Cheaters : Chapter 1

Children of the Red King Ficlet

By Suchan deFamine

Warnings: Slash. Pottymouthing. Angsty situations. Cheating.

Rating: PG-13

Notes: Not really… just thanks guys for reading Somewhere I Belong and all my other CRK stuff. This, once again, stars Asa and Manfred, and just for fun I'm throwing in someone else….

Let's go.

:P

"Disperse!"

The students stood and left the dining hall in a hurry. Swept along by the tsunami of kids rushing back to their quarters, Asa reached back and grabbed Manfred's sleeve so as not to get separated.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Manfred.

"UNHAND ME!" squealed Emma Tolly, smacking at the hand that clutched her blouse in the wrong spot. Asa yelped a "SORRY!" and let go instantly. She walked off faster than one could run.

The tide of children stranded Asa in the middle of the hallway, looking around. He mumbled, "Dear God…" and headed to the purple coat room to collect his Pre-Algebra homework. It was going to take him all night the way it was, but Manfred had promised to help him, so it might go faster.

Manfred was in no state to help him when he arrived at the King's Room. Terribly distracted, Manfred kept staring at the portrait of the Red King, around at everyone else, swinging his feet. Asa tapped his hand softly.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just can't focus."

"I told you you should cut down on coffee…"

"Right, right. I'll stop drinking ten cups a day." But he fidgeted the whole two hours they were there. Asa, and the rest of the endowed, found this extremely irritating.

They all left when the bell chimed, and Manfred jumped up from his seat. Asa held his arm. "How about tomorrow, no caffeine, let it all drain out of your system."

"Okay, okay. Let's go. Bedtime."

"Yeah. Just don't run."

:P

He smacked Manfred's hand. "No caffeine today, remember?" Manfred gave Asa a dark look and stepped away from the coffee brewer. "Come on… just go a day without… you can have a cup tomorrow."

"Just one?!" Manfred whined. Asa gave him a sharp look.

"Yes. And not before bed, or with dinner." Dinner was spent with an irritated tension between the two, one was from lack of coffee, and the other was from lack of attention. Manfred let his black gaze wander from child to child, watching Zelda drain her cup of coffee and Beth, her tea, Charlie…Charlie. Since when had he been thinking of him by first name only?

Bone, Bone… the kid was no friend of his. Marked an enemy. Not Charlie . Just Bone.

Asa threw a seasoned glare in Manfred's direction but the ebony-haired boy paid no attention…he was staring at someone else…

:P

End Chapter 1.

:P

YAY. I like where this is going. You may not, but I do. HAHAHA. Reviews? (shakes a tin)