Work Text
Prologue
The soft rustling of leaves from the wind is the only sound that can be heard throughout the now almost empty campus, where most students and faculty have already gone home for the day. Somewhere at the back of the school, two silhouettes can be seen standing under the shade of maple trees. A boy stands on one side, dressed in black and decked in silver jewelry. He’s staring hard at the ground, fingers fiddling with his arm warmers. His multiple piercings and heavy eyeliner give him a harsh look, but his bravado is betrayed with the way he folds in on himself, shifting his weight on one leg. Once in a while he looks up, trying to steal glances at the face in front of him to gauge the other’s reaction. He clutches a letter in his hand, the paper a soft pink. With his shy and unapproachable personality, he couldn’t have been more different than the only other person sharing his space currently. With a sleek, handsome look and a varsity jacket embracing his broad frame, this kind of situation isn’t new for someone like Ivan, the school’s football captain, prince charming, and overall heartthrob. Compared to Till, he stands with his back straight and hands politely placed behind his back, a patient smile rests on his gorgeous face as he waits for the other to say something. With the sun set high and the school as their backdrop, this sight isn’t an uncommon one. While the pairing of the school’s idol and the school’s misfit may be a little unexpected, nonetheless this scene felt inevitable whenever Ivan is involved. Likewise, it will end the same way as it had for all the others who bravely gathered up the courage to confess to him. “Fine. I’ll go out with you. On one cond-““ANYTHING.”“Jesus, calm down,” Till says, hands raised up as if to put a barrier between them. Ivan is staring him, eyes wide and chest heaving. Subconsciously, he takes a small step towards Till. Instinctively, Till takes a step back. “Anyways, you can’t tell anyone that we’re dating.”“WHAT? WHY?” Ivan whines. Till clicks his tongue, hates the fact that he finds it cute.“Have you seen how rabid your fans can get when it comes to you? People already don’t like me. I don’t want to have to walk around with daggers down my back or being dragged off and having your groupies threaten me to break up with you.” Has Till been reading too many shoujo manga lately? That’s no one’s business. He huffs. “Having you stalk me was enough.” “But we’re supposed to be high school sweethearts with a whirlwind high school romance!” Ivan pouts, conveniently ignoring the stalking comment. “What’s the point of dating if we can’t be openly in love?” Till winces. “First of all, stop talking, the shit that comes out of your mouth is so embarrassing. Second of all, I don’t know and I don’t care. Figure it out.” “Or else what?” Ivan asks, arms crossed. Till raises his eyebrow, taking on the challenge. “Or else this isn’t going to work out.” Ivan immediately shuts up, frowning. He’s glaring at the grass beneath his feet like they wronged him. Sighing, Till walks over and grabs his hand, mumbling something about going home. Ivan looks up and sees a red patch forming on the back of Till’s neck. With his heartbeat thundering in his chest, he squeezes his hand and starts walking. Yeah, he can’t afford to mess this up now. Whatever he had to do, he knows it will be worth it, if it meant keeping Till.
Intimidation
Till has never been popular throughout all his life, and high school was no exception. With several piercings, dark clothes, and a constant scowl on his face, he didn’t exactly scream approachable. Most of the time, people steered clear of him, treating him as if he was air, and that was perfectly fine to Till. That was, however, until that one fateful day. That day in particular that will be forever immortalized by the student body as The Ivan Incident. Till was walking down the hallway, killing time before his next class when someone slammed into his shoulder. He whips his head back, indignant; it was obviously done on purpose. The perpetrator slowly turns to Till, dramatically clutching onto his shoulder covered by a varsity jacket. It was a member of the football team. Name and position unimportant; he was one of those guys who gets way too cocky over being part of the team. The kind who liked to throw his weight around others just because he thinks he can get away with it. He makes eye contact with Till. “Watch where you’re going, freak.” While a few students stopped in their tracks to witness the scene before them, most of them went on with their lives as per usual. It’s a common occurrence whenever this guy was involved. As long as you just quietly stand there and take a hit or two, he’ll eventually let you off and forget all about you. “Why don’t you try focusing on your surroundings more and maybe then you won’t get benched for more than half the season,” Till spits out, because he’d rather die than take that lying down. The students start to whisper, eyes darting nervously between the two. While the jock typically acts like a meathead most of the time, he has an extremely fragile ego, and would absolutely not let go if someone dares to try and humiliate him in front of a crowd. “What did you say, you little bitch?” he screams, eyes wide and angry. He stalks closer to Till, and Till, just as hot-blooded, takes a step forward as well. “I dare you to say it again.” “You heard me,” Till flares. “Or is that thing above your neck just for show?” Instead of a comeback, the jock shoves Till violently. Unfortunately for Till, a feisty attitude can’t beat physicality, so he goes flying several strides back, causing several students to gasp. He manages to balance himself at the last second, but the action only aggravates him further. He starts stomping over to the jock, fist cocked back. Before it could land a hit, however, a palm stops it, and encloses around Till’s hand. More murmurs echoed throughout the hallway, and Till looks up, ready to risk suspension for two counts of assault. The heat in his head dies down, however, when he sees who exactly stepped in between their fight.“Now, now,” Ivan says, calm and diplomatic. “I think we all need to calm down.” He spares a brief glance at his teammate, who in turn quietly backs off. Till, however, doesn’t cool off that easily, and part of his pride was hurt to be so easily subdued like this. He hisses at Ivan. “Let go of me, asshole.” Ivan doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he turns to smile at Till, his hand still holding Till’s fist. Then, as if to mock Till, his thumb starts rubbing across Till’s knuckles, as if trying to soothe a spooked animal. Till bristles. “I’m sorry about him,” he says, prim and polite. As if he couldn’t tell that Till is very close to biting his thumb off. “I’m sure it was all a misunderstanding, so just—” Ivan pauses then, causing Till and the few lingering students to look at him questioningly. The next few seconds happened in a blur, and for weeks after, some still question if they had imagined seeing it in the first place due to the absurdity of it all. Ivan suddenly grabs a fistful of Till’s shirt, and the sheer force of his actions took Till completely by surprise that he lost his balance and ended up being slammed into the lockers. The light bounces off the silver band on Ivan’s finger, glinting ominously. All the remaining whispers stopped; the hallway deadly quiet. Ivan never loses his cool. He had always been the charismatic captain, a constant smile on his face and a natural mediator. He’s always the one to resolve conflicts, not start them, much less escalate them. No one has ever seen the school’s idol raise a hand against someone, yet here he was, towering over a scrawny emo kid with a fistful of his shirt. He gripped it so high that Till had no choice but to stand slightly on his tiptoes. Speaking of Till, for all the bravado he had displayed against the jock earlier, even he found himself speechless in the presence of someone as domineering as Ivan. His hands instinctively grabbed onto Ivan’s wrist in self-defense, but other than that, he just stares wide-eyed at the other boy, shocked. Ivan doesn’t say anything for a while. He just looks at Till and looks at his own fist for a few moments before seemingly coming to his senses. He smirks slightly and lets go immediately, patting Till’s shoulders in consolation. “As I was saying,” he continues, as if nothing happened. “Just try and steer clear of each other, so incidents like this don’t happen again, okay?” Ivan then steps back, giving Till a clear view of the jock he nearly punched. Perhaps emboldened with the fact that his team captain backed him up, he smirks and takes a step forward, mouth open for another quip. Before he could say anything, however, Ivan slings his arm around him, causing the words to die down his throat. “As for you,” he says, voice low and warning, “How about we start channeling all that energy into practice rather than picking fights with random students in the hallway, hm?” As the two of them walked past Till, the jock turns to glare at him. On the other hand, Ivan doesn’t spare another glance at the awkward and sensitive loner, though he does flex his arm around the jock’s neck, making the latter immediately look away and stare at the ground. Just then, the bell rings. The students who hadn’t left yet immediately dispersed, with everyone trying to dissect the scene they witnessed a few moments ago. “What’s gotten into Ivan?”“What on earth did that emo kid do to manage to get on his nerves?”“I’ve never seen him angry like that.”“Wasn’t Ivan kind of hot just now?” The hallway was filled with talks of what they had just witnessed, but none of them were yet aware how this incident would shine a new spotlight on Till, who had previously managed to stay far away from everyone’s radar despite the monikers he had still somehow acquired throughout his high school life. Till, emo kid, misfit loner. And Ivan’s first target. ***
Till stares across the hall where Ivan and the jock had long disappeared. He was in a daze and couldn’t entirely process what had just happened. His hand goes up to where Ivan had grabbed him earlier. He looks down, staring at his crumpled shirt.
He stays that way for a few seconds before something seemed to click. He looks up again, looking in the direction that Ivan went before scoffing. Then, he straightens his shirt, adjusts his jewelry and leaves for his next class.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ever since the incident in the hallway, Ivan had been very persistent in invading Till’s personal space, and everyone took notice of it. Till wasn’t someone who had a lot of friends. If anyone even took care to notice, he’d occasionally speak to Mizi, the school’s angel, or could be seen being teased by Hyuna, accompanied by her boyfriend, the student council president. The majority of the time, however, he kept to himself. Added to the fact that two of the only people he talks to are in relationships, he unceremoniously spends his lunch alone. That is, until the Ivan incident. Following the days since the incident in the hallway, Ivan begun walking over to Till’s table during lunch, when he usually just eats with the rest of the football team as well as the cheer squad. He is clearly an unwanted presence, judging by the way Till’s face sours when he sees Ivan approach him. It twists even further as Ivan takes a seat right next to him, obnoxiously pressed to his side as he says something out of everyone’s earshot. Till hisses back something each time, using both arms to try and push Ivan off to no avail. Ivan shamelessly takes advantage of his bigger build to subdue Till in place, much to the latter’s chagrin. Everyone marveled at this new development. The football team must have a fiercer loyalty towards one another than they initially thought. They could never imagine seeing the day where Ivan, kind and fair to all, using his overwhelming aura to keep someone in their place after trying to harm one of his own. That isn’t to say that Till backed down without a fight. One time, he stood up from his seat when Ivan made his way over. “Don’t take another step,” Till warns. Everybody watched with rapt attention. “I’m serious. Fuck off and sit with your posse and stop bothering me.” “Bothering you?” Ivan asked innocently. “I just thought this was a nice spot to have my lunch, and there are plenty of empty seats. Is there a rule that says I can’t sit here?” Of course, it was obvious to anyone that Ivan was playing dumb. It was hard not to notice when Ivan would cling onto Till, uncharacteristically riling up the other without fail each time. As expected, Till didn’t buy it either. “Cut the bullshit, Ivan. You think anyone’s buying that?” Ivan shrugs. The rest of the students silently agree with him, for once. “If you just wanted to eat your lunch, then you could’ve just sat somewhere else instead of cramping up my space.” Without missing a beat, Ivan simply laughed and took another step closer, making Till growl out in frustration. “Why must you put it so negatively? I’m only looking out for my fellow student to make sure he eats proper meals.” His eye roam over Till’s figure. “You could use a little more meat in your bones.” At that, Till throws his hands up in the air. “You know what, fuck this.” He shoves his tray aside and starts to move. “Go have your precious table then. I’ll just go and fucking starve—" In his tirade, he hadn’t noticed that Ivan had reached his table. When he stood in front of Till, he simply put a hand on the other’s shoulder and pushes, slamming Till back into his seat. Till squeaked, caught off guard, before looking up indignantly. Before he could say anything, Ivan squeezes in next to Till and flicks Till’s tray lightly. “Eat.” There was a sudden chill in the air. The tone in Ivan’s voice left no room for protest, and the students who had been watching immediately averted their gaze and tried to pretend as if nothing had happened. Till, to his credit, seemed to read the room as well, and slowly started reaching for his lunch, but not before casting one last withering look in Ivan’s direction. Ivan watched Till eat, gaze intense. It was not until Till had a few bites that Ivan relaxed his shoulders and threw out the easygoing grin they were more familiar with. He ruffled Till’s hair. “Good boy.” Somehow, that only made them tense up more. ***
Ivan was all too eager to leave once class ended. Even the noisy load of garbage spouted by his loud and boisterous teammates couldn’t deter the pep in his step as he headed towards the cafeteria.
Today, he gets to eat lunch with Till.
They had a little fight after that day in the cafeteria. Till went on a tirade about “personal space” and “being obvious”, and reminded Ivan of their deal to keep their relationship lowkey. Ivan barely paid attention, and instead focused on scolding Till for attempting to skip his meals, gripping onto his thin waist and frail wrist to further emphasize his concern.
Besides, Ivan had said. He had it taken care of. With his reputation, it’s easy for people to believe that he really was simple looking out for a fellow student.
He thinks he remember Till gagging, but that was neither here nor there. In fact, Ivan kind of blanked out in that moment, his grip on Till tightening.
Ultimately, though, Till had put his foot down, complaining about the so-called PDA during lunch, and told him to at least tone it down.
In Ivan’s defense, he genuinely did just want to get away from his team and eat his lunch in peace. Sitting at an empty table where his boyfriend just so happened to be at was an added bonus.
Still, a happy wife equals a happy life, so Ivan acquiesced to having lunch with Till every other day, and it was only after a great bit of back and forth between both parties.
Back to the present, he enters the room and tries to suppress the beam in his smile as his eyes immediately landed on the love of his life. Tone it down, or else, the dreamy voice in his head warned.
He only made it a few extra steps in when a hand grips his shoulder. Ivan schools his expression easily enough, and turns to look at whats-his-face. Kim, a quick glance on his custom varsity read.
“Yes, Kim?” Ivan smiled, eyes crinkling so he could see less of him. “Need anything?”
“Dude, are you okay?” Kim laughed. He points his thumb in the direction behind him. “Our table’s that way, remember?” The other members of the team snicker in good humour, laughing at their captain’s rare case of klutziness.
“Ah.” Ivan bites back a sigh. “Don’t worry about me. You guys go ahead, I’m having my lunch over there.”
Kim looks at the direction Ivan vaguely gestures at before realization dawns on him.
“The kid again?” Ivan’s finger twitches. “Oh come on, cap. You can let that go, I’m sure he’s gotten the message by now. Plus, Sam’s forgotten all about it, didn’t ya, Sam?”
Ivan’s eyes lazily dart over to Sam. The punk immediately averts his gaze, staring at the floor. No one else seems to notice his jittery movements.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine now. Don’t worry about me,” he mutters, clearly on edge. Good.
Ivan scoffs under his breath. “It’s fine, I insist. I just feel like changing it up every once in a while, nothing more to it.” His tone perfectly nice.
Kim snorts. “Uh huh, sure, cap, whatever you say.” He was clearly playing along with some kind of joke Ivan doesn’t remember making. “In fact, a change in scenery does sound nice, actually. Why don’t we follow our leader’s example and give that emo kid a nice, warm welcome?” A few others started agreeing, wide grins spreading across their faces.
“No need,” Ivan insists, putting both hands in the pockets of his varsity. “I’ll go on my own. Wouldn’t want to scare the guy.” Without another word, he turns around and leaves.
He hears his teammates egg him on, telling him to go easy on the guy. He’s used to their ridiculous and moronic comments, so he easily resists the urge to roll his eyes.
“Try not to eat the poor kid!”
As if that was up to them to decide.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Several students jumped at the sound of Till slamming his locker shut. They glared at him for the sudden interruption, but quickly understood his outburst when they saw the letter in his hand. As it turns out, Ivan’s psychological torture didn’t end at just lunch. Till has been receiving strange letters these days. In normal circumstances, this would’ve gone unnoticed; the happenings of a loner like Till didn’t really garner much public interest. However, with his newfound infamy as the school prince’s plaything, curious eyes have naturally begun gravitating towards the silver-haired. At first, the main question people asked was: who is the mysterious author of the letters? Theories started going around the school. Had the recent spotlight on Till led him to gain a few admirers? Perhaps they discovered something charming about him despite his current status as Ivan’s victim. Or maybe it’s because he’s caught Ivan’s attention in particular that has people drawn to him, as if Ivan was a talent recruiter who had just found a diamond in the rough. If not that, some suggested, then perhaps it’s someone with a grudge? It could be that jock that had shoved Till two weeks prior. Maybe he wasn’t actually able to let the issue go since things were technically unresolved between them, but he couldn’t risk starting a scene now knowing that his team captain had already set his sights on Till himself. Or maybe, people argued, this wasn’t a new occurrence at all. As said earlier, Till had breezed through his school years far from being the object of interest that he is now. With his alternative style and abrasive personality, he was bound to get into a few conflicts here and there. It could very well be a possibility that Till had always been on the receiving end of such letters, but nobody had bothered to notice until now. It had been a hot topic amongst the student for a couple of days. However, all discussion abruptly ended when one day, someone had caught Ivan leisurely walking up to Till’s locker to slip in a familiar looking letter when the latter wasn’t around, all while humming to himself. With this revelation, came the second question: just what was written in those letters? Naturally, everyone was curious to know, but no one could figure it out. Once, another jock decided to bite the bullet and ask, and all he got in return was a side glance from Ivan as a slow smirk spread across his face. Since then, no one dared to ask again. Either way, the one thing they could glean is that whatever is in those letters can’t be a good thing, seeing the way Till’s shoulder would shake every time he opens to read them, face red and contorted. Despite knowing how upset it makes him, however, Till never fails to open these letters, even if each letter gets torn open more aggressively than the last. He must have some weird sense of pride about it, not wanting to let Ivan get to him, but with how the letters always end up in the trash, shredded to a million pieces, Till has yet to claim victory in this game the other is playing. Ivan was like a boa constrictor, slowly coiling around his victim tighter and tighter, suffocating Till with just his presence without even needing to sink his fangs in. It was a new side of Ivan that the students never thought their charming prince of an idol was capable of. It’s subtle, but the message is clear: never get on Ivan’s bad side. Even if he looks extremely attractive doing it. ***
“Hey, asshole. Quit doing that.”
Ivan turns his head to look at Till, hands poised in front of his boyfriend’s locker ready to slip yet another letter in. He’s here earlier than usual, Ivan notes.
Ivan blinks innocently. “Do what?”
“THAT.” Till stomps over and snatches the letter from Ivan’s hand. He glares at him. “Stop with the harassment.”
Ivan fully turns his body now to face Till. He smiles in amusement. “Harassment? That’s a little harsh, don’t you think? They’re only letters, Till.”
“Just letters?” Till grits. “You and I both know that’s a big, steaming load of crap. Obviously, I’m talking about what’s written in the letters, dickface.”
In his outburst, it seems that Till had not yet realized the small crowd that has started to form around them. Ivan sighed, hopelessly endeared. So much for being inconspicuous; Ivan even went as far as to write on regular paper as opposed to the pink ones he’d purchased specifically for Till.
Still, since Till technically started it, Ivan figures he’s allowed to do a little teasing.
“Oh? And what’s written in those letters that bothers you so much?” Ivan asked. He can’t help the smirk growing as he watches Till turn a pretty shade of red.
“You—” Till splutters. He’s suddenly unable to make eye contact and looks away. That’s when he finally notices the crowd and grows even more flustered. Ivan waits patiently, and Till eventually resigned to his circumstances and glares daggers at his boyfriend.
“You know what’s in them,” Till mumbles. “Don’t play dumb.”
Obviously, Ivan knows. What’s more interesting is that Till knows, too. Till isn’t dumb; he should recognize the pattern by now, and that’s proven by the fact that he manages to figure out Ivan’s schedule and intercept him today during his daily letter-leaving.
Plus, Ivan structures his letters pretty consistently. Till should know what to expect, and even has the option to bring the letter home to read later. Yet, without fail, Till always opens the letter to read on the spot, knowing that Ivan leaves him letter at a certain time for a reason. Ivan wants to kiss him silly.
Ivan hums, staring distractedly at Till’s reddened neck. “And my point still stands. They’re just words, Till. Sticks and stones, as the saying goes. It’s not like I’m acting on them right now.” Ivan raises his eyebrows in faux surprise. “Unless, that’s what you’re angling for?”
That did it. Tills eyes flared as he lifts the letter in his hands and proceeded to rip it apart right in Ivan’s face, not even bothering to open it this time. Once he’s finished, he tosses the remaining scraps, aiming them at Ivan’s eyes, who closes them just in time.
“Quit messing with me, you fucker!” Till yells, before stomping off, the crowd’s gazes following after him.
Ah, Ivan grimaced. He went too far this time.
Behind him, Kim whistles.
“Geez, cap, just how bad did you get the guy?” He looks over Ivan’s shoulders, where the torn letter flutters pathetically around his captain’s feet. He clicks his tongue. “Still, who does he think he is, yelling like that. Want me to drag him back?”
“No, let him be,” Ivan says smoothly, shooting a smile towards Kim. He hopes it doesn’t come out strained. “It’s not that big of a deal, so let it go.”
It really wasn’t a big deal. After all, Till’s reaction had always been within Ivan’s realm of expectations, which is why he always made sure to keep a second copy of the love letters he’s penned for Till in his room. Because Ivan knows Till.
And Till knows Ivan, which is how Ivan always finds these second copies missing, only to find a new home in a box Till thinks he cleverly hid from Ivan’s nosy self. The box was shoved deep in one of his messy cabinets, slowly piling up with letters written in Ivan’s neat script, along with that very first letter, the paper a soft pink.
Although, Ivan notes, it seems that Till only keeps half the letters in his possession, and he’s not referring to the total number. Curiously, Till has kept parts of the letter where Ivan would leave him little anecdotes, words of encouragement and declarations of his love for Till.
Yet, Till had meticulously and carefully ripped the letter right before Ivan starts getting more in depth about his love, and how he was planning to show his devotion. Ivan thinks it’s such a waste; not only did he pour his heart and soul into those parts specifically, but he also figured they were great suggestions, and that Till was dismissing them without giving it a try.
Still, that’s not a huge deal either. After all, that’s why Ivan always keeps a third copy, as well as an online shopping cart for him and Till to look through once Till gets over his shyness.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next day, the hallway was still talking about what happened between Ivan and Till regarding the letters. Till has never discriminated when it comes to speaking his mind, regardless of social hierarchy, as clearly demonstrated when he nearly punched that jock a few weeks ago. Even if he was more of a benchwarmer than a core player, he was still part of the team, and as high school rules dictates, jocks beat emo misfits any day of the week, but Till never really cared about such trivialities. Even so, fighting back against an insignificant meathead was one thing; going against Ivan, who was at the very top of the food chain, was another. All this while, Ivan had been gracious enough to look past the screeching and cursing Till had directed towards him. Even when Till would attempt to push him away, Ivan merely observed in amusement, as if Till was a small animal trying to appear fierce. But that was the first time Till had attempted bodily harm against the school’s idol, who also happened to be Till’s worst nightmare. Till was still far from being popular, but the students have at least begun to express some concern towards him. After all, this was new for all of them. While regular Ivan was charismatic and gentlemanly, Till’s Ivan is a complete wild card; they couldn’t predict how he would react to such blatant disrespect. After all, this is the first time he’s ever held a grudge against someone, and for this long, too. Still, a part of them had hoped deep down that the Ivan they knew was still there, and that he would also let the issue go in good nature and proceed to only bother Till at psychological level. Unfortunately, that hope was promptly crushed when a student comes running through the hallways, frantic. Her voice was shaking as she told her friends that she had just seen Ivan drag Till behind a staircase in a less frequented part of the school. And, as it always goes when there’s Ivan-related news, everyone in the near vicinity immediately had their ears perked as they listened in to the latest gossip about their now so-called prince. * The story goes, that when she was playing hooky in a remote part of the school, she happened to hear noises from around the corner. They were hushed whispers, one sharp and fast-paced, while the other was low and smooth. Curious, she walked closer to the source of the sound, and her heart stopped when they could make out a peek of the football team’s varsity jacket, accompanied by the familiar baritone of Ivan’s voice. “Come on, Till. It’s not like I’m asking for much. Why make this more difficult than it has to be?” “Yeah fucking right,” Till hisses. “You think I’m dumb? You say you’re not asking for much, then the second I give in you’re going to start asking for more and more and wring me dry of all that I have!” She couldn’t actually see Till from this angle, with Ivan crowding around him against the wall. What she can make out are his legs shifting and flailing around, trying to find a way to escape. “Okay, Till. Now you’re just being dramatic,” Ivan scoffs. “Piss off,” Till snarls. “Why are you doing this now?” Ivan hums, clearly getting a kick out of this whole situation. “Consider this as compensation for yesterday.” * Several students gasped as she recounted the two’s argument. Their perfect image of their beloved school idol had slowly started crumbling since the Ivan Incident, and yet, no one could have foreseen him resorting to something as lowly as extortion to settle a grudge. All this while, Ivan was seemingly perfectly satisfied with simply putting the pressure on Till. He hovered over him and taunted him, but other than the occasional invasion of personal space, he had always kept his hands off Till. Perhaps nearly giving his eyeballs a papercut had been the final straw, because now Ivan has decided to start reaping what Till had sowed. The bell rang, signaling the start of next period, and the hallways started to empty. While some were still curious to know more, the story was quickly brushed aside from everyone’s mind as they start panicking over pop quizzes and missed homework. The student who saw everything starts walking too, together with her friends. She’s barely paying attention to what they’re saying, but jolts slightly when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She looks up, and sees her friend grin. “It’s so crazy how you happened to just walk in on that, Suji,” he praised. “Honestly, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that Ivan of all people would act like that.” “Right? It’s kind of hard to accept that Ivan does have a mean side,” another friend chimes. She turns sheepish. “I mean, I guess I feel bad for Till and all, but as long as it isn’t us, right?” The rest of the group agrees. The student, Suji, could only manage a weak smile before hurrying her steps with the excuse that they were going to be late. What she couldn’t bring herself to tell any of them was that the interaction did not stop there. She couldn’t say that at one point, Ivan seemed to have sensed her presence, and the look he gave her as soon as their eyes met was unlike anything she’s ever seen him make, not even towards Till, sending chills down her spine. Her body and mind felt like static as she slowly tries to come to terms that she might be the first person to realize that Ivan, school idol and prince charming, is someone truly dangerous. And just as she dreaded, she was proven right when Ivan and Till showed up to class later, with a bruise on the cheek and a cut to the lip respectively. The entire classroom was in shock as they couldn’t take their eyes off the two, wondering what had happened since that encounter by the staircase. Though, judging by the way Till looks pissed beyond belief, and the way Ivan wore his usual smirk as he leisurely made his way to his seat, she could kind of take a guess. Till tried to fight back, and Ivan got tired of playing nice. ***
Till was humming as he walked through the mostly empty hallway. He was struck with inspiration, so he made his way over to the staircase where he usually works on his pieces.
Along the way, he walks past a few students here and there, who are there for more or less the same reason he is. It’s an unspoken rule that this area was where you’d find the misfits and the loners. The ones who had trouble blending in with vapid normies littering the main hallways, drooling over the football team or the cheer squad. This is where kids like Till find a moment of relief, away from the crowd, and away from those who drew them in.
So Till couldn’t help but wonder what Ivan’s fucking problem was when he found himself yanked and slammed against the wall behind the staircase he was headed towards. With his tall stature and glowing aura, Ivan might as well be a walking fucking lighthouse, and he’s not above killing his own boyfriend if his presence in ends up turning Till’s peaceful haven into an Ivan fan-meet event. He tells Ivan as such, but the latter assures him that he had good reason for coming to this part of the school.
No, was Till’s resolute answer when Ivan had explained to him his request.
“Give me one good reason why,” Ivan pouts, not letting go of Till despite the latter’s pushing and shoving. “I even came all the way here because there’s a less likely chance for people to catch us.”
“Don’t give me that crap!” Till whisper-yelled. “You’ve already been toeing the fucking line even though I told you to keep us under wraps. There is no way I’m gonna start kissing you on school grounds.”
“Come on, Till,” Ivan whined. He swiftly dodges Till’s attempts to kick him whilst pinning him in place. “It’s not like I’m asking for much. Why make this more difficult than it has to be?”
The nerve of this guy. If Till’s flight instinct hadn’t kicked in, he would probably laugh in Ivan’s face. He tries to kick him again, and misses, again.
“Yeah fucking right. You think I’m dumb? You say you’re not asking for much, then the second I give in you’re going to start asking for more and more and wring me dry of all that I have!”
Ivan, the shithead, rolls his eyes. “Okay, Till. Now you’re just being dramatic.”
Just one kick. Just one. “Piss off,” Till snarls. Another miss. “Why are you doing this now?”
Ivan pauses for no other reason then to rile him up further, before leaning in.
“Consider this as compensation for yesterday,” he grins.
Till stares at him, confused. A few seconds later, it clicks. He scoffs, incredulous. “Is this abou—”
His words get cut off when Ivan presses a finger on his lips. He’s about to bite it off but Ivan shushes him before leaning his head back, looking in the direction of the hallway. Till can’t see from here, but Ivan quickly returns to face him before Till could question it further.
“Just making sure no one was listening in,” Ivan smiles, eyes closed. “And regarding your question, yes, it is about how you fell asleep on me yesterday and locked me out of the house.”
Till squawks. “I was tired! It’s not my fault your practice ran so late! And locked you out? It’s my house. Go to your own!” Ivan looks at him, unimpressed. Till grits his teeth as he wills himself not to blush.
“Also, you’re not gonna die if we don’t kiss for one day,” he grumbles. Ivan opens his mouth to protest, but it’s Till this time that stops him by shushing his lips. He can’t help but avert his gaze as he continues. “W-we can go kiss when we get home.”
Till tries to ignore the way Ivan’s eyes twinkle and how that made him feel, but Ivan gently grabs his wrist and presses a kiss to his fingertips. Till blushes as he fights the urge to melt in Ivan’s arms. Luckily, he doesn’t need to try for too long.
“That’s a given. But I’ll cut the pretenses now and let you know that I’m not leaving without a kiss.”
Till yanks his hand from Ivan’s grasp and glares at him. Ivan, of course, doesn’t flinch, still smiling. Knowing how tenacious Ivan can get when he has his sights on something, Till sighs. He slowly places shy hands on Ivan’s chest.
“Fine, one kiss, no marks. And make it quick—mmph!”
Ivan clearly didn’t need to be told twice with the way he immediately slammed his lips onto Till. Till staggers a little, and tries to glare at Ivan again, who had his eyes closed. He looked so eager as he started mouthing at Till’s lips, which causes Till’s heart to do a funny flip.
Unfortunately for Till, after going through many debates and several stages of grief, he had recently come to the painful realization that he is, in fact, a sucker for his boyfriend, and that’s how he finds himself melting into the kiss, eyes closing and arms instinctively wrapping around his neck.
I guess this isn’t so bad, Till thinks as he deepens the kiss. Ivan’s grip on his waist tightens ever so slightly. It’s always nice, kissing Ivan. He feels like he doesn’t have to think about anything else except for the hands on his waist, the scent of Ivan’s expensive cologne in his nose, the taste of copper in his mouth.
Till pauses.
The taste of copper in his mouth?
Till shoves Ivan off of him, who staggers a few steps back before regaining balance. Ivan looks like an idiot with the way he stares at Till like there’s nothing going on in that genius head of his, panting lightly like some dumb dog. Subconsciously, he licks his lips, and Till sees the lights start flickering in his head again when he tastes the blood. Ivan’s gaze drops down at Till’s bloodied lip, and his hand automatically reaches his own face, over his snaggletooth. He stares dumbly.
“Ah.”
This time, Ivan doesn’t bother dodging Till’s fist.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
This is all Till’s fault, really.
He knew. He knew that giving Ivan an inch would mean him taking several fucking miles. He always knew this about him. Yet, every single time, Ivan would pout this way or whine that way, and Till gives in like the sucker he was.
First, it was the lunch thing. Then, the letters. His lip was still recovering from the absolute feral kiss the day before. He should’ve held out a little longer on the silent treatment, really get it through Ivan’s thick skull that he was serious this time and that he wasn’t willing to budge any longer.
This was what went through his head as he feels more than sees Ivan walk up to him. He closes his eyes and counts to ten when Ivan casually slings his arm around his shoulder.
“Ivan,” he says lowly, calmly. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Till,” Ivan mimics, like the annoying bastard he is. “I am here to pick you up for lunch.”
Till clenches his fist to stop himself from strangling him. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“Was me even agreeing to eat lunch with you at all not enough?” he growls. “Why can’t we just meet up in the cafeteria like usual?”
Ivan hums, pretending to think consider Till’s words. “Well we could, but I feel like you can allow me this much after beating the daylights out of me yesterday. My cheeks still hurt.” To emphasize his point, he points to the neat bandage plastered on his face. It takes all of Till’s power to keep his volume in check, so others won’t overhear.
“Stop exaggerating,” he glares. “I iced it for you yesterday.”
Ivan makes a noncommittal noise. “I still think a kiss to my boo-boo would’ve been more effective.”
Till splutters, his neck tingling from cringe. “A kiss to your b- shut the hell up!”
Till, as always, struggles to break free from Ivan’s grip whenever he gets handsy at school. Ivan, as always, doesn’t let up, and pulls Till closer.
“Ivan, seriously, let go,” Till hisses. His eyes dart around. “People are looking.”
“So?” Ivan obnoxiously says. He barely spares a glance towards the crowd before shrugging. “We’re just a couple of friends heading out for lunch. What’s so strange about that?”
“Get real,” Till snarls, trying to shove Ivan off again to no avail. “You and me? Friends? Like anyone would believe that.”
“Why? Is it because I’m on the sports team and you’re not? Till, this isn’t an American coming-of-age movie. You’re way too easily influenced by the media you consume.”
Till tells himself that if he turns red, it’s because he’s getting more pissed off at Ivan. They make good background noise when he’s drawing, sue him. It’s not his fault that those movies just happen to play by themselves when he browses through Netflix.
Plus, he needed something to focus on as he tries to drown out whatever freakish fantasies and declaration Ivan tends to spout off whenever he stays over.
“Shut your mouth, you asshole.” Till elbows him, but Ivan barely acknowledges it. From his peripheral vision, he sees other kids trying to stare through their peripheral visions, nudging their friends or leaning in to whisper. Till feels like there’s needles poking through every inch on his skin. He’s starting to panic. “Ivan, seriously. Let go.”
“Hmm, don’t want to.”
Till lets out a frustrated growl. “Why can’t you just list—”
“He told you to let go.”
*** The entire hallway held their breath. The girl from yesterday, Suji, stood in front of Till and Ivan, arms crossed to hide the fact that she was shaking. Ivan looks at her unimpressed, while Till blinks, eyes wide. He’s sweating, slightly. Then, Ivan smiles, but something was off. There was no warmth or light reflected in that usually dazzling smile. Instead, it looks like it had been forcefully pulled together from the corners of his lips, his snaggletooth appearing more intimidating than charming. “Excuse me?” he hums, voice unusually low. Suji swallows. “Y-you heard him. He wants to be left alone, s-so you should let go.” Ivan bites his inner cheek as he assesses her, carefully trying to form his next words. His voice comes out clipped. “And what if I refuse?” Everyone stood frozen. They’re all paying attention to the scene before them now. Suji tightens the grip on her arms, pupils shaking as she struggles to maintain eye contact. Meanwhile, Till had resorted to burying his face in his hands, muttering what they’re sure are some colorful expletives. “I…” She hesitates. It was clear that she was starting to lose her resolve. After all, no one has gotten this far in defying Ivan, if anyone has ever tried at all. Except, well, Till, and look where that got him. Perhaps the sight of Till’s pitiful figure as he curls in on himself stirred something in Suji. The fire reignited in her eyes as she took a sharp breath and steeled herself. “I- That’s not something you get to decide. Putting hands on someone without their consent can be filed under harassment or, or even assault and… and I won’t hesitate to inform faculty of this matter.” She turns to Till. “Till, right? Listen, I’m sorry it took this long, but you’re not alone now. He’s… No, Ivan’s been bothering you lately, hasn’t he?” Till’s head snaps up, but he doesn’t respond right away, his eyes wide. It takes a moment for him process the words, eyes darting between her and Ivan, when eventually, something like hope glimmered in his eyes, and he opens his mouth to speak. Unfortunately, Ivan seemed to catch on and before Till had a chance to speak, Ivan roughly tugged him closer until their faces were mere inches apart. The words get caught in Till’s throat as he stared at Ivan, startled. Ivan is saying something to Till, though it was too low for anyone else to make out. Whatever it was, it caused Till’s face to go through several expressions. First it was confusion, then anger, then frustration. After seemingly weighing his options, his face finally settled on tired resignation. The pair pull apart, though Ivan still had his arm securely around Till. When Till addresses Suji, he refuses to look up from the ground, his nails digging into his forearm as he tries to sound as natural as he could, which is not very well. “I’m… okay. Ivan and I are… friends.” A squeeze from Ivan. Till grits his teeth. “Good friends. So thanks, but we’re… good.” It was obvious to anyone that whatever came out of Till’s mouth was forced out of him, but under his own word, they can’t do much else without more concrete evidence, and with Ivan’s pristine reputation amongst faculty, it’d be even harder to prove through testimonies alone. Judging by the smug grin spreading across his face, Ivan was well aware of it, too. He clears his throat, pleased with the outcome. “Well, there you have it,” he said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my dearest friend and I here are quite hungry, so we’ll head over to the cafeteria now.” He tugs at Till, who reluctantly starts to drag his feet. As if remembering something, Ivan paused and leaned towards Suji’s direction. “Also, you should really learn to mind your own business. It’s really rude to eavesdrop on others.” Ivan leaves, dragging along a scowling Till with him. As soon as the two of them were out of sight, the hallway erupted into murmurs, staring back and forth between Suji and the direction the pair had left. Suji, who had been frozen in her place, her mind reeling over what had just transpired in front of her very eyes. She didn’t pay any mind to the attention she was receiving even when one of her friends came barreling towards her, trying to shake her out of her reverie. “What on Earth were you thinking?” He hissed. Another friend came over and looked her over, concern evident across her face. “Suji, are you okay? God, that was so scary, I could barely breathe.” Unfortunately, their worries go unanswered. “Suji? Hello? Are you with us?”“Oh my God. Ivan broke her. What are we gonna do?”“Suji! Come back to us!”“Okay, well let’s put away that hand and calm down for a second…” Suji barely registered the noise around her. She blinked rapidly, trying to tether herself back to reality. Because whatever she just heard had to have been concocted by her apparently wild imagination, right? That could be the only explanation. She had been so close to the maw of the beast that adrenaline and panic had caused all reason to leave her and made her hear things that couldn’t have possibly left Ivan’s mouth when he leaned in close to Till:
“If you try to get rid of me here, then I’m going to kiss you in front of everyone and have the entire school know.”
Because what was that supposed to mean?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
+1: Confrontation
A week had gone by since Suji’s confrontation in the hallway, and things had seemingly gone back to normal. Almost, since now, people seem to refrain themselves from entering Ivan’s personal space. Ever since Suji’s stunt, anyone who had seen or heard of what happened are now wary about stepping on even a single toe of his, and that pretty much covers the entire student body. Which is why it causes quite a stir when Ivan gets confessed to in the middle of the cafeteria. It had been the first time in a while that someone had declared their crush on him, and a very public one at that. It’s not to say that Ivan had completely lost his original charm and allure, but people were now a little more subtle in expressing their admiration towards him. A new student had just transferred a couple of days ago, and she had generated a buzz throughout the school. She was bold and flirty, with shiny brown curls cascading down her back and full lips that had everyone hang onto her every word. She was hot, confident, and knew what she wanted. So when her eyes landed on Ivan for the first time, it was a done deal. She had burst through the doors of the cafeteria, determined steps as she chases after Ivan who was making his way towards Till’s table, as usual. When she gets close enough, she cleared her throat, and with a coy— “Ivan, was it?”— she had successfully commanded the attention of the entire room, and with a flirty— “You and I should go out sometime.”— the air around them stilled. Ivan blinks. His face doesn’t give anything away, but he briefly turns to look towards Till, who was watching with indifference. He chews on his lunch, as if this whole scene wasn’t even a big deal, and in any other time before the Suji Incident, it wouldn’t have been. Ivan purses his lips, trying to gather his thoughts. Eventually, a smile graces his lips as he addresses the new girl once again. The smile that everyone used to be familiar with, the one that had people tripping over their feet in the hallway. The smile that people were now questioning if it had ever been sincere.“Thank you,” he started, all sweet and polite. “I’m flattered, but I’m not interested in a relationship at the moment. Hope you understand.” Of course, what did anyone else expect? In the end, this is how all confessions with Ivan go, and deep down, some were even relieved. There had been enough out of character incidents in the past month to last their entire school lives. Despite her dazzling entrance and magnetic charms, it was comforting to know that not even the new girl was able to deviate from this predictable script. “Why not?” Ivan’s blinks, slower this time. The entire room had their eyes widened, a few even gasped. Somewhere in the background, Till snorts. It’s not completely unheard of for people to plead their case after getting rejected from Ivan; though it was extremely rare. For most, it was more important to make sure that Ivan continued to have a favorable impression on them, rather than fighting for any chance to date him and risking his displeasure. For the braver ones, they would ask politely and relent once Ivan gives them one of his many excuses. But no one has ever been as arrogant and brazen as the new girl, who had her hands on her hips and a smirk on her full, glossy lips. Even Ivan was clearly taken aback. He quickly composes himself, though, before tacking on one of his infamous saccharine smiles that turned everyone putty in his hands. Seeing this, the new girl grins wider, excitedly taking on the challenge. “Well, I’m sure you’re lovely but we don’t really know each other—”“That’s what dating is for.”“Well, my hands are quite full at the moment. I don’t know if I’ll have the time to properly commit—”“Don’t worry about that. I’m pretty low maintenance. I don’t mind accompanying you to things.”“I’m not into brunettes.”“Really?” No one can believe the scene they’re witnessing before their eyes. The new girl isn’t even fazed; posture still perfect and an amused look adorning her beautiful face. Meanwhile, Ivan’s smile turns strained ever so slightly as his hands loosely curled into fists. Someone even swore that he let out a huff. Ivan was losing. Ivan was known for many things, and losing was far down the list, if it even made it to the list at all. He had always been the epitome of perfection and composure, navigating through life with such ease and elegance that people spread theories whether it was even his first time living. Even if he doesn’t win every game, even if he doesn’t get every question right from tests, he accepts his losses with such grace that it was questionable to even call them a loss to him at all. Now, however, for the first time in his life, Ivan doesn’t know how to proceed. He was so used to people bending to his whims, regardless whether he voiced them out or not, that he’s not sure what to do with himself when faced against someone who’s willing to call out on that ridiculous influence. For the first time ever, Ivan has met his match. Secretly, some people wondered if this was exactly what Ivan needed, after reigning supreme all this while. He had been so confident, so sure of his power and influence over the student body that he had even begun openly bullying the school’s outcast, knowing nobody could realistically do anything about it. Maybe the new girl will balance him out. Knock him down a few pegs. She grins, cat-like. “Anything else you wanna throw at me? Unless you’re taken, I can do this all day, pretty boy.” Suddenly, a loud sigh cuts through the thick tension in the air. The scrape of metal against tile startles several people as Till abruptly gets up from his seat and storms over to where the pair are. Before either of them could get a word in, Till reaches over and stuffs his hand down Ivan’s shirt. What he pulls out is a thin silver chain, threaded through a silver band with a small obsidian stone embedded in it. The ring glints with every sharp sway under the harsh cafeteria lights. A silver ring that matched exactly with the one Till fished out of his own shirt as he clinks them together. He glares at the new girl, unimpressed. “He’s mine, so fuck off.” Silence. Ivan’s eyes widened. The new girl’s smile dropped. Suji choked on her salad. No one could even begin to understand what was going on. Why did Till step in? Why do they have matching rings? And just what the fuck did he mean by that? Did Ivan put him up to this? Ivan had always been very adamant in staying single, and maybe he got tired of having to personally turn down his countless admirers. Maybe all that bullying culminated into his final goal; coercing his victim to play the part of a jealous boyfriend. Or maybe the rings were a sign of ownership? Maybe deep down, Ivan had a kick out of toying with Till, like some deeply perverted fantasy. Maybe he enjoyed breaking Till apart until the latter formed some twisted, dependent attachment towards him. Any time now, Ivan is either going to smirk in satisfaction, or burst out laughing, unable to contain himself anymore. But he does neither. What they saw instead made everyone’s heart stop. It was more muted, less blinding. His eyes didn’t crinkle into thin crescents, but it only served to accentuate the millions of stars glimmering in the dark night sky of his irises. It wasn’t his signature dazzling smile, yet it was more seizing than all the other ones combined. And he directs that look towards one, singular person, like nothing else around them matters. His eyes roamed Till’s features, as if trying to decipher something. His gaze dart towards at Till’s eyes, his lips, his ears, his neck, his lips, his nose, his lips, his cheeks. Trying very hard to make it seem like he wasn’t aiming for one spot in particular. He eventually settles for Till’s aquamarine eyes. “I’m yours?” Ivan says, breathlessly. Till watches him quietly, his cheeks and neck reddening under the intense scrutiny. After a beat, Till huffs before releasing one of the chains to grab Ivan’s jaw, squeezing his cheeks between his thumb and forefinger. Before he could psyche himself out, he leans in for a short peck. At this point, so many shocking events had happened in the span of ten minutes that it was a wonder if anyone would come out of this with their heart still intact. Suji certainly didn’t, as her friends quickly catch her before she fell to the ground, frantically trying to wake her up. The new girl quietly observes the scene, clearly displeased but somewhat amused. When Till pulls away, he snorts when he’s greeted at the sight of Ivan with a dumb, dazed look on his face. Unable to resist himself, he squeezes Ivan’s cheeks once more and jiggle the latter’s face between his fingers. “Unfortunately,” Till says, fighting back a smile.
Epilogue
“I see the rings ended up being useful after all.” The two of them were cuddled up in Till’s bed, with Till scrolling mindlessly on his phone while Ivan enjoys feeling Till’s entire weight on his lap after manhandling him into the position. There was some pushback, but Till eventually gave up and pulled out his phone. After what happened in the cafeteria, which was now dubbed the IvanTill Incident, as dumb and embarrassing as that sounds, the couple had been the absolute center of attention for the rest of the day. Ivan had been bombarded with questions from his teammates and other acquaintances, while Till was the subject of everyone’s stares and not-so-subtle whispering. That girl, Suji, even tried to approach Till, pink in the face, mumbling something about being there and supporting him no matter what from now on. *
“What was it you said?” Ivan asked, giddily swinging their intertwined hands as they walked to his car. He’d been wanting to do this since forever. “You said my admirers were going to hunt you down and threaten you? You seemed pretty unscathed to me. I, on the other hand…”
Till grunts. “It’s only been the first day. Also I never put it that dramatically.”
Ivan hums. He nudges Till’s shoulder with his own. “Still though, what made you change your mind about us being a secret and all?” He grinned. “Were you jealous?”
Till tries to tug his hand free, but Ivan has an iron grip. “Yeah, right,” he mutters, ears red. “I just figured it wouldn’t even matter, not with you constantly sticking to me like a leech all the time.”
“Guilty as charged,” Ivan says, clearly proud of himself. He winks. “But I’m willing to be your valiant prince charming anytime you need, my love.”
“Just get in the car and take us home.”
* Needless to say, they were both exhausted by the time the final bell rang, and spending time in each other’s quiet embrace was the exact reprieve they needed. Till returned Ivan’s smug grin with a scowl. “Shut up. I still think it’s insane to get us promise rings a week into dating.” “Who said they were promise rings,” Ivan mumbled, pouting.“What was that?”“Nothing, my darling.” Ivan quickly says, squeezing Till and kissing his cheek. Till protests half-heartedly. Ivan continues. “Regardless, you still ended up wearing it. I guess you really love me,” he teases. Till stares at Ivan before snorting. He pinches Ivan’s nose affectionately. “Unfortunately.” Ivan’s eyes sparkle at the admission. Even after a month of dating, it’s still a marvel whenever Till expresses his reciprocation of Ivan’s feelings. Overwhelmed, Ivan soundlessly rubs his face against Till’s who grunts but otherwise lets it happen. They stay like that for a while, cheeks pressed together, the sound of their breathing the only thing cutting through the silent room. “I was going to be really sad when I thought you weren’t wearing it,” Ivan says quietly. Hearing that, Till scoffs. “So your woeful reaction was to slam me against the locker and grab my shirt in front of the entire school?” “I panicked!” Ivan cried. “Well you didn’t have to panic at my expense,” Till argued. Ivan whined. “But I let go immediately, didn’t I? I was even so careful not to leave any marks on your beautiful, supple skin.” Ivan clears his throat. “Unlike a certain someone.” Till makes a noise of protest and leans back. Ivan has such an annoying look on his face right now. “You started that!” Till says indignantly. “I told you to be careful, but look what happened.” Ivan waved his hand dismissively. “But that was an accident!” Ivan pouts. “I can’t believe you’d actually punch your own boyfriend like that.” Till averts his gaze, fiddling with his fingers. He still feels a little guilty about that. Ivan thinks it’s cute. “I said I was sorry,” he grumbles. Ivan smiles; how can he not tease Till when he makes it so easy? “You really have to learn how to rein in you violent tendencies, Till,” he chastises, letting out a dramatic sigh. “Otherwise, people are going to think I’m getting bullied.” Till snorts. “I literally don’t give a shit.”