Just Friends! We Promise! (Erwin x Clock)

[Clock]

Valentine looked at Sei openly, as if confused by what he saw. However, as soon as Sei looked away, Valentine did, too. He opened the door, holding it open for the other without a further word. It was a pretty room, unusually so for his gender and age. As soon as they were in and the door was locked, Valentine threw off his tuxedo jacket and loosened his tie. It was unfair to ask a middle schooler to wear such demure clothing for long periods of time.


Eventually, after opening the windows, Valentine faced Sei with a frown, "Will you drop the act already? You fake prick." Well, Valentine did get straight to the point. Sei's kind attitude cut holes and scars into him. He and Rei were - frankly - b****es to him. Was Sei going to pretend everything was fine then?

 

[Mituna Captor]

Sei's eyes widened.


"Fake prick?!" He hissed, his fists curling into balls.


"I'm pretending that everything is fine because I don't want to argue! I plaster smiles all over my face all the time? I'm USED to faking it! I'm so used to faking that I'm happy that's it's become the norm for me! Did I look happy to you at dinner?!" He hissed, shoving Valentine backwards with an unexpected force, his eyes watering, but he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't.


"We both know who the f*cking prick is here." He spat, narrowing his eyes and biting back tears.


"I thought you would change, but no. You're still the same old Valentine! The one that doesn't care about the one person who was always there for him! Who always f*cking wanted him, no matter what he said or did! He's too busy concentrating on what other people think to realise who his real friends are!"

 

[Clock]

Harsh, Sei's words were harsh. But his action were even worse. Valentine stumbled back, making forceful contact with the wall behind him. Ouch. He tried to concentrate on Sei, but his words kept making Valentine retreat. Sei had never hit him before... Ever, much less yell at him. And it hurt. His head. His heart. His back. His arm. He wanted to withdraw into a secluded corner. Instead, he broke into laughter. He was good at that; good at turning anger into his own ripostes.


"You're going to disturb our guests." Valentine staggered forward till he reached Sei. His laughter faded out, his face serious. "Ah, I don't want to fight with you anyways. You're a f***ing joke, Sei." With as much grace he could conjure up, he retrieved the handkerchief his mother had forcibly placed in his pocket. "Here. I don't want you tearing up all over the rug." Cold? Ah yes. Ice prince, after all.

 

[Mituna Captor]

Sei's stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket, shaking his head slightly.


"I don't cry. Not anymore." He whispered, desperately trying not to make his tears fall.


"I know that I'm a joke." He said simply, slamming his hand carelessly into a glass on Valentine's beside cabinet, pulling glass from his hand and throwing the remains out of window.


"I get reminded of that, every single day of my life. You think I don't see you and Rei walk past me in the halls at school? Looking at me, sometimes even staring and then just sniggering to yourselves, of course it's not just you. There's graffiti about me all over the toilets, everywhere I go, people are talking about me, even my father calls me a joke, so Thankyou. Thankyou. I


Hope I'm a f*cking funny joke, i hope I'm entertaining enough for you and


Whoever else you've told your shitty rumors to!"


"You think I like it? You think I like seeing you almost everyday and wishing I hadn't said those things?


You think I'm comfortable with hating myself for messing things up?" He was going to cry. His resolves were about to break. He couldn't stand keeping back the tears anymore, he let them spill, not caring anymore.


"You think I like having nobody?"

 

[Clock]

"God damn it Sei." Valentine's expression hardened even more until it was just an icy mask. How could one boy have so many rampaging emotions? What had happened, had been years ago... Valentine had decided then they hadn't been right for each other. Not as friends, anyways. And he would readily blame it on Sei. And Rei would, too. It was one of the reasons they got along so well.


"You think you have nobody, but you might just have everybody." Valentine's gaze lingered on Sei's hand (ouch!), feeling too flushed and embarrassed to meet the other's gaze. "They all... Look at you differently. Like they want you. Not me. You. And you're right, I care what people think. I really want them to like me." So, yes, it's my fault, it's all my fault. I left the only person who cared for a million that didn't. Weakness, admitting that would be weakness. "And yes, you were a f***ing funny joke."

 

[Mituna Captor]

Sei listened to what he had to say, shaking his head. He disagreed.


He didn't want apologies, he just wanted a friend. He wanted Valentine. He wanted to be included, He wanted Valentine... His fisted his tears away roughly, running his tongue over the deep wound in his hand and flinching.


"Shit..." He whispered.


Without really thinking, or knowing what he was doing, he stepped forwards until Valentine was squashed in a corner of the room, staring into his eyes... His eyes were beautiful, and Sei loved them so... So much.


He raised his good hand, stroking the other boy's cheek softly, entangling his fingers in his hair before opening his mouth to speak.


"I love you..." He said, his voice barely a whisper. He looked as if he was going to kiss Valentine, and he considered it... He had nothing more to lose really. And so he pressed his lips gently against the other's, before pulling away quickly and running to the nearest bathroom to run his hand under a cold tap, his whole body shaking as he sprinted from the room.

 

[Clock]

Valentine felt his heart stop a little. He couldn't arrange his feelings properly. Was he relieved? Disgusted? Happy? Angry? He watched Sei leave, his finger abruptly touching his lips gently. They tingled, and he realized he felt... Guilty. It had secretly been his New Years Resolution every year, as silly as it may be, to not kiss Sei. And it had lasted for four eyes.


Slowly, he trailed after the other into the bathroom. He collected antiseptic swipes, bandages, medical tape and scissors. "Come sit here." Valentine spread the apparatus in front of him, sitting on the edge of the bath tub. He couldn't look at Sei, he never really could. Especially not after what he and Rei had done. 'Queer.' So instead, his concentration was spent on organizing the materials. He still didn't understand why Sei even cared about him. As he'd said, Valentine was a f***ing prick. Too bad he enjoyed that title. Why do you love me? Valentine made a mental note to ask sometime.

 

[Mituna Captor]

(I'll reply to this when I wake up, but for now I gotta sleep, gotta be up in like five hours, night!~)

 

[Clock]

(you only sleep for 5 hours, oML okay night)

 

[Mituna Captor]

( xD )


Sei watched the blonde, He wanted to interlock their fingers, so badly when Valentine took his hand. He looked down to the boy, their eyes catching slightly.


The dark haired boy looked away, grunting slightly as Val began to clean out the deep wound of glass. He looked up, yet again holding back tears. He wanted the boy to stop and tell him that it hurt like f*ck. But that wasn't very manly now, was it? So he sat and bore it, staring at the wall just above Valentines busy eyes.


(I'm thinking that Sei gets hospitalised later on, because he's basically starving himself... He could faint or something at school and hit his head? And Val could be the one that saw first and rushed to the scene) 
(I'll start the arc! c


Sei had thanked the other boy shyly and left without another word, falling into his own bed after the short walk to his house and falling asleep. Wishing, for the first time in nearly five years that Valentine was here to cuddle him again.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Exactly a week later, he was in worse shape than ever, He hadn't eaten a bite since the night of the party, He'd gotten by on water and the occasional cigarette.


He just didn't get hungry anymore. He didn't view himself as anorexic or anything like that. He just didn't have an appetite, and so he didn't eat. His mother had been ill lately, so it was up to him to cook his own food. His father simply blanked him and refused. Quite frankly, Sei just couldn't be bothered. He wasn't doing this to be skinny, or be attention seeking. He simply didn't eat.


As he was bustling through the corridors, on his way to his maths lesson. He was feeling a little ill. Nothing that he didn't feel any other day really, But a strange feeling suddenly took a hold of his body and a faint whimper escaped his mouth as he lost control of his legs and slipped, smacking his head against the wall.


People just walked past the unconscious boy on the ground, some even stood ON him.

 

[Clock]

It had the making of an average day; normal fights, normal taunts, boring lessons, lenient teachers. Valentine pushed Rei out of his way as they walked through the corridors. Rei pushed back so Valentine pushed back. Harder. They were both a stumbling, laughing mess when Valentine caught sight of the familiar dark hair.


"Holy shit." Rei gasped, "Isn't that Sa...e?" He often had a hard time remembering names.


Valentine nodded numbly, "I-I'll catch up later, okay?"


~


Later, Valentine paced outside Sei's ward room. He hadn't been allowed in despite having been the person to alert the teachers and get the boy to safety. It irritated him to not be in there, but the cause of Sei's fainting irked him even more. He hadn't eaten at all for the past week the doctor had said. Crazy, Sei's crazy.


Finally, a pretty doctor emerged from the ward, followed by Sei's parents. "He'll take visitors now. But please be gentle." Ah, yes, gentle was Valentine's default disposition.


"I can't believe you'd do that. Are you f***ing retarded?" He hissed under his breath, barely making it onto the room and locking it. He was angry, which angered him even more. He didn't care if Sei starved himself or ended up in the hospital. Valentine. Didn't. Care.


...But that's a lie, isn't it?

 

[Mituna Captor]

Sei's eyes fluttered open again at Valentine's words, the taller boy moaned slightly as the lightly glided into them, the pain in his head only just bearable really. His gaze fell to the blonde, attractive even though he was flustered and sweaty.


But Sei had to come to terms with the fact that the other, younger, shorter... Perfect boy would never be his. He couldn't have him, and unfortunately, that was that.


The words rang slightly in his head. His brain had already formed a rude and cocky reply, but for some reason. It wouldn't leave his lips. He just couldn't bring himself to pretend anymore, he couldn't pretend that he didn't care.


Because he did, so he settled for something a little less nasty than what he had previously planned.


"Hello to you too." He said weakly and dryly, his voice catching and faltering slightly.


"Thankyou for..." He didn't know the word to describe it... "Saving me." He finished off, stuck for a more adequate word.


"It was kind... And I'm indebted to you for what you did." He coughed slightly, sitting up to face Valentine.


"So... If there's anything I can do for you. You know where I am, okay?"


He knew that there was about to be a hundred and one questions barked and spat in his face from the younger, about why he wasn't eating like he should be. Sei simply wasn't ready to answer, because he didn't have a reason.


"I need a cigarette." He groaned, letting his head fall back slightly.

 

[Clock]

"...You smoke?" If Valentine had felt flustered at Sei's situation before, he could barely contain the rampaging emotions now. He was about to prod the other on, ask him when he started smoking and why he hadn't told Valentine. But, the answers to that were self-explanatory. Valentine forced himself to remain calm though, willing a facade to appear. The cold iron mask that protected him, the shield that had to be erect. Inhaling, he finally looked up at Sei and then back down again.


Holy shit, he looks horrible. Why didn't I notice?


Because you didn't want to put up with him, remember?





"You can't smoke. You have to eat, Sei. You have to. I don't give a fuck why you stopped, but you'll start eating now, won't you?" Valentine almost grimaced at the begging tone his voice had took on. He could almost imagine Rei's response to such an exchange. He would laugh for a while, tease Valentine endlessly, but eventually the humour would diminish. That was the cycle anyways. Already, the school would be split with girls fawning over Sei's sudden collapse and the hospital room would soon be filled with flowers and of course, the others who'd sneer and put-down Sei after finding out the cause. An anorexic boy, definitely a queer. How did Valentine know? Because he usually helped make such insults. Valentine bit his lip, moving to open the curtains as an excuse to clear his mind. Why did he think so much about what others thought?

 

[Mituna Captor]

Sei rolled his eyes in response to the boy's question, watching him closely as he walked up to the window to open the curtain.


When Valentine came back, Sei had a question of his own that needed an answer. His dark eyes were fixed on Vallie's, intent on staring him out.


"Why did you even save me?" He said, his voice quiet, but strong.


He did genuinely want to know. He wanted to know what was running through the blonde's head as he picked Sei up and delivered him to a teacher.


"Why did you come see me, I didn't think you cared... What happened to my being a joke and all that? You don't want to get caught with a queer, run! It might spread to you!" He said, laughing sourly as his head fell back against the plump cushions.


"I only eat when I'm hungry." He said, his eyes narrowed at Valentine, still waiting on an answer to his prodding questions. All Sei could ever ask was why.

 

[Clock]

Valentine eventually did meet meet Sei's gaze, "Why does it matter? Humans do things like this for each other all the time." Simple answer. He'd rather not get into the sentimental of it all. It was quite embarrassing. Out on the horizon, the clouds were gathering; dark and threatening. It was a signal of pouring rain, the relentless kind. He was about to chide Sei even more when there were knocks on the door. Valentine broke their contact, walking slowly - almost grudgingly - to open the door.


The storm outside hadn't started yet, but the one inside had already brewed. Doctors and nurses bustled around, fixing bedsheets, hooking IV drips, placing medicine, making observations and the like. The second wave was of visitors, students and the parents of the rich and the like. Valentine stood around for a time, watching his own family come in. Soon, the room was filled with flowers, gif baskets, and other forms of presents. If an esteemed cild got so much as a scratch, that was the process. So tiring.


"I'm going to go now. I'll see you tomorrow." Maybe.

 

[Mituna Captor]

By the end of the two visiting hours, Sei was layed back in his bed, simply grunting in reply to what everybody said. He hated every ounce of this inappropriate attention, it annoyed him.


As Valentine said that he was going to go, Sei coughed slightly and looked up.


"If I give you some money, can you get me some cigarettes?" He asked, sitting up in bed and opening his book that he was meant to be reading for English, unwinding his headphones from his phone and loosely putting one in his ear.


"Please?"

 

[Clock]

"Sure." Valentine surprised himself by agreeing to such an immature request. It would be illegal for a store to sell a minor cigarettes. But, Rei's older brother often sold forms of tobacco, drugs and alcohol to minors. It would be easy then, for Valentine to purchase illegal items. He often did for others, but the boy himself didn't smoke, drink or do drugs. He was only 14, after all. Yet Valentine had seen the affects of such substances on other kids; he hung out with them all the time. He moved to stand beside Sei's bed, leaning in slightly.


"Don't pay me, think of it as a... Get well Present." Back to his crude humour, "I'll bring it tonight, okay? At 11 pm, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. And we'll go outside." He gave an airy laugh before straightening up and leaving, slamming the door behind him as he did do. Sei really annoyed Valentine. Really did.

 

[Mituna Captor]

The taller boy nodded softly.


"Yeah yeah, thanks." He said softly, it was only around four PM now, so Sei had a little time to sleep, just forget about the things that had happened today.


~


He woke up to light tapping at his door and smiled, Valentine. He got up and padded across the floor, the shitty hospital gown hanging just above his shins. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it slowly, now face to face with Vallie.


"Hey..." He said gently, his hands hanging by his hips.


"I have a lighter..." He whispered, stepping out of the door.

 

[Clock]

"I am not going with you anywhere looking like that. And by that I mean a cheap whore." For someone like Valentine who was obsessed with appearance, a hospital gown was a sin punishable by hell. Much serious. So true. "I brought some clothing for you." Valentine had been contemplating wether to bring his own. Considering he was hella shorter and younger, he decided against it. Save Sei the embarrassment. Instead, he'd opted for Yves' clothing. There wan't much choice; Valentine had to make do with what Yves left around when the happy family came for a visit.


The younger boy handed Sei jeans and a t-shirt. Or more accurately, threw it into his hands. The cigarettes were burning a hole in his jean pocket. It had been tougher to get them than expected. And now Rei thought he was a smoker. A stoner, too.

 

[Mituna Captor]

"You're so kind." He said with a mocking smile as he caught the clothes, He changed into them right Infront of Valentine, there wasn't much for the blonde to see that he hadn't already seen when they were children. Apart from the fact that Sei's body looked to be deteriorating pretty damn quickly. There was a sickly grey tone to his skin and bones protruded almost everywhere.


He zipped up the jeans quickly and turned back to face Valentine, his eyes that were once a deep, sparkling brown had lost every inch of what they used to be, they were just dim.


"Ready to go?" He asked quietly, slipping a jittery hand into his pocket, biting down on his lip slightly.

 

[Clock]

"Yes. But don't look at me like, like, that." Valentine complained childishly. Even a casual glance from Sei unsettled Valentine. He almost felt responsible for those somber eyes. They hadn't always been that way, had they? The Sei that had made Valentine daisy chains definitely had sparkling, dark eyes. And a strong body that would keep up with him as the two ran across meadows. Now, it appeared as if a slight touch would make the older boy collapse. So, Valentine kept his distance as they snuck out of the hospital. He led them off to a park adjacent to the hospital. It was midnight now, lit only by the shining stars and streetlights. A cool summer wind blew, carrying the scent of rainfall. Petals scattered.


Valentine kept walking until a towering lilac tree came into view. It was laden with pale purple flowers. The boy leaned against it, slowly taking out the cigarettes and passing them over. He still didn't look at Sei but could make out his bony figure. Halfheartedly, he reassured himself it wasn't his fault. Sei had a lot going on - his life was hell with all the teasing. That's why he's like this. But Valentine still didn't want Sei to look at him.

 

[Mituna Captor]

Sei's eyes cast down to the floor when Valentine told him not to look at him like 'that' he wondered what 'that' was, maybe just a look that he'd given the younger boy without even realising.


He looked up again, trailing behind the younger boy as he did on the walk to school that day, when they were five years younger.


He took the small box in his shaky hands and slid a cigarette out, before slipping the box into his pocket and lighting yet another thing that led to his deteriorating health, he sighed and took a small, dainty drag before blowing smoke rings into the air, smiling as he leaned his head back against the tree.


"Do you want to try?" He asked, still looking up at the powder purple blossoms that covered the tree.

 

[Clock]

"Of course not." Valentine paused, scooting further from the other boy. Smoke upset his system, he hated the persistent scent he'd come to know so well. Unfortunately, the lilac tree didn't have much trunk space, so Valentine could only move so far. He watched the smoke rings blow in the wind, before disappearing into the air. The younger boy had never smoked, and have thought he'd never want to. Already, Valentine could imagine the amount of trouble he'd get into. Sei's parents would hate him. His own parents would be embarrassed. The hospital wouldn't let him visit again.


"Fuck. Okay, fine." He nervously sprung off the trunk. He almost added he didn't know how to smoke, but that would be slightly embarrassing.

 

[Mituna Captor]

Sei smirked at the boy's indecisiveness. Shifting a little closer to him and taking the cigarette from between his lips.


"You're okay with this one right? Yeah? Good." He didn't even wait for a reply, even though Valentine had brought the cigarettes for him, he wasn't about to waste one on him.


He slid the small tube into Valentines slightly parted lips and smirked again.


"Just breathe in for a second, take it away and breathe out, simple shit, Valentine." He said gently, his words trailing off into the night as he shifted his hand closer to Valentines, his fingers shaking slightly.


He looked up at Vallie, who seemed to be hesitating slightly...


"Dude, just do it." He whispered, his hand just inches away from the Blonde's, as soon as Valentine was distracted, Sei was going to link their fingers.


He would never stop trying with Valentine, never. Because he loved him and he wanted him.


(I've got a pretty awesome idea. What if Yves and Katrina were a little younger (just for the purpose of this arc) and Yves confessed to Katrina that he was gay or something? And Katrina kicked him out in a sudden impulse of upset and anger that he hadn't told her earlier? He can't go to the rest of Valentines family for help as they would shun him for hurting Katrina, so he seeks help from Sei, as he'd heard that he was open minded about such matters and Sei manages to console him but something more happens between them, like they end up sleeping together or something and that's why Sei fleas to England to start a new life, it's just an idea I had suddenly but it's cool if it's not to your liking or anything c

 

[Clock]

(that's just messed up, but i like it. lmAO. Yves is like 12 years older than Val (so, 26) & at this point has a 3 year old son. what a bad dad. ;A;'' we could make him 24, with a 1 year old kid since Sei is only like 15 and i'd feel like a pedo granny. ;x;' do you want to actually rp that? i'd be cool with that. or we could create RP a year later? or 2 and then we could RP a year before the butler cafe comes into place. but maybe we should rp a little between Yves and Sei to see where they're going with this (illegal) relationship...).


Valentine froze as the cigarette was placed between his lips. Hesitation was inevitable but eventually he did inhale. Only a little though, Valentine was frankly, too scared for his health to do much more than that. He removed the cigarette quickly, blowing out the meagre amount of smoke that had gathered up. Valentine coughed a bit, finally coming to his senses, but dropping the cigarette in doing so. He then noticed how close Sei was; just a few inches away. He could hear his own heart beat a little faster. Oh shit. Valentine took in the other's trembling hands so close to his own. He smiled ruefully, taking the other's hands within his own and gently and fixing them around his waist. Almost gradually, Valentine wrapped his own arm's around the other's neck, leaning forward. He laughed breathlessly, "I actually did it." And now they both smelled like smoke, and Valentine just shook with laughter as the lilac petals blew around. They probably looked like a funny gay couple making out against a tree to everyone else. That's what they almost were.