every night away, scared away the majority of people who came after him. He was lost and scared, always feeling abandoned, and craving affection, even though he might crush it in his desperate clutches.
It was on that night that he saw a house on fire, and on an instinct, he ran inside it. Almost as soon as he did, however, he ran head on to a young boy who was fighting to escape it. The two of them collapsed simultaneously, and Xanxus looked up to see a boy with short, silver hair, wild, blue eyes, and ash covering his clothes.
"What are you doing!" the boy shouted. "Get out! Hurry, before the exit is blocked!"
Xanxus shook his head, and the boy snarled in anger, picking him up and dragging him out of the place himself. Xanxus mewled with pain as he was thrown on to the hard sidewalk, and he looked up at the boy who had saved him. Said boy dusted himself off as soon as they escaped, and muttered, "What an idiot, running into a burning building. What are you, a volunteer fireman? Please."
"I did it on an instinct," Xanxus mumbled. "I don't know what came over me."
The other sighed, and held out his hand. "Name's Squalo," he said. Xanxus hesitantly accepted the hand, and the silver-haired boy pulled him up to his feet.
"I'm... Xanxus," the other replied.
"Hm," Squalo hummed, comparing his height to Xanxus's. "How old are you?"
"Fifteen," Xanxus replied.
"What's your birthday then?"
"October tenth..."
"Ha! Knew it. I'm older than you!" the silverette said. "I'm on March thirteenth." Xanxus blushed lightly for reasons he didn't know, and took a step back. He was wary of this other teen, not knowing whether this kid was going to be kind to him, or whether he would be cruel and hurt him. But even as he wondered that, the silverette's longing gaze back at the building made him curious. "More importantly," the teen murmured. "I need to go back in there."
Squalo began to walk over to the building, but Xanxus lunged out and grabbed his arm. "You can't do that? Are you stupid?" Xanxus cried.
"No, I'm not," Squalo replied seriously. "Your life isn't as dispensable as mine, guy. My father's in there. If I die trying to save him, so be it. At the very least, it wouldn't be a coward's death." With that, the other marched back into the house, and Xanxus stared after him, shocked. He'd never heard someone talk about life in such a careless way before. He watched as an upstairs room caved in, and his eyes shone bright orange before the fire. It wasn't long before Squalo crashed back outside, collapsing with a man on his shoulders. "Hah... hah... I made... I made it..."
"How did you do that?" Xanxus asked. Squalo glared at him.
"What, you're still here?" he huffed. The other male blushed again, this time in embarassment. "I already knew where he was. I came out here to get a few breaths of untainted air before running back in. But I might've lounged about too long." As he said that, he turned the older man onto his back, his eyes filled with sadness. The man appeared to have been lulled asleep by continuously inhaling the smoke; Squalo placed a hand on his forehead. "I'm not quite sure if he got enough proper air in that place."
Xanxus looked at the pale face, and watched Squalo take out his cell phone and call someone. "Yes, I am a fifteen year old boy whose house has burned down. My father is unconcious. I don't know if he'll make it. ... The street? Can't you see the smoke? Ugh. Troutcatcher's Avenue. Yes. Please hurry." Squalo closed the phone and sighed. "Well, that's that," he sighed, looking down at the older man who continued to lie, unconcious, on the ground. "Looks like we'll have to wait it out, old man."
Xanxus moved a little closer to the silver-haired teen, still blushing lightly. "Um, Squalo," he started. "What's your father like?"
"Heh. Smart question, kid," Squalo chuckled. "He's a fisherman- like myself. The both of us are an unmatchable team out on the water. Heck, I could be rich if he wasn't holding me back!" The boy fell silent after that, then let out a long sigh. "Well... I do know that if I were to catch too many fish, I could ruin the entire environment that's based on rivers and ponds. That I know. What about you, kid? You have parents, too, right?"
"Um... yes," Xanxus said. "Well... not real parents. Not that I know of." He recognized the confusion in Squalo's eyes, and bit his lip, knowing he needed to explain. "My father adopted me. He's a nice guy, I guess, but he never told me that I was adopted. He's a Mafia boss, so when I found out, I... kind of freaked, and ran away."
Squalo gave the ravenette a warm smile, and patted him on the shoulder. "That's actually kind of cool, to be adopted by a Mafia boss! Hey, my father's probably going to be in the hospital for a bit. You and I could hang out, if you want."
Xanxus smiled, his eyes grateful, and whispered, "Thanks," to which Squalo grinned, and patted his head. It was the start of a strong bond between the two.
-End Chapter
Yes, don't bug me about OOC-ness, it was warned. And the 'slightly-AU' part of it is indeed mostly their ages. Thought it would be adorable if Squ-chan was older than Xan-tan., and as you know, when I get an idea, my first impulse is to write about it! :3 Well, raging Xanxus will come eventually, after his life gets a little more crappy. Haha! XD
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