Cloudburst (M/M)

[monochrome]

...I wrote this at 1AM, so I'm not completely sure if it makes sense or not.

This first chapter doesn't have any sneezes yet, but there's some in the next chapter, I promise! Along with a lot of unnecessary angst...

The world was falling away. The ground was becoming unsteady, the intricate details around him all merging to form a nauseating blur–

No, his glasses were just falling off. Pushing them up again, Ryan focused his glance back on the clock. There were four minutes left until class ended. If he took a run for it, maybe he could escape the classroom in time.

...Three minutes. Two minutes. One. The shrill, welcoming sound of the bell interrupted the teacher’s mundane lecturing. The boy stood up hurriedly and grabbed his backpack, his glasses falling off in the process.

Shoot.

He knelt down quickly to pick them up, but another hand got there first. Looking up, he could almost make out his enemy’s poisonous smirk as the glasses were pulled from his reach.

“Give them back, Peyton,” Ryan muttered quietly. “I need those.”

Peyton ignored him, dangling the glasses teasingly before his face. “I wonder what would happen if I dropped these...”

Ryan’s dull green eyes widened in terror. “Please... d-don’t.”

Peyton raised an eyebrow, amused. “Why shouldn’t I?” He strode outside of the classroom and into the emptying hallways, with Ryan following helplessly after him. “Do you have anything to bribe me with?” the boy demanded coldly. “...No?”

Ryan didn’t.

“I like cash. Keep that in mind next time.” Grinning, Peyton threw Ryan’s glasses carelessly behind him. The fragile glass lenses hit the wall and cracked, the wire that supported them getting dented by the impact. “You don’t want to meet the same ending as your glasses did, do you?”

Another self-absorbed smirk, and then Peyton was gone. As he picked up his broken glasses, Ryan cursed his luck - it was always like this. This was not even the first time he’d broken his glasses. Twice, Peyton had tripped him, causing him to fall and break them by accident; then, one of Peyton’s friends had used his glasses as a freaking ball (which resulted in a lot of shattered pieces); and then Peyton had “accidentally” stepped on them in front of Ryan’s face. That made this the fifth time.

Unfair, wasn’t it? He’d never had the strength to fight back - if he tried, he’d probably end up dead, anyways. It was too easy for people to take advantage of him; he was helpless and weak and unlikeable–

“You okay?”

He glanced up to see a blurred figure hovering above him. “I...”

“Sorry I didn’t come earlier,” the person said softly. The figure took Ryan’s glasses from him and trailed his fingers over them. With a blinding flash of light, the cracks in the broken lenses disappeared, returning the glasses to their original undamaged state.

Magic…?

The stranger fitted the glasses back onto Ryan’s face. As everything snapped back into focus, all that Ryan could see was two fierce, ice blue eyes staring at him, like raindrops on a winter evening. The person’s warm complexion and soft brown hair almost seemed... out of place. The smile he gave off was too bright in the dull lighting of the hallway; too colorful in Ryan’s monochromatic world.

“T-Thanks,” Ryan said softly.

A subtle nod. And then the stranger was gone. Ryan didn’t know his name, but he knew exactly who the person was. It was the same person who had fixed his glasses the countless times he’d broken them; the same person who was always unfailingly there to provide him with the things he needed. His savior.

[Arty]

Oh snaps! Like I don't why but I got Harry potter feels like when Hermione had to fix his glasses for him. I'm curious as to who the saviour is.

[Juto]

Ooooooohhhhh.... Magic! Magic! Magic!

I love it already!!!!! More?

*takes a seat, looks up expectantly and.. Waits *

[monochrome]

Artygirl22: Haha, I thought of that scene too!! Great minds think alike

Juto07ab: Yes, it's magic! I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long

...Oh my gosh, I'm tired of this story already? D: I guess my 1AM writing streak is gone, haha... there will most likely be more after this, but no promises.

I really torture my characters too much...

“Hih… heh’iSTCH’uu!”

Ryan sniffed and ran the back of his hand under his nose. He was exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep yet. Peyton and his friends had forced him to write their English essays for them, saying that if he didn’t get them all A’s, they’d kill him. They probably weren’t kidding, either. But it just wasn’t possible - that was three, full-length essays, plus his own… all in one night. Twenty paragraphs in total. Now it was 4am and he was so freaking exhausted…

“Hiik’SHuuh!”

...and to top it all off, he was almost certain that he was coming down was something.

12/20. 8 paragraphs left...

It looked like he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight.

“Heh’ISHhh!” His head jerked forward for the twentieth time that night. He held a hand up against his forehead and found that it was notably warmer than usual. Why did his health have to fail him now, of all times? This wasn’t fair, this wasn’t–

“Hehh’KSH’uu!”

Wincing inwardly, he reached into the tissue box. He was disappointed, but not exactly surprised, to find that it was empty. He’d just have to go without tissues, then.

…

13/20.

...

13.5/20...

The words blurred before him. ‘However... he... his decision... led to... what?’ Suddenly, the sentence he was writing seemed impossible to comprehend.

He was so tired. He couldn’t write anymore, he couldn’t even think...

His eyes were drifting closed, and he didn’t have the energy to keep them open anymore. What was he analyzing… again? He couldn’t quite remember. He decided that it no longer mattered. He could get a zero, for all he cared; his life was so sad that it made no difference at all. Ryan Evres had lost his parents at a young age due to illness; he lived alone, he was constantly bullied and taken advantage of, he had no one in the world to confide in, and he was in love with someone whose name he didn’t even know. Maybe he’d write an autobiography someday and turn it in and it would pass as the perfectly clichéd tragedy...

He sighed and laid his pencil down on the desk. He decided that he’d turn his essay in late and risk losing his own points for it. As for the other boys... he hoped that 13.5 paragraphs was enough. It had to be enough. Exhausted, he let his eyes slam shut and rested his burning forehead on the desk. Within seconds, he was out.

~x~

It was raining the next day - way to reflect his mood. Fortunately, he’d brought with him an umbrella. He walked briskly in the rain, tilting his head downwards and hoping that he wouldn’t be recognized. He didn’t look at any of the passing faces... instead, he studied the pools of water at his feet and watched them create ripples as he stepped in them, blurring his despicable image from view.

So far, so good.

When he got to the classroom, he ducked into his seat and directed his eyes to the ground. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Someone tapped him painfully on the shoulder. He turned around, his heart sinking, and found himself face to face with...

Peyton.

“Do you have our essays?” the boy demanded.

Ryan swallowed. “Y-yeah.” He reached into his backpack, removed a stack of papers, and set them carefully on Peyton’s desk. “Now freaking leave me alone.”

No such luck. Peyton and his two friends began to study the pages carefully, one after another after the other. “Hey,” Peyton began. “Mine only has three paragraphs. Where are the other two?”

Ryan didn’t answer.

“I’m going to get a late grade on this,” Peyton muttered. He turned to Ryan, eyes burning with hatred and disapproval. “Do you know what that means?”

He leaned closer to Ryan, his teeth curving into a sinister smile. “It means,” he said, “That you’re going to die today.”

~x~

When class was over, he took a run for it.

Too bad that his running skills were greatly lacking.

Peyton grabbed his collar, pulling him forward. “You jerk!” Peyton yelled. “Now what am I going to do with you?”

Ryan felt his breath hitch dangerously. ‘No, not now…’ He tried to control his shuddering breaths, but it was in vain. “Hhh… Hehh’ISHh’uu! Heh’KSHH’uhh!!” He released two sneezes onto Peyton’s face.

Disgusted, Peyton released the shorter boy and Ryan stumbled backward, coughing violently. He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was another sneeze, this time (thankfully) stifled. “Hh’XTch!”

Peyton made a sound of disapproval. “What the HECK?”

“I’m s-sorry!”

Suddenly, a brief smirk passed over Peyton’s face. “Do you have a cold, Evres?”

“Um...”

Peyton removed his water bottle from his backpack. “It would be a shame if you got worse, wouldn’t it?”

With that, he uncapped the water bottle and emptied its contents. On Ryan.

~x~

Ryan sat behind the school building under the narrow overhang. He was drenched, cold, and shivering violently. Maybe it was better this way, he thought. Maybe he really deserved this.

It would be such an ironic ending if he died of illness, just like his parents. Yeah, ironic indeed. He wondered if anyone would even care. Defeated, the boy buried his head in his hands and began to cry.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Instinctively, he moved away. “LEAVE ME ALONE!” He shouted, thinking it was Peyton. “You’ve done enough to me already... Freaking leave me alone!”

But the voice that followed didn’t belong to Peyton. It was soft and even and... almost sounded... hurt. “You really think I would leave you alone in this state?”

[Arty]

I just wanna hug him!!!! Poor thing.

[Juto]

Awwwwww....poor Ryan!!!! At least someone is there to care for him. Whoisit whoisit WHOISIT??? I can't wait to find out!!!

This is so cute, Yume!

[IcyFlame]

Wow you have a really great element of suspense, as well as fantastic vocabulary/diction relative to what the story makes the audience feel. (so minus the nerd talk this is really cute and I'd love to see it continued! )

[monochrome]

Artygirl22: Yeah!! I wish I could hug him too. I put my characters through too much torture, oops...

Juto07ab: Haha, Ryan's not-so-anonymous caretaker appears in this chapter too! And thank you so much

IcyFlame: Your "nerd talk" made me smile! I always thought my vocabulary was way too colloquial, I'm glad you found it okay

Inspiration = -5!! D: I'll try to write more but my mind is blanking out...

---

Ryan looked up in surprise, just in time to see hypnotizing, raindrop blue eyes staring back at him. “You’re–” he began. “You’re my savior..." his voice was so quiet that it almost passed unheard.

Almost.

The person knelt down beside him, smiling. “The name is Xander, but of course, I have no objections to you calling me your ‘savior’...”

Ryan blinked, feeling his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. “I... you weren’t supposed to hear that.” He muttered to himself.

“Hey, what happened?” Xander inquired, genuinely concerned. “Why are you soaking wet?” he surveyed the boy for a moment before adding, “...You’re crying.”

“I... walked here in the rain,” Ryan lied.

“You had an umbrella.”

“...”

“...”

“...F-Fine,” Ryan admitted finally, letting his dark bangs fall over his eyes. He stared at the ground, fingers tracing over the cracks in the cement. “I got into a fight.”

“With Peyton?”

A single nod. “Yeah. He... um... spilled water on me.”

“That jerk…” Xander trailed off. “I swear, I’m going to kill him…”

“I-It’s no big deal. And for the r-record,” Ryan stated quickly, “I’m not crying. I wasn’t crying. I don’t cry. I–”

“Are you done lying yet?”

He felt like his face was on fire. “I-I’M NOT LYINhh–” He stopped mid sentence, his breath flickering, and veered away just in time to stifle two sneezes into the crook of his arm. “Hih… hih’TSCH! Heh’MXT!”

Xander’s blue eyes softened in concern, the vast oceans in his eyes shifting to a softer sea of stars. “Ryan? Are you…”

“Ndo. I’m not sick,” Ryan lied bluntly. He stood up, his balance wavering slightly at first, but then steadying as he leaned onto the wall. “I appreciate your concern, but I… have to go.” he said abruptly, and then he took a run for it.

When he was finally out of view, he exhaled, relieved; and then his head snapped forward to catch a few sneezes in his hand. “Hep’KSHuhh! Hh.. hiiK’Sshuu! Hehh’ISHh’uu!” He sniffled, and then he realized that the hand didn’t belong to him.

What?

“You know, you’re always looking at the ground.” Xander smirked. “You didn’t even notice that I was right next to you.”

“I–” Green eyes widened in realization and then shock. “I-I’mb so sorry! I just sneezed on you, I... gosh, I’m so gross… I’mb really sorry–”

“Don’t be,” Xander assured him. Ryan felt the brunet’s hand come in contact with his burning forehead and he shivered slightly; instinctively. Xander frowned visibly, but he said nothing.

Ryan pulled away from his comforting touch, his midnight bangs falling back over his eyes. “You don’t ndeed to worry about me. I already told you, I’mb ndot– Hehh’TCHtt! –sick.”

“How very convincing.”

“...It’s ndot really all that bad.” Ryan shivered, wrapping his arms around his shivering body, but getting little warmth from the action. “Idt’s just a cold. You, um. You can stop wastidg your time on me now.”

Xander raised an eyebrow skeptically. “You’re trying to get rid of me already?”

Ryan’s eyes widened.. “N-No! It’s just that I’m–”

“–Annoyed? Frustrated? Mad at me for not coming to save you in time?” Xander cut in. “I don’t really deserve the title ‘savior’, do I?”

“No, that’s not it!” Ryan said hurriedly. “Just… hiH’TCHt!” he stared at the ground, his eyes glazing over with sudden tears. “I’mb probably really gross to you right now, aren’t I?”

Xander was startled. “Ryan–”

“Hh... heh’nxt!” The boy stifled a sneeze into his hand. His cheeks flushed crimson; he was well aware that he was proving his own point as he released another muffled sneeze against the back of his wrist. “Hih’Mksh!”

That was when Xander lost it. “Can you please stop doing that?”

Ryan winced, clearly hurt. Of course. Of course even his savior was repulsed by him. He was probably disgusting right now; he hoped he didn’t look as miserable as he felt, but he was almost completely certain that he did. “...I’mb s-sorry,” he choked out. “I’m ndot trying to sneeze… I’mb so sorry...”

“No, not that!” Xander interjected. “Stop stifling, you idiot. I... I can tell it’s hurting you.”

‘Oh.’ The shorter boy blinked, surprised. It was true - his head was throbbing painfully, and the stifles only made it worse.

How had Xander known?

“Are you cold?” Xander’s voice interrupted him from his thoughts. He nodded slightly. Smiling, Xander stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his shivering frame. It was all too easy to fall into his arms, Ryan thought, as he allowed the warmth seep through him like a wave of electricity.

“Is that better?”

Another nod.

Ryan felt a familiar tickle flower in his nose and his heart dropped. “Let mbe go… Ihhh… I ndeed to… sneeze…” he muttered urgently. He tried to free himself from the boy’s arms, but Xander’s grip didn’t falter. That left him with no choice…

“Hih… Hih’TSCH’uu!” The sneeze made his head snap forward, misting the top of Xander’s shoulder. Ryan’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “S-Sorry.”

He waited for Xander to let him go and step away in disgust. Just like the others had done. But, if anything, the boy held him imperceptibly tighter. “Ryan Evres,” he murmured into Ryan’s soft hair, “I’m never going to let you go.”

Ryan didn’t know why the words brought tears to his eyes, but they did. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed being cared about. The warmth he was receiving now was the best thing he’d had in months, and for the first time in so long, he felt entirely content. As his eyes drifted closed and his body finally slumped from exhaustion, he felt two arms support him; felt them pull him close as if he might break at any moment.

Yes, he thought. Definitely his savior...

---

Don't worry! He's not unconscious, just asleep, haha xD

Sorry, this chapter was sort of... weird. Sudden? I don't really know. Hopefully it was okay~

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

Ok I need myself a Xander! This is cute!

[Arty]

;___; I'm not crying. You're crying! !!!

;A;

[Juto]

Ahhhhhh I LOVE the savior. Xander seems so caring and amazing! Where can I get in line for one?

[happybunny]

Ahh my goodness. I really enjoyed this! it made me feel so many feelings .... This was a really great story . Thank you.

[monochrome]

So I set off to write a short backstory/flashback, and then this chapter happened.

...What? D:

Not that much sneezing ( if you look realllly closely there's like... 1 Q_Q; ), but I do plan on continuing this story!! So it will go back to the main plot after this. Haha.

TWO YEARS AGO

When Xander first sees the boy, he’s fifteen, and he wonders if he is seeing an illusion. The person’s dark hair seems to frame his face flawlessly, his long bangs falling partially over his light-colored eyes. He’s… stunning.

“You have nice hair,” Xander breathes out, and his is voice quiet enough to pass unheard. So, when the boy actually turns around, he’s more than a little surprised.

“Thanks,” the boy tells him, his lips curving into a small smile.

Xander blinks, stares, and then blinks again.

This can’t be real, he thinks to himself. And yet, he really, really wants to believe that it is.

~x~

A week later, the boy falls asleep in class. His head is propped up on his hand and his eyes are loosely shut, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath.

Unable to resist, Xander reaches out and touches the boy’s dark hair, letting it fall loosely through his fingertips. It’s surprisingly soft. Every strand of hair is delicate and distinct and real, so real…

The boy’s lips shift upwards into a sweet smile, and Xander feels his heart stutter and nearly miss a beat.

~x~

The hallways are emptying and Xander is almost late to class, but he isn’t in a hurry. He feels dizzy. The teacher’s words echo sharply in his head: ‘That was an awful presentation. It was undetailed and underprepared, and you didn’t even cite the sources of your images. I don’t think you even tried.’

But... he had tried. He’d worked really hard on the presentation. Besides he was the only one in the entire class without a partner, so how could the teacher expect his presentation to be as great as the everyone else’s?

It wasn’t fair.

It isn’t fair–

He feels a hand rest on his shoulder and he turns around, his eyes widening when he realizes who it is.

“Hi,” says the boy with dark hair.

“H-Hey,” Xander responds.

“I thought your presentation was great,” the boy tells him. “Really. The facts were actually very interesting. Mrs. Prutt said you didn’t cite your sources for the images, but who cares? They were great images.”

“I... drew them,” Xander responds shyly, staring at the ground.

“Really?” the boy inquires, evidently surprised. “Wow, that’s amazing! You’re a really good artist!”

Xander knows he shouldn’t listen to the boy’s words. He knows he shouldn’t believe them, he knows that they’re probably just meaningless lies. But at that moment, something snaps inside of him and he almost smiles.

~x~

The next time he locks eyes with the boy, he can’t help but stare. The boy’s eyes are enchanting, hypnotizing, beautiful.

He can’t see colors, and yet, he desperately wants to know:

What color are your eyes?

~x~

A week later, the boy looks unusually pale, like he’s going to fade away.

The next day, he’s bent over and coughing, his body shaking - faltering - with each cough.

The day after that, his legs give way beneath him and he’s sent to the infirmary.

And then the boy stops coming to school.

And then Xander is alone again.

And Xander wonders if the boy ever existed.

~x~

None of it is real.

None of it was real.

The boy was just another figment of his imagination.

Things like that can’t possibly exist.

His life is meaningless, just like it’s always been. His parents don’t exist, the boy doesn’t exist, all of it is gone. Everything is cracking; the beautiful, disgusting vision of hope that he’d so foolishly retained is gone.

In the end, nothing will save him.

Because what more reason does he have to stay?

That’s what Xander thinks as he takes a step closer to the edge of the building, closes his eyes, and allows his balance to falter.

And then he falls.

~x~

He wakes up in the hospital. Every inch of his body aches and he’s surrounded by a dozen machines, there’s an IV in his arm, and he is most certainly alive.

He’s survived.

He wasn’t supposed to survive...

He wants to scream, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to come off as crazy. So, instead, Xander simply leans back, letting himself be swallowed by the colorless hospital sheets...

~x~

He watches the nurse enter the room, his eyes following her intently as she strides across the room. “You have a visitor,” she says briefly.

“You must be mistaken,” Xander scoffs. ‘No one would be here to visit me.’

She merely shrugs. “Decide for yourself.” She opens the door to the room and steps outside, leaving Xander alone with his ‘visitor’.

Standing at the doorway is... him. The boy with dark hair.

“It’s funny. I never thought I’d find you here,” the boy says, strolling leisurely inside and taking a seat next to Xander’s bed.

Xander can’t speak. “I... just... where were you?” His voice trembles mid-sentence. ‘I thought... I thought you were gone.’

The boy lets out a fit of harsh coughs into his hand. Xander is almost afraid that he won’t stop, but he does, straightens, and apologizes. “I was here. In the hospital, I mean. Just a few rooms away.”

“Why?”

“Oh. I, uh, had the flu. But I– heH’tsch! I’m okay now. Absolutely fine. Snf.”

Xander almost smiles at the irony of that statement. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, I’m not contagious anymore.” The boy looks up for the first time. “How about you?”

“Let’s just say…” Xander grimaces. “I tried to jump off a building? But I didn’t exactly die. So I’m here. And–” he stops talking, seeing the bewildered look on the boy’s face. “...What?”

“The boy shakes his head. “Don’t ever do that again,” he says, his tone pleading. “Don’t ever try to throw your life away. I mean... gosh, I just… p-please. I don’t want to lose you… too.”

The last word is spoken quietly, but the pain in it is more than evident. Xander doesn’t know what to say. Suddenly, he feels selfish for trying to throw his life away. But then again, he hadn’t known that someone would care...

He reaches out and brushes the tears from the boy’s colorless eyes. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs reassuringly. “I won’t leave.”

The boy’s head dips forward with a small sneeze. “Heh’ktshu! You’d better not.”

“What’s your name?” Xander wonders aloud.

The boy smiles a little. “Ryan Evres.”

Their gazes snap into place. Feeling foolish, Xander asks again: “What color are your eyes?”

He doesn’t remember the boy’s response anymore.

And then, a day later, the dark haired boy - Ryan - leaves the hospital.

And then he is alone again.

~x~

When Xander is finally discharged from the hospital, he swears to himself that this time, he’ll be the one to help Ryan. He’ll save the boy as many times as he has to. Even if it’s never enough.

PRESENT DAY

But Ryan had changed. Apparently, a few days before he had left the hospital, his parents had died from the exact same illness that he’d recovered from.

He lived alone, now, and the bold, considerate person he was before was scarcely more than a memory. Now he was quiet and kept to himself. Xander barely ever saw him anymore. And when Ryan looked at Xander, his eyes were blank and empty, seemingly devoid of the memories of their past.

‘I miss you,’ Xander thought. But maybe… maybe it didn’t matter anymore.

(EDIT: Fixed the formatting. Sort of.)

[IcyFlame]

QwQ *cri*

AWE I JUST WANT TO CUDDLE BOTH OF THEM POOR BABIES MY HEART CANNOT TAKE THIS AAAAAUUUGGGGGHHHHHH

[Arty]

QAQ

[Juto]

I'll have to join in here

This was amazing!! What a wonderful backstory! I actually didn't think that Xander had survived, he just seems so... Unreal! Magic!

Gosh, and Ryan's backstory! Oh my!!!!! I just wanna grab him and make him safer! And happy!!!!!

So you'll continue?? YYEEEEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

I've died. DIED I TELL YOU! Oh my god Xander I just want to hug you!

[Lonewolf]

I love where this is going <3!

[monochrome]

Thank you so much for your comments!! It makes me really happy to know that people are reading this.

Unsurprisingly, Ryan awoke with an unrelenting tickle in his nose.

“Hh… hiih’TCHhuu!” his body convulsed with the force of the sneeze. He turned over in bed, letting out a few harsh coughs into the pillow, before realizing that he wasn’t alone.

“Morning,” Xander said softly, a smile hinting at his lips. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel fide– MMmf!” His sentence was cut off abruptly as a thermometer was shoved into his mouth.

Moments later, Xander removed it, one eyebrow raised as he studied the numbers. “You know, you’re not a very good liar.”

Ryan pretended not to hear him. “Is this your room?” He inquired, changing the subject.

“Yeah. You’re taking up my bed, too. I’m going to kick you out the second you start feeling decent,” Xander joked. His eyes softened. “But for now... do you want anything to eat?”

“No.” Ryan paused. “On second thought, maybe some water?”

“Ice or no ice?”

“No ice.”

Xander focused his glance on his bedside stand, and then a glass of water vaporized there. He took the cup and handed it to Ryan, who stared at him, surprised.

“Do you- Mmp’KSHuu!” his hand shook slightly and a few drops of water spilled from the cup. “Do you have magic?”

Xander rolled his eyes. “Of course I do. How do you think I fixed your glasses when you broke them?”

Ryan was staring intently at the ground. “Then… would you be able to... cure me?”

Xander fell silent, an unreadable expression crossing his features. “I…”

“You can, can’t you?” Ryan set the glass down on the countertop, suddenly angry. “If that’s the case... why are you so insistent on watching me suffer?”

“I can cure you,” Xander said finally, “but only at a cost.”

“I don’t care about the cost!” Ryan cut him off abruptly. “Anything is better than this...”

“Fine.” Xander grabbed hold of the younger boy’s wrist, his hand glowing golden as he worked his powers. Ryan felt his pounding headache cease, felt his exhaustion die away, felt the incessant tickle leave his nose...

“Okay, I’m done,” Xander muttered. “Now leave.”

Ryan stared at him in surprise. “W-What?”

“I told you, you could only stay until you felt better.” Xander’s glare was deadly. “Get out. Now.”

“...” Wordlessly, Ryan stood up and exited the bedroom. He stopped for a moment in the hallway, half expecting for Xander to call him back.

He didn’t.

Confused and hurt, Ryan opened the front door and left.

~x~

The moment Xander heard the door slam shut, the sneeze he’d been holding in for so long finally burst out: “Hep’TSHHuhh!”

He felt awful; his head was pounding, and he was abnormally exhausted. Sighing, he laid down and pulled the covers up over his head, shivering violently as he let out a few muffled coughs into his fist.

Of course miracles didn’t come for free. There was always a set amount of good and bad in the world, which meant that everything he did with his cursed “magic” required a sacrifice.

Sure, he could move things around and whatnot - that was easy because it didn’t actually change things. But whenever Ryan’s glasses were smashed, Xander had to break some of his own possessions to fix them. And in order to cure Ryan of his illness, he had to sacrifice his own health in return. That was the way it worked. He knew Ryan didn’t know any of this, but honestly, the boy was pretty selfish to want to be cured that badly...

No, scratch that. The selfish one had been him. He should have taken the illness from Ryan in the very beginning.

After all, it was fine if he suffered. As long as it wasn’t Ryan, it would always be fine.

I... hope this made some sense ^^;

I think I torture my characters too much... Sorry, Xander...

[Juto]

Awwwwwww no! Ryan no! Bad boy! Dont you understand how Magic works? Don't you dare leave him.... Don't you...don't... ARGH!!

Awwwwwww no! Xander no! You're too pure for this world!! Let him stay with! Don't you dare make him leave... Don't you... Don't... ARGH!!

*pulls hair and glues eyes to screen. Nervous finger pressing refresh button ever 5 seconds!*

Moremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremore!

Please

[happybunny]

Oh nooooo!!!!

I am IN LOVE with this story!!!! So georgeous! I love these characters! Both are so sweet! Awwww!! So many feelings!!!!! Ohhhhhh!!!!<3 <3

[Arty]

But like....no...I can not accept Ryan leaving. And Poor Xander...

*crawls into another grave*

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

HHHNNNGGGG This went were I'd hoped it was going!!! Oh Xander, you precious baby doing that for Ryan <3 <3

[monochrome]

Comment replies~

The update will be in the next post

I'll have to join in here

This was amazing!! What a wonderful backstory! I actually didn't think that Xander had survived, he just seems so... Unreal! Magic!

OH no!! More dead bodies!! What have I done?!!
Btw, I think you just set off... a mind explosion o.O If the story went that way, Xander would be a guardian angel... like Elias!! :'D :'D :'D *Drifts off into fangirl-land*

Awwwwwww no! Ryan no! Bad boy! Dont you understand how Magic works? Don't you dare leave him.... Don't you...don't... ARGH!!

Awwwwwww no! Xander no! You're too pure for this world!! Let him stay with! Don't you dare make him leave... Don't you... Don't... ARGH!!

*pulls hair and glues eyes to screen. Nervous finger pressing refresh button ever 5 seconds!*

Moremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremoremore!
Please

Haha, I think that's my fault!! I don't think I understand how magic works so I made up some weird stuff that makes little sense

On a side note, your wish for more has been granted

Oh nooooo!!!!
I am IN LOVE with this story!!!! So georgeous! I love these characters! Both are so sweet! Awwww!! So many feelings!!!!! Ohhhhhh!!!!<3 <3

I am IN LOVE with your comments!!!! <3

So glad you're enjoying it so far!

But like....no...I can not accept Ryan leaving. And Poor Xander...

*crawls into another grave*

I cannot accept him leaving either... I had to refrain from screaming at the screen when I wrote that part

I hope you can still comment from your grave... do they have wifi down there?

HHHNNNGGGG This went were I'd hoped it was going!!! Oh Xander, you precious baby doing that for Ryan <3 <3

I'm glad you like where it went! Haha, we are like-minded evil people
I love your username, by the way

[monochrome]

The next part, as promised!

Sorry if it's kind of short x.x

When Xander woke up, he was beyond exhausted. He stood up shakily, leaning against the wall as he let out two harsh sneezes into the air. “HehH’KshHUH! It’SHHUhhh! Snf.”

The last thing he wanted to do was to go back to school. But he knew that if he stayed home, Ryan would be suspicious. He’d just have to go and pretend to be fine… it was only eight hours. It couldn’t be that difficult… right?

~x~

At first, things were simple enough.

In math, Ryan sat on the opposite side of the classroom, so it was easy for Xander to hide his illness behind quiet sniffles and painfully silent stifles. The rest of the morning passed uneventfully enough.

During lunch, Xander hid in the bathroom and spent the thirty minutes in the same cubicle - not that he had much of an appetite, anyways. He was starting to regret his decision of coming to school... he didn’t think eight hours had ever passed so slowly.

He wondered if he should just give into the illness. He was so tempted to let his facade drop, and yet... he couldn’t. He couldn’t afford to let Ryan notice.

So he ignored all of the boy’s inquiries about his well-being, and tried to ignore the hurt look on Ryan’s face every time he didn’t answer.

‘You’re such an idiot. This is for your own good, you know?’

~x~

After lunch, they had one more class together.

Ryan wasn’t stupid, and Xander knew it wouldn’t be long before he came to his own conclusions. So, in the end, Xander settled for sneaking in soundless stifles when Ryan wasn’t looking in his direction. He’d pinch the bridge of his nose and let out a near-silent sneeze, and then he’d act like nothing had happened at all.

It seemed to work well enough.

Once during the class, he suffered from a fit and was unsuccessful in stifling the last sneeze. “Hh’TCH! Heh’MXT! Heh’TChh… mM’KShh… MM’PKSHHuhhh!”

When he finally looked up from the display, Ryan was staring at him, evidently concerned. “Are you okay?”

“Relax,” he said, letting out a forced laugh. “It was just one… hhh... sneeze.” Times five. Thankfully, Ryan didn’t question him; simply looked away.

When class ended, Xander was the first one out of the classroom. He grabbed his things and ran.

At last, when he was sure he was alone, he let out the sneezes he’d been so desperately trying to conceal. “HeTT’SHHUhhh! It’SHYYUuhH! Hh… huhh’TSCHTTT’iuuu!!” He buried his face in his hands, trying to hide the fact that he was a complete mess–

“Bless you.”

His gaze snapped upwards to see that a certain, dark haired boy was watching him intently.

Oh. Perfect.

He felt his breath hitch again, and his cheeks flared with embarrassment as he turned away sharply. “Hiik‘TCHHHyiuUU!” he made some effort to stifle the second sneeze. “Hiik’KTCHh!”

“Don’t stifle, hypocrite.”

“I only stifled once.”

“You know,” Ryan started off, “I noticed every time when you stifled in class. I just pretended not to.”

Double perfect.

And he’d thought he’d gotten away with it...

Xander scoffed bitterly. “Wow, it’s great to know that my past eight hours of effort just went to waste. Thanks a lot.”

“...”

“...”

“You’re sick,” Ryan said softly.

He’d expected the words to come. He’d replayed them about a hundred times in his mind, but he stiffened anyways. Ryan was right, and both of them knew it. There was no use denying it anymore, was there?