Midnight Hours [PRG Hydra & Bittersweet]

It was nice, sitting in the shade of a tree. The chilling evening breeze making the multicolored leaves. The last streaks of sun turning the leaves on the ground to gold. Yushin reached for one, picking it up. He rolled the leaf between his thumb and index finger, hearing it flutter. A dry laugh escaped his throat and he closed his hand around the dead leaf, crushing it in his palm.

“So very fragile”, he said, leaning against the tree trunk. He glanced up at the tree tops that swayed gently in the wind. The sky caught his attention. Like many other things did, the sky fascinated him. It was truly amazing how it slowly went from a warm orange to a deep dark blue.

Riku wasn't going to complain about his bruises; they were battle wounds after all, the result of taking on two guys twice his size. He would be lying if he didn't admit that they hurt like a bitch, though.

"God damn it", he hissed through clenched teeth. He had been tossing and turning in bed for what felt like ages, unable to fall asleep despite his tiredness. He couldn't get comfortable, mostly due to the bruises on his upper arms and along his back.

'Maybe I should just give up', he thought. 'I'm never going to fall asleep like this anyway. Besides, it's hot as fuck in here.'

He slowly got up on his elbows, glancing sideways towards his roommate Katsuo's bed. He was fast asleep, his mouth hanging open while he snored softly.

"Jesus Christ dude", he muttered, staring in horrid fascination as Katsuo drooled on his pillow. "Gross." Heaving himself up to a sitting position, he flinched as his sore back brushed against the sheets.

"Fuck", he swore, wincing in pain, getting onto his feet in record time. How the hell had they landed a hit there of all places, anyway? Stupid dickheads, ambushing him from behind when he had just knocked them down on their shitty asses.

He glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed, noting that it still was nighttime. If he didn't get his famous beauty sleep, staying awake during class would be a pain in the ass, but it wasn't like he hadn't dealt with that before. The teachers got pissy whenever he fell asleep during their lessons, but they should be used to it by now since he did it on a regular basis.

He crossed the floor to get to the window, careful not to make too much noise. Katsuo was a great guy, but he was grumpier than Ruki's old hag of a grandmother when he was sleepy. That's why it was for the best if he remained asleep.

He opened up the window, shivering when the cold night air caressed his bare skin. He rubbed his eyes before taking in the scene of the campus before him. Although it wasn't much to see, mostly trees and...

"What the fuck", he suddenly whispered, frowning.

Was he imagining things, or was there sitting a person beside a tree outside the Sun Dormitory?

'I should probably check that out myself', he thought, before proceeding to get dressed in a rush.

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"Yo, dumbass!" he called out, approaching the sitting person. "What the fuck do you think you're- Shit!"

He stared in bewilderment at the person in front of him, a person who turned out to be a boy from the Night Class. He was beautiful, but that was totally beside the point, because that applied to all of the Night Class students.

"Aren't you fuckers supposed to be in class?"

Yushin, who’d after a while drifted off into a slumber of sorts, looked up at the person that had called out to him. He blinked in confusion, wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue. The person who’d approached him was a short human with wild blue hair. ‘Just like the sky’, he noted with a dull smile. Rather disinterested in the topic, Yushin snorted.

“Class”, he said gloomily. ”If I’m right, they won’t even notice my absence.” Just after he realized that he should’ve been able to spend his entire night alone, without being disturbed.

Once again he glanced at the boy. “You’re human”, he said, stating the obvious. “Shouldn’t all the tiny little humans be asleep by now?” With a puzzled look on his face he turned his head upwards, gazing up at the starry sky. “Asleep, indeed.”

Yushin had been so concentrated on the trees that he had failed to notice the fact that he had chosen a place right next to the Sun Dormitory. No wonder he had met a human. ‘Such bothersome creatures’, he thought as he got to his feet.

Hovering over the short human boy like a raptor. In an instance he had walked over to the male and grabbed hold of his shirt, yanked at it to reveal a perfectly tanned shoulder. A smile crept over his pale lips as he bent down, nose slightly brushing the other male’s skin. “You smell nice.”

"What the hell", Riku said, his brow furrowing in confusion. Was this guy some kind of lunatic?

He didn't really have time to register what the strange boy meant before he was suddenly grabbed hold of by his shirt, the other boy pulling him close. When he also yanked at Riku's shirt, he thought he would have a minor heart attack. He unconsciously let out a high pitched squeal, feeling the boy's breath against his skin.

Had he just told Riku he smelled nice?

"Whoa, whoa. Let go of me, would you? Jeez, is this how you greet strangers? Let go!"

He tried to shove him away with all his might. "What was that crap about me being human, anyway? Like you aren't? Give me a break!" He threw a punch at his face, failing miserably to hit his target. The guy was just too god damn tall.

Being pushed away hadn’t been entirely unexpected, but it still stung when the little human’s fingers dug into the spaces between his ribs. He straightened up, questioning his odd behavior. Then he realized his mistake. It must’ve been for the lack of sleep that he suddenly acted unwisely. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable”, he said as he looked down apologetically at the other male. He slowly uncurled the fingers that were fisted in his shirt.

When he almost received a blow to the chin, he dodged in embarrassment. “Ah, it confused you didn’t it? I say strange things sometimes, at least that’s what people say” he claimed, biting down hard on his own bottom lip until he drew blood. “Please don’t be upset, I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t… approaching you like that… I never really… this is the reason why people don’t really talk to me that much. I just…” Yushin found himself struggling with words, stuttering. That shouldn’t be happening. His bony fingers reached for the hem of his shirt, fumbling at it with shaky fingers. “I sincerely apologize for my strange behavior”, he somehow managed to say, looking at the other male through his eyelashes. ‘He is going to punch me, isn’t he?’

Riku straightened out his shirt, feeling anger flaring up within him. Balling his hand into a fist, he lashed out at him, aiming for his stomach. "Yeah, you better be sorry!" he snapped. "Most guys don't appreciate being molested by other guys, y'know!" He reluctantly took a step backwards, wanting to distance himself from the other boy, even just a little.

He then took a long, deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Feeling himself slowly coming back to his senses, he looked up at the other boy, glaring daggers at him. He could see him clearer now (despite his shitty night vision), most probably due to the fact that he wasn't sitting under the shade of a tree anymore. Finally getting the chance to have a good look at him, he once again grew aware of his stunning beauty.

The boy before him had smooth, ivory skin and the bluest eyes he had ever laid his eyes upon. His ash coloured was hair pulled back into a ponytail, and although Riku didn't think it was fitting for boys to keep their hair that long, he had to admit it looked good on him.

He loathed poetry, but looking at the other boy him made him want to write it. That realization made him loathe poetry even more, and the guy too, for that matter.

Riku snorted at his own thoughts. A cold rush of wind reminded him of how foolishly he had got dressed before rushing out in the night, and he started to rub his arms awkwardly. "Jeez, it's freezing cold out here", he muttered bitterly.

Steeling himself for another conversation with the weirdo, he put on a lazy grin. "Just who the hell are you, anyway?" he asked. "And more importantly, how are they allowing a creep like you to stay on campus?"

Just as he’d thought, the other male had indeed punched him. The feeling of his punch still lingered even after he had landed a pretty fair hit, square in his stomach. He placed a hand on it, straightening out the fabric.

What a feisty little human he was, Yushin thought. He tilted his head, eyeing his every movement. How he brushed his arms to regain warmth, the way he looked at him and the way he smiled. There was something that made him want to wrap the little human in blankets and at the same time dig a hole and shove him down in it.

Before he answered any of the human’s petty little questions, Yushin shrugged of his white uniform jacket and draped it over the human’s shoulders. After that he made sure to take an extra step away from him, keeping a fair distance after that.

“A molesting creep like me knows his ways around, but to speak the truth I would gladly be expelled any time. But I don’t think my wishes are being prioritized”, he said calmly. “But you can always request a word with the headmaster, I’m sure he’ll hear you out.”

Yushin chuckled to himself, turning toward the trees. The wind was increasing, rustling the leaves even more than before. ‘It’s going to be stormy tonight’, he stated. He wouldn’t mind a little storm, but if the human stayed he would be worried. It wasn’t like he really cared for the other boy, not at all. It was just the fact that he could be easily blamed for the human catching a cold, if anyone found out about their encounter. “Shouldn’t you go back inside? The weather will get rather unpleasant soon.”

Riku hesitated only for a short moment before wrapping the jacket tighter around him, thankful for the warmth it provided. It was too big for him and probably made him look like a midget wearing oversized clothing, but somehow he didn't mind at all.

"I'll make sure to speak with him, then", he said in a mildly sarcastic tone, smirking. "We can't let a pervert roam around school grounds."

He had no intention of speaking with the headmaster, though, not now and preferably not in a hundred years. He had been forced to do so countless of times, mostly after fights when he had ended up hurting another student badly. It was always such a hassle, especially since the dumb fuck refused to hear him out on his part of the story. What the hell, was he really that untrustworthy? The headmaster and most of the students at Fairewright Academy certainly seemed to think so.

"Now that you mention it, I should probably head back before my roommate wakes up to find me missing", he said thoughtfully. "While this has been an interesting conversation, let's not do it again. Like, ever. I don't think our personalities clash together that well."

He was just about to turn around and leave, when he was reminded of the jacket hanging over his shoulders. Glancing at the boy out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly felt very unwilling to give it back. It was a childish thought, but it made him pout in annoyance nevertheless.

"You sure you don't want this back?" he asked, pointing at the jacket. "You might catch a cold."

The other boy’s words brought a gentle smile upon Yushin’s lips. This human was an interesting prick, it was a real wonder that Yushin’s previous actions didn’t send him running. He’d handled it in an “unpleasant” matter by punching him, but it’d been well deserved. Approaching him so carelessly had been foolish.

It pleased him to see that the other hadn’t thrown his jacket right back in his face. He thought of him as a pervert, but still he snuggled the fabric of the jacket closer to his own body. It seemed like the warmth had been appreciated.

As he was about to turn away, Yushin leaned toward the tree. When he no longer heard the soft rustle of the other boy’s movements, he looked down at him.

The question that followed made Yushin laugh. “No, please. Keep it for now, you look like you need it more than I do”, he said calmly. “If you don’t feel up to the task of returning it yourself, leave it to one of the members of the Disciplinary Committee.”

With stiff fingers he started to unbutton his vest, straightening out his black dress shirt. “You have been excused”, he mumbled. Yushin couldn’t help but wonder if he would overthink this encounter in the future. Most likely, he would.

While returning the jacket to the members of the Disciplinary Committee seemed reasonable enough, it wasn't something Riku felt like doing. Hijirikawa was the son of the headmaster, and that was reason enough for Riku to dislike him. As for the girl, Setsuna... well, she had once tried to kick him in the nuts after one of his failed attempts at seducing her.

But in the end, he didn't have much of a choice, did he? As he didn't particularly feel like talking to this weirdo again, he might as well roll with it.

Letting out a defeated sigh, he nodded once in agreement.

"Alright", he said, feeling a bit self-conscious. But hey, it was hardly his fault he was sensitive against cold.

Still, he felt a whole lot better once he had pulled up the collar over most of his face, successfully hiding his reddening cheeks (red from the cold, mind you). Nuzzling his nose into the surprisingly soft fabric, he stifled a yawn. Maybe it wasn't an impossibility to get some hours of sleep before the sun rose up, after all.

"Bye", he muttered, turning his back on the other boy. He started walking back towards the Sun Dormitory, leaving the words "thank you" unsaid.

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Sometimes Fuyuki had a hard time convincing himself Hayato Reizei wasn't some sort of demon set out to torture him endlessy during school weeks.

Not that he minded school, not at all, but he did however mind all the extra work the Pureblood vampire dumped on him as soon as he got the chance.

"Fuyuki, I need you to sign these papers for me", he had told him earlier that night, catching him in one of the corridors in the School Building. "They are for the student council or whatever, and somehow I can't bring myself to understand them."

"Of course, Hayato-sama", Fuyuki had answered, smiling politely. As the Pureblood had seeked him out personally, he had felt obliged to listen to his wishes.

And that was how he had ended up in the library, a bunch of papers stacked neatly on the desk in front of him. He had planned to go to the library all along, but he had thought he would get time to read the novel he had bought some days ago. Clearly, that wasn't happening.

Fuyuki let out a sigh, looking up from where he was resting his head on his arms. If someone walked in on him looking like this, they would get quite a shock, since he was always attentive and alert during class.

"I couldn't possibly care less", he mumbled sleepily, gazing out of the window through half-closed eyes.

He had chosen his desk wisely, picking one which was seated close to the window. It helped ease his feeling of suffocation, and since it was currently open, the library was filled with cold, refreshing air.

'I'm just going to close my eyes for a moment before getting back to work', Fuyuki thought, before drifting off to sleep.