Chapter Text
All Blu could see in that moment was nothing but pure red. The ringing in his ears, his stomach growling, the chains of everything he worked hard for pulling him back. But nothing satisfied him more… but to see the face of a man finally feeling the pain he’s felt for years.
🔵
Saved once again by the bell. The bell, being a giant man in red who had yet again pulled Blu out of trouble. This time, it was a stressful encounter with the student council. The circle-headed boy could remember the events as if they had happened just a few minutes ago.
“School closes at 9, you might wanna start packing it up.”
“No, no! Wait! I’m almost done! Just give me a moment!”
“You better hurry. Someone in the council’s uptight about people staying late.”
…
“No, wait! I’m sorry, I was studying…!”
“Not my problem.”
“...If we find that your restricted stays on campus exceed 5 hours, you’ll meet your coordinator. This is unacceptable.”
All those times studying past the campus’ closing hours must’ve caught up to him, if that nosy, spade-headed, stickler for the rules reported that he stayed late again… he’d actually get in trouble.
DING!
Rhett!
🟥 - Hey.
🟥 - Do as I say.
> 🔵 __
Oh goodness… thank everything that he was able to step in that last second. The sudden overwhelming pit of dread, realizing the time, followed by the relief that his friend(? Kind of friend?) saved him from a world of trouble, was such a whiplash it almost made the poor guy hurl as he ran out those entrance doors. The feeling wasn’t eased at the fact that the same gruff man in red was waiting for him, arms crossed, body language practically screaming, “What did I tell you?”
That was the last time Blu was gonna put his academic… no, his whole life on the line for something silly like this…!
As much as Blu could remember the events, he could also remember what he told Rhett as they walked under that fateful street light. He could remember all of it, the dim light of the street light compared to the ones behind them and ahead, which lit a peculiar shade of lavender.
“Thank you… for being there for me. I… I wish to be like you someday, you know that…?”
“...”
Rhett huffed as he gazed ahead, diverting his eyes from Blu’s soft gaze.
“Don’t say that.” Blu couldn’t tell from where he was standing, but he couldn’t help but feel there was a nervousness in the taller man’s words. Nervousness aside, Blu let out a sigh of relief; for once, Blu had someone there for him when he needed help. He had someone to pull him out of trouble. For once… he had someone to keep him safe.
For once… Blu felt like for years…
Everything would be… okay for him.
Then everything went black.
All of the street lights went out as Blu walked ahead into the darkness. He looked up to see that the light above him went black, too. What was happening?
“Don’t say that.”
“Don’t say…”
“Don’t…”
‘Rhett?’
Blu turned around to see Rhett frozen still, clutching his left eye. The light above is still blinking its unique shade of purple. Blu, confused, turned around to step closer to Rhett.
“H-Hey, you forgot something at school, why-?”
And Rhett took one step back.
‘What…?’
Every step Blu took closer to Rhett was another step he took back. The man in red, still clutching his eye, hunched over as if he were in pain.
“Is there something wr-!?”
“Don’t- Don’t-! Don’t touch me!”
Blu yelped in shock as he furled his hands into fists, instinctively pushing himself back away from Rhett’s sudden loud voice. Blu had long grown to not be scared by Rhett getting upset at anything, he certainly had gotten used to Rhett yelling, especially if the grumpy blockhead was pissed about something.
But that wasn’t a yell of anger. That wasn’t anything Blu had ever heard from Rhett…
It sounded like it was a yell… of fear. As if Rhett was… afraid of him.
“Rhett, a-are you okay!? I’m not going to-!”
“Don’t you dare come any fucking closer to me-! Don’t you ever try to pretend we’re friends just because…”
His left hand was clinging onto something… he motioned his thumb in a circle over what felt like the handle of something and looked down…
What greeted him was his wide-eyed face staring back at him through the reflection of a bloodied fork, the blood splattered all across his clean white sleeves, and his shaking hand.
“No one…”
Blu tried to scream or speak, but he couldn’t… only stare in horror as that fork stuck onto his hand like glue and listen to the hushed whispers from the man in front of him, clutching his unscarred eye…
Or clutching… what *was* his unscarred eye.
“No one…”
‘Oh…no…! RHETT!’
Nothing but blood spilled from that eye, Blu frantically looked down at his hand, and at him, back at his hand, and at him, back at his hand- ‘Nonono…!’
He did this.
“No one…” The blood rushing from Rhett’s eye glowed brighter and brighter and brighter.
And the street light above the two was glowing a crimson blue.
“No. One. Understands.”
…
“GAH!” Blu sat up with a startled gasp, his breath unsteady as he frantically felt for his hands and then for his glasses. His vision started to unblur as he slid his glasses on, the pitch-black dots in his peripheral vision finally fading as the familiar sight of his bedroom came into view. But as much as his vision was clearing up, it wasn’t helping the man’s breathing.
“It wasn’t real. It wasn’t real.” Blu repeated to himself the phrase, repeating faster in his mind as he tried to slow his breathing by any means necessary. “It wasn’t real, he’s okay. It wasn’t real, he’s okay. It…”
…
Taking a deep breath in and slowly blowing it all out, he felt his mind start to ease as he repeated the same words in his head. ‘None of that was real. Rhett’s okay.’ Blu thought.
…
Classes came and went for Blu, staying late to study for that upcoming physics exam may have almost gotten the circle-headed boy in trouble, but there was no doubt it helped…! Perfect marks on his test as always!
But he would be lying if he said he wasn’t famished by now… Rushing out this morning to get to class was certainly a struggle for Blu; it always was a struggle for him. Getting cleaned, changed, saying bye to Auntie all at once… he even had to settle for packing last night’s dinner Auntie had made that he never even got the chance to eat it, thanks to the studying he did last night!
Oh wow… Blu had clutched his stomach at the realization he had eaten nothing today… or even yesterday. Now that he had thought about it, today was just one big headache he was having to get through… he was practically fighting tooth and nail to not suddenly fall asleep and waste time on that physics exam… What also didn’t help was the fact that he had another upcoming in test in calculus that he had to take soon…
Blu sighed in defeat, seeing on his phone that he was going to be put through that calculus test… *and* even a politics one for his last class today…
He didn’t even have time to study for his politics exam… great.
Blu felt his stomach growl the moment he pulled out the container filled with the love his Auntie had helped pack for him… it was last night’s dinner, but oh, was it something he really needed badly right now after everything since this morning… if he could just finish this before his next classes then he should have enough willpower and energy to get through this tiring day at last.
Setting down his notebooks to review, Blu glanced around the cafeteria, no sign of Rhett anywhere…
“Well then, just be honest next time. I’ll be having a word with him tomorrow.”
“He must be dealing with that council guy from last night…” Blu whispered to himself. He felt bad for throwing Rhett under the bus for his own mistake, but if he was willing to risk his own conduct at the academy to save Blu’s own, then Blu shouldn’t be taking that for granted. He just wishes he could return the favor after everything…
… It couldn’t hurt to start eating without him; they only actually started eating together just a few days ago, but it also couldn’t hurt to just text him to see if he was alright.
*DING!*
Speak of the devil.
Blu stood up from his table to quickly run off to get himself a fork, meanwhile, his phone had went off just a few moments ago.
Rhett!
🟥 - Hey
🟥 - loser
🟥 - im heading over to the cafeteria in a sec. Save me a seat.
Okay! - 🔵
Sorry again about last night. :( - 🔵
🟥 - idc
🟥 - just stay out of trouble man
🟥 typing…
The phone showed Rhett was typing for a few moments before it stopped… which puzzled Blu for a moment as he grabbed a fork from the canteen. He didn’t pay it too much attention before he was already heading back to his lunch. His stomach was growling but he knew it would all be okay once he just get a bite of something. Anything.
Pulling his gaze up to the table he sat at just a few moments ago, Blu noticed one of those big, muscly jocks run to his own table, giggling like a schoolgirl finding out someone’s crush. …Bolt. Him and Magma were always around a scene of some harmless prank or were just there when Bolt got bored and wanted to pull some random shit just to make the campus more hectic as students were headed into their next classes.
“I don’t think you should’ve…”
“Reee-lax! It’s just a harmless little prank, brah. Heh…! I used to do this all the time to vegetarians in high school. I’m sure he’ll be fine! Now, come on!”
As he settled down, he could hear hushed whispers from the two as Magma flickered his gaze to him with an expression that… Blu could judge was… concern. Blu glanced at him and then at the food and then at-
…
…Blu glanced at his food again…
That wasn’t there before… there’s brown and red bits of something in his food…
“What did he…”
“Excuse me, Mr. Blu, was it…?”
Blu perked his head up and turned to his right. A shy girl with a pink uniform and a long magenta dress approached him… She must’ve saw what had happened if those jocks did something to his food.
“Yes? That's me. Is there something wrong…?”
“Please don’t eat that…”
Blu felt a pit drop to his stomach as he heard those words. He must’ve been the target of one of Bolt and Magma’s pranks… but what exactly did they do…!? Why couldn’t he eat his own food anymore…
“Why…?” Blu brushed his fork over the eggs carefully prepared by his Auntie… he didn’t want them to go to waste…! He didn’t want to go the rest of the day without eating…! He’d certainly pass out from hunger if he did… what did they d…
“I didn’t see everything that happened but… I think Bolt put something in your lunch… I think it might’ve been bacon…?”
In that moment, Blu’s world froze as he dropped the fork, a metal clang ringing in his ears as it hit the table, the clang of metal slowly being replaced by a ringing in his ears. All Blu could do was stare at his lunch… or what would’ve been his lunch.
All he wanted to do was just have something to eat… he was starving, he was tired, he just wanted today to be over with. And he couldn’t even have the simple luxury of eating because some jerks wanted to pull some “harmless little prank”.
“See, what I tell you! It gets them every time…! Just get a look at his face…!”
The entire cafeteria started to blur in his vision; everything started to blur… he was starting to see red.
Just for one day. Just for one day he wanted one moment of calm before a stressful storm. He couldn’t even be given that simple luxury…? The anger slowly boiling in him was doing nothing but rising more and more; his urge to just lash out was clouding his judgement. This isn’t fair, it wasn’t fair. It’s not fair… why do people keep thinking they could step all over him like he was nothing…? Why do people think they could take advantage of his passiveness like it was nothing…?
Why…
“I’ve taken a look at your files and I was informed that your financial situation isn’t… stable.”
Why couldn’t they leave him alone…?
“...If we find that your restricted stays on campus exceed 5 hours, you’ll meet your coordinator. This is unacceptable.”
Why couldn’t they just understand what he’s going through…? All he wants is to just graduate… All he wants is to help his Auntie… All he wants is to just live a normal life…
Why couldn’t he be given that luxury without someone prying in for their own benefit…!?
“Reee-lax! It’s just a harmless little prank, brah.”
Harmless little prank…
His hand moved faster than his mind could, all he could see was nothing but red in his vision.
‘Harmless little prank…’
He couldn’t even process the fork grasped in his hand as he stood up and out of his seat. Adrenaline was coursing through every single vein in his body; his breathing was unsteady. He could feel a presence on his shoulder and his own judgment begging him to stop whatever he was about to do. Whatever he was about to do was to risk everything he had worked so hard to build up.
…But. He didn’t care.
‘Harmless little prank…’
‘I’ll fucking show you what a harmless little prank looks like.’
The next few moments were a blur.
He couldn’t process anything that was happening. For the first time… in quite a long time… Blu had finally gotten to do what was holding him back for so long.
Ringing was the only thing that Blu could hear; he couldn’t hear anything else. Not his own unsteady breathing. Not the begging for him to stop, not the people murmuring around the cafeteria’s table. He couldn’t feel anything else; the pain in his fist subsided as it grasped more and more of the shirt of the man trying to pull away from him, as if he thought he did nothing wrong. He couldn’t even smell the familiar, nauseating, and distinct metallic smell of blood that was filling his nostrils.
He couldn’t even hear the sound of metal plunging into the arm of the so-called prankster who wanted to make his life hell today. All he wanted to do was to plunge the fork more and more, even if all of the shackles and chains of everything were holding him back like a lifeline; he didn’t care. All he wanted to do was to make that asshole pay.
All he wanted was to make someone feel the pain he had to put up with for years.
…Now all he could see was… Red.
Red… red… and nothing but…
…
The fork in his hand dropped on the floor with a loud clang.
“R-Rhett…?”
…
🟥
dork
Hey - 🟥
loser - 🟥
im heading over to the cafeteria in a sec. Save me a seat. - 🟥
🔵 - Okay!
🔵 - Sorry again about last night. :(
idc - 🟥
just stay out of trouble man - 🟥
🟥 typing…
> 🟥 - I care about y
*TAP! TAP! TAP!*
> 🟥 - please
*TAP! TAP! TAP!*
> 🟥 __
“...F-forget it.” Rhett shook his head as he turned his phone off and shoved it in his pocket, silently cursing under his breath. The words he wanted to last night weren’t any easier to type on text either…
Rhett slowly dragged his shoes against the linoleum floor, thoughts running his mind amok. He left Blu alone for just one moment and had to pull his ass out of the fire the next. This guy gets in trouble without even trying…! There was no doubt that it certainly made Rhett wonder how much people wanted to get on Blu’s case about anything.
It started with a few subtle comments about the circle-headed boy from the first few days he got here in the university, comments about how he came from Lunar, remarks about how quiet or off-putting he was.
He never paid it all too much attention, especially with how much praise he’d get from his high grades. At first, all the attention that guy was getting pissed him off. Why did so many people care about him? Why was he so special?
But as he got to know him more and more…
“I’ve… seen some real… evil monsters… you’re not one of them.”
“And maybe we might have some more common grounds than you think…”
Now that he thought about it… Why *did* so many people care about him?
He wasn’t doing anything special; he wasn’t bothering anyone. He just studies, takes tests, tries to make small talk with Rhett, studies some more, and goes home. He was just a simple transfer student, a dork, for that matter.
So why did people want to pry into his business…? Why couldn’t they…
“For WHAT!? Is it THAT HARD to accept the distance instead of FORCING yourself into MY BUSINESS!?”
Why couldn’t they accept the distance?
“Common grounds…” Rhett muttered to himself, turning the corner, the cafeteria just a turn away from him. “Common grounds.” He repeated like a mantra in his whispers and then in his mind.
He looked at the windows on his right, and the clouds started piling together and dimming as rain started to pour down. Two birds low on the ground started to get drenched, both of them flying to protect themselves, until they found a tree. One was irritated as it found its way to the tree as if it was used to this, the other seemingly exhausted with how much the rain pelted it over and over, using all of its strength to get up to the other bird as the rain relentlessly pelted down on it. Eventually, the two managed to perch on a tree for shelter. Finally away from the rain as it got stronger and stronger, but for once, they seemed… comfortable.
…
Rhett couldn’t help but… smile at the sight, his smile reflected on the window…
…And the reflection of someone bolting away from the cafeteria…?
Rhett turned to see a few people running away, then…
“NO-! Please! Don’t do this-!”
“Aaa-AARGH!!!”
A pit in his stomach dropped, making Rhett spring into action. A fight in the cafeteria doesn’t *just* happen in the university. What is going on? The screams of familiar people flooded his ears as he felt his fear cloud his mind. The screaming didn’t get any quieter.
“BOLT-!”
“GET THIS FREAK OFF OF ME-!”
“No-! Nonono! Stop this! Blu!!!”
‘Blu…!?’
“Oh FUCK-!” Rhett’s running sped up to a dash as he dragged his gaze up…
And all of his worst fears were coming true in front of him.
“NO-! No! Blu! STOP THIS!” Screams from Pom were heard as Rhett witnessed her holding Blu back; he was lunging with everything in his body. Lunging right at Bolt, who was screaming bloody murder in volumes that could ring across the entire university.
Speaking of bloody… his arm was completely scratched up to hell and back, his blood spattering on the linoleum floors of the cafeteria.
And in Blu’s hands was one of the cafeteria forks… completely covered in blood.
“What the!?” Rhett bolted to the altercation. Magma was trying to pull Bolt away, and Pom was trying to hold Blu back. But Blu’s resolve seemed completely unbreakable, as if he were no longer Blu but a practical killing machine trying to take Bolt down.
“BLU! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Rhett grasped the circle-headed boy’s arms, trying to pull Blu’s arms away. Immense worry overwhelmed him. Blu’s hands were grasping Bolt’s shirt so hard that it tore when he tried to pull him away, and the hand gripping his fork was bleeding from how tightly his nails were digging into his palms.
“RHETT-! HELP ME!” Pom and Bolt’s screams rang in both sides of his head as Rhett swung his shoe forward and managed to push Bolt and Magma away from Blu’s death grip with his shoulder as he kept grasping onto Blu’s arms for dear life.
Rhett looked Blu dead in the eyes as Blu kept staring past him, the boy completely disassociated from any logic or judgment from anyone. As he kept staring dead on at Bolt, he looked like he wanted to kill him right then and there.
Managing to grasp his hand with the fork, Rhett tried hard to make Blu do anything so he could drop the fork.
…And he certainly did do something.
Something neither of them could expect.
“ERGH-! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH-!”
“BLU! DON’T-!”
*SHANK-!*
…
The fork in his hand dropped on the floor with a loud clang.
All of the noise, screams from students fleeing, screams from Bolt, Magma, and Pom trying to get Blu off… all of it went quiet as a sharp pain grazed across Rhett’s face. Rhett clung to the uninjured side of his face, worried about having yet another scar on his other eye as he backed away from the four…
…
“Oh… oh no…”
“...” Rhett didn’t look up. For the first time, he finally heard Blu’s voice, loud and clear as he stepped away from Blu for a moment, Rhett staring in surprise at Blu as it seemed like he had finally come back to his senses.
“Nonono… nonono. Wait… I didn’t… I…” Blu’s surprise matched Rhett’s as he saw Blu weakly back away and clumsily topple over on his back and back away from Rhett. Blu’s glasses fell onto the floor as Blu backed up more, curling into himself as he clung on his head with his hands. The only thing Rhett could hear was Blu’s cries as Bolt and Magma backed out of the room, angry mutters coming from Magma as he rushed Bolt away to the nurse.
“Blu…” Rhett, without hesitation, approached Blu’s side, kicking the fork away as he brought himself down to Blu’s level. His voice is now much quieter as he heard Blu’s silent mantras up close.
“I'm sorry...I’msorryI’msorryImsorryimsorryimsorry- I didn’t mean it, I didn’tIdidntIdidnt…” Shaky breaths came from Blu as he buried his arms into his sleeves, speckled with Bolt and Rhett’s blood. All Rhett could do was place a hand for comfort, gently rubbing it against Blu’s back. Sighing in relief as Blu’s breathing had finally started to calm down, and eventually he breathed in a slow sigh himself too.
…
“Blu…”
Rhett’s voice was calm, soft, out-of-character for the man for the first time in a very long time. It was no longer a voice used to intimidate someone, argue with someone… it was a voice used to comfort someone. And just for a moment, Rhett felt glad in his mind that he was able to use it on someone like… Blu.
“Hey, Blu…” His voice, gentle as Blu's silent whispers and sobs, had slowly come to a halt. Rhett kneeled in front of him as his comforting hand slowly separated from Blu’s back. Blu looked up at him, his glasses gone to reveal his weary eyes; it was no longer blown wide in anger, they were half-lidded, exhausted, welling up with even more tears as he spoke.
“R-R…Rhett…”
“...What happened…?”