I listened to Speeding Cars by Imogen Heap on loop while I wrote this. I don't know why but it was stuck in my head and now I associate the song with these two. Enjoy!
Eli walks into school later than usual thanks to his alarm not going off and the halls are mostly cleared out now. All the good kids and even just the average ones have scuttled off to their first period classes and the only people left loitering around the lockers are the delinquents. He keeps his head low and his eyes down as he tries to shuffle past unseen and unheard.
"Hey, check it out," he hears someone say. It isn't to him though, so he keeps moving.
"Whoa," another person fawns over whatever they are talking about. "How'd you get it to glow like that?"
Eli jerks to attention and his eyes snap to the pair. In one boy's hand is a crystalline rock with a soft green glow about it. His eyes bulge. No way. Did they seriously miss a piece? He bites at his lip. He can't let them keep it. They could trigger its latent powers and that would be bad news for everyone. But how is he supposed to get it away from them? They're bigger, stronger, and not above fighting to get it back. His thoughts jump to Steve. He should go to him and have him handle this. But no, Steve must be in class by now, and there's no time to waste. Plus he has spent the last few weeks beating it into Steve's brain that he needs to show up on time and for every class. He can't be the one to make Steve break that.
So he draws in a deep breath and slinks toward the boys – Chuck and Eric. For once being practically invisible to the world is going to be useful. Halfway to them he shoots into a run, covering the distance in a flash. He snatches the rock from the boy and zips away.
Chuck starts and for a moment only stares. Then he snaps back, "Hey!" He rushes after Eli.
Eli's heart skips a beat at the sound of his voice and he nearly trips over his own two feet. He only needs to make it to class. That's it. He tightens his hold on the rock.
Eric springs into action and joins the hunt.
Footsteps pound in Eli's ears, each one like a death knell. His eyes dart back and forth. Come on. It never takes this long to get there. This is ridiculous. Where is the room? Where is it?
Chuck seizes Eli's collar and pulls – hard.
Eli gags and falls back.
Chuck jerks Eli off the ground so they are eye level and he can pin Eli beneath his fiery gaze. "What the heck is wrong with you, nerd? You don't just steal other people's stuff."
Eli scoffs, a kneejerk response. "Because I'm sure you never steal." His eyes go wide and he freezes once he realizes what he said. Oh no. Steve has rubbed off on him in all the worst ways.
Chuck blinks twice, then anger twists his expression all over again. "I know you don't want us to hurt you." He jostles Eli. "And really, we don't want to hurt you."
Eric steps forward. "But we will hurt you if we have to." His lips curl into a snarl. "If you don't. Hand. Over. The rock." He holds a hand out to receive the rock.
Eli swallows hard. There is nothing but pure malice in Eric's eyes. It makes Eli quiver. This guy, he'll definitely follow through. Worse, he'll do it and enjoy every second of it. "No," his voice wavers despite his effort. He tightens his grip and holds the rock further away.
"No?" Eric says through grit teeth. He clamps his hand around Eli's neck and slams him against a locker. "Did you really just say no to me?" He squeezes Eli's throat.
Eli gasps for air and claws desperately at Eric's hand. His head spins. He needs to get out of this. Immediately. But he can't give him the rock. He can't.
"Now what do you say?"
Realization lights on Eli's face and he slams the rock against Eric's wrist.
Eric yelps and releases his vice grip, an electric pain shooting through his hand. He clutches at his wrist and his gaze turns blazing as he bares his teeth.
Eli drops to the floor and gulps in air. Mistake number one.
Before he can move, a punch connects with his jaw and his head snaps back into the locker. White explodes across his vision.
"That's it," Eric seethes. He smashes his foot against Eli's wrist. Again. And again. And again. "Let. It. Go!"
Eli flinches and screams with each and every blow, but he does not release the rock. Tears well in his eyes. He just has to hold on long enough for someone to come. Someone will come. They have to.
…
Coach Lawrence goes through the roll call and halfway through Steve is already dozing. He may have promised Eli that he'd be on time and show up to every class, but he made no promises to pay attention. Besides, there's no point being awake for this class until the coach ushers them on into the gym.
"Eli Pepperjack!" Coach calls.
Steve vaguely registers the name as it is spoken, but he doesn't move from his spot. Then he hears it again.
"Eli Pepperjack?"
Steve opens an eye to look around the room. It's not like Eli to remain silent through roll call, but it has happened before. Staying up and creepslaying does take its toll after all.
But he isn't there.
Steve snaps his eyes open and jerks upright. He makes a sweep of the room again, makes extra sure he hasn't simply overlooked the kid. Nothing. Every seat is filled, all but the one directly in front of him. Empty. Steve's heart beats faster.
"Hm." Coach shrugs. "No Eli."
Steve launches forward, his chair clattering as it tips dangerously. "Coach!" there is a note of hysteria to his voice. "I need to go to the bathroom." He curls his fingers over the edge of the desk with such intensity they turn white.
Coach stares blankly at Steve. "Class just started…" he frowns. "You should have-"
"So! I still need to." Steve shoots him a meaningful look. "Now." He holds his breath.
Coach's brow furrows as he glances from Steve to the empty seat ahead of him. That must be it. "Well, alright, just take the hall pass wi-"
Steve leaps from the chair and is out of the door before the coach can even finish his sentence. He skids to a stop in the middle of the hall and looks fervently about himself. In but a second he sees it – two boys towering over Eli.
His blood boils and a deep growl rumbles in his throat. It takes everything in him not to attack them right here and now. But no. He has cover to keep. There must be another way to rescue Eli. His eyes dart around the hall. There. He sprints to the wall and shoves the fire alarm down.
The alarm blares and light flashes. The boys jerk their heads up and loosen their hold on Eli. Within seconds people are spilling out into the hall and overwhelming them. And then there are the teachers. Eric growls and throws Eli away before disappearing into the crowd.
Steve jolts into action the moment the boys vanish. He pushes his way through the idiots and swoops down to lift Eli off the floor. It's amazing no one has stepped on the little guy yet. Now this, this is harder. He stays flush with the locker and shuffles along, careful not to bump anyone on his way. It feels like an eternity, but finally he reaches a turn and slips into the space. Yes! The bathroom. He ducks inside.
He goes to the far side of the bathroom and sets Eli on the floor, gingerly leaning him against the wall. "Eli." He bends down in front of Eli. "Eli, can you hear me?" A panic swells within him as he scans Eli and his condition.
Eli's eyes flutter open and he groans. "Steve…?"
Steve lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Are you okay?"
Eli moves a hand to cradle his head, but yelps and drops his hand as electric pain shoots through his arm.
Steve's heart leaps in his chest. "Don't move." He grazes his fingers along Eli's wrist to test just how bad the injury is.
Eli flinches and whimpers.
Steve's eyes widen and he jerks his hand away. "S-Sorry." He inspects Eli's face more closely. "Dude, what the heck did you do?" Eli's lip is swollen and blood is trickling from the corners of his mouth. There even seems to be a bruise already blossoming around his eye, eyes no longer guarded by thick glasses. The punks must have knocked them off. "You got the crap beat out of you." He wipes away the blood with his thumb.
Eli glances at his limp hand and sees it – the emptiness. His expression crumbles and he can't keep a sob from leaping forth. "I lost it…" Tears well and run down his cheeks.
Steve starts. "Lost? Lost what?" A book? Homework? Those are hardly things to get this upset over.
"Those boys…I guess we missed a piece of the alien rock, cause…they had one."
Steve is taken aback by the revelation, but then another truth settles on him and he could not care less about the rock. "Wait…that's why you're so upset? Because of some dumb rock?"
Eli glares as best he can. "It's not dumb," he sniffles. "It's important." He wipes at his eyes with his good hand.
"Not as important as you." He jabs a finger at Eli's chest. "Getting some stupid rock means nothing if you're dead." Steve shakes his head. "I thought I was supposed to be the dumb one."
Eli hangs his head and lowers his gaze. "I just wanted to be useful…to get something back the way you would have."
Steve sighs. "Eli." He lays a hand on Eli's shoulder. "Just because you can't fight like me doesn't mean you're useless. Without you, we'd never have any plans and I'd be just as dead as you are right now," he half laughs.
Eli puffs out a laugh. "Well…I'm not dead. So I guess you wouldn't be very dead." He smirks.
Steve rolls his eyes and smiles despite himself. "Yeah, ok, smart alec." He swats at Eli. "Can you stand?"
Eli contemplates it, but the mere thought causes his shoulders to slump and his whole body to feel heavier. Still, he hesitates. Steve's words were nice, comforting, but he can't help feeling weak by admitting he can't walk.
Steve senses Eli's insecurity and says, "It's okay if you can't. I can carry you." It's not like he hasn't done plenty of times before.
"Yeah…" Eli nods weakly. "Everything hurts."
Steve is careful with where he grabs as he gently picks Eli up and situates him in his arms. "We're going home, alright?" He walks out of the bathroom. The last thing he needs is to have the school nurse flip out and throw around accusations if he were to take Eli there.
Eli starts and nudges his elbow into Steve's chest with as much urgency as he possesses. "Not home. Not mom. She can't know." She worries enough about him as it is.
"Relax. I meant my house. My mom, uh," he averts his eyes, "she's good with this sort of stuff. She can fix you up."
Eli picks up on the discomfort in Steve's voice, but he is far too tired to try and riddle it out. He leans his head against Steve's chest and closes his eyes. "What about our cover?" he mumbles.
"We'll slip out the back. No one will even notice us." They'll be too busy talking amongst themselves as they wait to be allowed back in the school. At least he hopes so. He still isn't quite ready for the world to know about them being friends. He hates himself a little more every day for choosing this, for allowing people to hurt Eli, but for now it's all he can bring himself to be – a silent protector.
Yes, I made up an alien rock just so this chapter could exist. In all likelihood it will never make another appearance, but if it proves useful for any other one-shot I have then it'll come up again. We'll see. I may or may not continue this particular thread, but if I do it probably won't be the next chapter. It all depends on what mood I'm in what I end up writing. Please review!