TW: Implied/Referenced Self-harm, Bullying, Teen!Cast AU

~Chapter One

Chris shuffled awkwardly through the school corridor, his movements stiff and straight. Despite being short he stood up fairly straight. Glasses rested on his nose and his hair was combed into a fringe that resided neatly above his eyes. Whispering and snide remarks were cast discreetly in his direction. He acted as if it didn't bother him, but it did. Pushing open the door to his English class, Chris was unpleasantly greeted by the unwanted presences of a tall, smirking kid, sitting in his seat. The boy was chatting to some of the schools renowned delinquents. Chris sighed heavily, preparing himself for what was about to happen. "That's my seat..." Chris mumbled, keeping his voice dull. The boy glanced up at Chris, his smirk disappearing. They held eye contact for a long time, an unusual feeling and tension settling between them. "Make him move then," Some blue haired douche besides him snarled, "If you're such a fucking nerd I bet you can think of a way." Chris sighed, closing his eyes in frustration. Why him? He opened his eyes to see the tall boy watching him closely, not with spite or ridicule but with curiosity. The boy smiled sadly at him and stood up, his tall body looming at least a head taller than Chris. For a moment, Chris' heart filled with hope. Maybe he wasn't like the others.

"He's not worth it guys." The boy chuckled and simultaneously crushed Chris hopes. The other delinquents made strange grunting noises, something between agreeing with the boy and being disgusted with Chris. The group left towards the door and called for the boy when they noticed he wasn't following, "C'mon Alex!"

"Coming now, piss off," Alex called back. He stayed for a moment, just standing and staring at Chris. Chris felt his cheeks begin to rise in heat from being under the intense stare. Suddenly Alex smiled and rested a hand on Chris shoulder, whispering a light, "Sorry." as he passed. Standing, shocked, Chris felt the hairs prickle on his skin from the sudden contact. Even the word 'sorry', spoken in Alex's voice, swan around his mind, distracting him from concentrating. And his stare, the cornflower blue iris that haunted his thoughts. How had some random delinquent affected him this much. It wasn't fair.

-

"Great..." Chris murmured. The tall and scruffy body of Alex leaned haphazardly against the school gates, his lazy stare focused on Chris. When Chris started to walk closer, he kept his head down, but out of the corner of his eye he made out the looming shadows of Alex's accomplices. Chris pulse increased tenfold as he refused to be even be acknowledged by the gang. "Freeeeak." Sang a humiliating voice but there was a dark and intimidating side to the word. Chris' stomach dropped as his eyes flicked up to meet those of the 'Strangely Familiar' blue haired, brute. The opposition stared down at Chris, a sadistic smile that show no sign of humanity. "Please stop." Chris choked, the voice in his head sounding stronger than the one that fell from his lips. All this achieved was a snicker from the group and a harsh, deadpan laugh from the figure looming over him. "Mate, just... Back off," Smith sighed. His statement shocking everyone, himself the most. The blue head spun around to cast a look of confusion and disgust in Alex's direction, "Why should I? He swans around, his vile fucking head raised higher than everyone else. 'The Perfect Student?' Piss off. Just a suck up that don't give a shit 'bout the rest of us."

"It's not his fault he cares about his future, leave him the fuck off." Alex brought his challenging stare to the blue head's stare. Tension and anger lay thick in the air, the rest of the gang and Chris staying still in fear of coming between two bulls. After about 30 seconds a fist came hurtling towards Alex's face, hitting him on the corner of his eye. An inhumane chuckle escaped the blue head's mouth, he pretended to lick the blood off of his knuckles, then turned to give Alex the middle finger. The whole gang moved, following the blue head to what was most likely some sort of dark alley. Chris averted his gaze to Alex, who simply wiped away some blood with the back of his hand. "Thanks..." Chris muttered, trying to get Alex's attention. Unfortunately his heart beat still hadn't slowed down and his breaths became rugged as he took a couple of steps closer to Alex. In reply, Alex simply threw him a lopsided smile. "Let me sort that out for you," Chris smiled awkwardly, "If.. If you want that is. I have antiseptics at home and-"

"That'd be great thanks." Alex grinned, causing the heat to rise up on Chris' cheeks. They began the walk home, chatted about video games they both enjoyed and ignored all the strange stares they received. Alex was no where near as bad as the other delinquents, in fact Alex was nicer than most, if not all, of the other student Chris had encountered. They even shared the same, warped sense of humor. Chris realized that maybe, just maybe they could be friends? He just hoped to hell Alex liked him as much as he liked Alex.

~Chapter Two

"It stings!" Alex hissed, pouting at Chris who sucked his bottom lip in an act of restraining his laughter. Chris smoothed down a plaster upon the graze that was tainted purple. Lifting his hand up, Alex curled his fingers around Chris' wrist and lent his cheek into Chris' palm. Alex sighed contently, closing his eyes. "Your hands are cool against my face," He chuckled softly. Chris stared at the delinquent with wide eyes, the warmth traveling from Chris' fingertips to where it settled on his cheeks. Blue eyes suddenly shot open and almost threw Chris' hand across the room. "I am so sorry," His voice panicked, breaking towards the end. Awkwardly the long body tried to stand up from leaning against the table, but instead it's long limbs got tangled into those of Chris'. The awkward bundle of bodies stumbled into the counter behind them. After a brief awkward silence, a cluster of laughs filled the room as the two boys began to untangle themselves from each other. "Wanna go on the Xbox?" Chris looked up hopefully at Alex, both their faces stuck in a watermelon pink. Alex nodded eagerly and followed Chris through the empty house. He gazed in amazement at Chris' house. There were a few pictures of him and his family but everywhere seemed very minimalistic. Maybe Chris was nerdy and awkward because he didn't have many people to talk to, apparently his parents aren't even Home that often. Alex's eyes settled onto the dorsal side of Chris. When Alex had wrapped his fingers around Chris' wrist, he felt bumped lines along it, as if straight formations of scar tissue lay there. It pained Alex to know that Chris felt this way about himself, that Alex knew about this when it was none of his business but what was most wretched, was the idea that Alex, and the people he hung around with where most likely the ones who caused him to feel like this. It made him wince inside. Maybe starting this friendship could be a way to make it up to him? But why would Chris ever trust and, or forgive him? By the time his mind had caught up with his actions, Chris had lead Alex up to a closed door. Chris clicked open the door and behind it lay shelves, lined with nik-naks all of which we're related to something nerdy like warhammer or Dota, there was even a replica Portals gun. But in the middle sat a two seat sofa behind a table on which resided an Xbox one and a ps4, with a projector in between the two. Alex's mouth dropped as they moved over to the leather sofa, which made a satisfying noise when they flopped down onto it. "Shit..." He whispered, Chris absent mindedly watching him with a grin. Chucking an Xbox remote at Alex, Chris stated, "You know the rules of, 'its my house so you're player two', right?" Alex smirked in reply, lazily crossing his long legs.
"Obviously mate."

-

It had come to the time for Alex to go home and he hated it. He really didn't want to leave Chris, it felt wrong almost. But they had school tomorrow and he'd see the tiny brunette there. Chris had insisted on walking Alex home, but Alex didn't want Chris to be walking back on his own, so they settled with walking with each other until half way. And that was what they were doing. There was a chill in the air and the two boys were walking very close in hope of sharing body heat. Their faces were tinted with a flush of pink and their breaths lay like thick clouds around them. Chris' body bumped into Alex, causing the redhead to glance down at him. Chris teeth where chattering and Alex suddenly felt guilty, he didn't feel the cold as much. Throwing a sideways glance, Alex reached out and slung an arm around Chris' shoulders. At first Alex regretted it as Chris threw him a shocked expression, but as soon as Chris moved closer to bury himself into Alex's side, he was glad he did it. "Cold isn't it?" Chris stated although it sounded more like a question. It caused a chuckle to escape Alex's lips and he gripped Chris shoulder, bending down to talk to him, "Just a bit of a wimp aren't ya Chris?" Chris smirked up at him, then elbowed him in the side. Alex was about to retort when he realized the were about half way, even though he didn't want the moment to end he didn't want Chris to walk alone that far either. Stopping, Alex sighed and turned to Chris. He looked up, his russet eyes drowning Alex and snatching away his words. Chris smiled contently as Alex moved his hands to either side of Chris' face. Just like Alex had done, Chris leaned into Alex's touch, savoring the feeling. The familiar actions brought back the thoughts about Chris predicament. It was so unfair that Chris got so much shit from the world, then went home to give himself shit too. "You're wonderful you know that?" Alex muttered knocking their foreheads together, "Don't worry about what they say. Just trust me ok?"

"What are you on about?" Chris tittered, but stopped at Alex's serious expression. Sighing, Alex drew back staring deeply into Chris' eyes, maybe now wasn't the time to confront Chris about it. "Just- I don't know," Alex whined in defeat. Staring down at Chris, Alex bit down on his bottom lip. There was something about Chris that made Alex's mind fuzzy, that this wasn't reality but all just a fictitious state. Alex squished at Chris' face, was it normal to want to do things you didn't normally do with a friend? But Alex simply blamed it on the fact that he hadn't ever had a proper friendship or this sort of bond with anyone else. "I better go..." Chris solemnly cut through Alex's thoughts. Panicked, Alex nodded and frantically slipped his hands off Chris' face. He stood up straight, thankful for thee cold air hiding his blush. Smiling, Chris stood on his tippy toes and ruffled Alex's hair. The feeling was addictive and forced Alex's instincts to kick in. Leaning down, Alex caught Chris in his arms and quickly pressed his lips against Chris'. He felt desperate to feel Chris, someone whom had had just been friends with for less than a day. It was so unfair how much of an affect Chris had on him. But to his dismay, Chris didn't respond to the kiss. It was horrible, like a wordless rejection. Moving away from his face, Alex stared down at Chris, desperate to find any hint of emotion. "Sorry. Again. I am so sorry," Alex's voice whimpered. shit, he thought, shit shit shit. "Chris?" Alex whispered. Chris met his eyes, causing that addictive feeling rise in Alex again, "Alex," Chris started, shuffling awkwardly under Alex's desperate gaze, "I'm sorry."

~Chapter Three

Alex panicked and started blurting gibberish, "I'm so, so sorry, please don't hate me." He stepped back from Chris and could see him forming the words Alex did not want to hear. It was childish to ever think his feelings would be reciprocated. "Alex, please, it-it's not you. It's just- I'm just scared," Chris held his hands over his face, not wanting to explain everything to someone he had known for a day. But it was Alex, and Chris wanted to be with him. But life wasn't a fairy tale and the delusional thought, or fantasy, of being with Alex was a fairy tale itself. All these years Chris had craved for human interaction, to not be bullied, to have someone to stick up for him. he wanted someone to love him. A heavy lump got caught in his throat, tears formed in his eyes and in a heart beat, Chris threw his arms around the delinquent. "You just don't get it," Chris cried into the large chest he'd come to love in a matter of hours. The blue school shirt bunched under Chris' slender fingers as they latched onto the ginger's back, causing the bitten down nails to dig into Chris' finger tips. Shocked, Alex started an internal battle with himself, trying to reason with his emotions and those of Chris'. Releasing a small sigh, Alex hushed and cooed into Chris' ears, stroking his back in a soothing motion, the cold air still nipping at them.

When Chris had calmed down slightly, Alex took his wrist loosely and guided them both back to Alex's apartment. He lived quite far up in a block of flats, that were far from the pristine surrounding Chris was use to. G11 was nailed, in brass lettering, on to the front of a grey door which opened stiffly to reveal a dull and slight unkempt interior. A shy and embarrassed expression filled Alex's face, obviously he felt insecure from seeing how Chris lived in comparison, but still eagerly invited him in. Unlike Chris, Alex had many siblings and so on the peeling walls hung clunky, picture frames filled with family photos, school photos and baby photos. Admittedly, the environment wasn't as clean and fresh, in fact it was more so chaotic than Chris', but it felt homely. The house felt loved and even though the only activity in the vicinity was the two boys, it felt alive and upbeat. Moving to sit on the sofa, Alex beckoned for Chris to come over and join him, hoping to take his mind off of everything, even just for a bit. Now with puffy cheeks and red eyes, Chris stood for a moment just staring at Alex whilst he settled into the new environment. Lifting an eye-brow, Alex stared at Chris back, the stare wasn't harsh or intimidating, in fact it mirror the wonder and curiosity that Chris gazed at him with. Smiling slightly, Chris wiped his eyes again and made his way over to Alex. When he had reached the worn leather sofa, Chris quietly slipped into Alex's lap, winding his arms around Alex's shoulders and burring his face into his neck. Surprised but comfortable, Alex the curled his longer limbs around Chris, "Do you wanna talk about it?" Alex mumbled into the brown mop of hair that resided in front of him. For a moment they existed a calming silence. The small frame of Chris moved up so he now was perfectly aligned with Alex. "I love you Alex, I really do," Chris muttered, his voice now hoarse and careful, portraying all the though and concentration he'd put into his words. His posture completely changed to a solemn and insecure shape causing Chris' heavy head moved and knock foreheads with Alex, "I just don't love me and I don't have the confidence to stand beside you. You're everything I'm not and more. I don't want to drag you down and... And I don't want you to suffer." Towards the end, Chris' words began to falter as his voice broke under the weight of the emotion they carried. Alex moved his face so it was millimeters away from Chris'.

"I love you," Alex whimpered, hating the fact Chris was so close, but his mind seemed so far away. "And i don't know how because i've only just met you and i don't understand you," Alex sighed in mild annoyance as his words weren't expressing the right emotions. "I mean- I just don't get how you can't love you.i did it in a matter of hours. And how the hell would you drag me down? All you've done is made my life better. You're everything I'm not, which just proves that we belong together." Alex moved to wipe a tear from Chris' cheek, "I really do love you, Chris," And that was all it took for Chris to press his lips against Alex's. This kiss was different though, it wasn't an awkward kiss from a confession like before, it was a kiss of understand and compassion, filled with relief and hope. It felt right and complete. Soon it became full of passion and need, and in a frantic hurry, the boys embraced and kissed each other, the feeling addictive and moreish. Fingers were intertwined with strands of hair, scratches and love bites were littered in various places. The amaranthine marks left to tell the world, and remind each other, who they belonged with. This was new for the both of them and everything was done with an ungainly lack of experience. But it didn't matter, it meant more than that, because to them it was a display of love. Soon they were lead together, crammed up on the sofa, laying only under a blanket picked up from the ground from the ground. "Sorry it's not, y'know, anything special," Alex murmured into Chris' neck. A smile blossomed on Chris' face as he turned around in Alex's arms to relish in the joy of being face to face. "It doesn't matter," Chris hummed contently, his free hand moving to draw circles on the delinquents chest. "I Love you by the way," the small boy whispered, eyes becoming heavy. "Yeah," Alex kissed the brunette's forehead, "I love you too."

Credit to I_May_Bite on Ao3