The Imposter

"I'm not judging him based on his appearance, even though I think it's disgusting he got into this school looking like a street thug. I'm judging him because all werewolves are violent, temperamental mutts. I don't think it's unreasonable to judge him, Rene. I don't get on with werewolves," declared Brennan, side-eyeing his boyfriend in disgust when noticing just how eager Sylvan was. It didn't surprise him, really. Even though he knew Sylvan loved him, he also had to hear him gush about how cute other boys in the school were. It was all perfectly innocent, and it was basically in Sylvan's nature to notice men (given his family's propensity to attract and eat them whole) but he drew the line at hearing him potentially gush about the tattoo-riddled werewolf. That wasn't cool.

"I'm not doe-eyed, I haven't even seen him, but maybe I'd like to. I'm not opposed to having two boyfriends. My family don't do the dating thing, yet I'm happy to dedicate myself to more than one person. I'd probably horrify my mother if I turned up back home with Brennan and a cute werewolf on my arms," he cooed, plucking his boyfriend's nose to assure him he was playing around, even if, deep down, he was also pretty okay to date someone else if they were that good looking. Even without seeing the new guy, he was sure that he would fall for him instantly.

"Let's face it, he might fall in love with me. I'm rather adorable," the drider continued, fluttering his fake eyelashes for emphasis. "I just think we should talk to new people, Rene. I'm a sociable person~!"
 
"Oh, quit it. You can talk to him all you want, I don't care, but you aren't just inviting him to the cable suddenly, that's not how it works. Besides, what if he's super boring? He could be some dorky kid who just so happens to get a little furry during the full moon? Like, I don't actually hate werewolves, they kind of remind me of me - but I'm better," he teased with a sly smile on his lips.

"We'll introduce ourselves first," declared Rene. "Percival and I will find him and we'll talk to him. I am, after all, a part of the welcome committee, I'm just not very good at my job," he admitted with a laugh. "Now, What is his name? Do you even know or is he just a rumor?"
 
"I saw him, it's not a rumour. I don't know the freak's name. I'm not part of this welcoming committee, Rene. I couldn't give a shit about the new kids. Percy's alright, but I wouldn't know him if he hadn't gotten so popular, and that was before he even started to date you--"

"Hang on, why do you get to see him first?" Sylvan blurted, his lips pouted in genuine annoyance. The last thing he wanted was Rene to charm the new guy and then have no chance to charm him himself. He knew better than anyone that most people like Rene more than him. Hell, he was confident Brennan did, though he preferred not to bring it up. If he pretended like everything was fine, then he could still have a boyfriend and a best friend. Confronting his doubts might ruin that. "...I want to welcome him too, I think I'm more friendly than you are. You can be intimidating, Rene."
 
"Me? Intimidating?" Rene snorted in disbelief as he folded his legs carefully. "Sure, I'm no fairy but I'm not scary. I'm not going to just drop to my knees the moment I see him, Sylvan, relax. I'm just going to say hello, maybe show him around campus. If you want to come so badly then go ahead," he said with a dramatic sigh.

"So... what does he look like, then? Some rugged guy with tattoos? Like you said, I highly doubt that's the case if he's attending this school. Only elite members of society can come here and tattoos aren't very elite, unless they're for some cultural reason," he reminded simply.
 
  • Like
Reactions: potassiumboron
"Or he's so rich that your parents couldn't exactly say no, regardless what he looks like? I... I went to a prestigious human school before I came here and some of the people there were... different, but they had the money to pay for the fees and their parents had a good reputation, so they were allowed in. Money makes a difference." Percival quietly pointed out as he reluctantly shifted to his feet. He didn't want to greet anyone new, especially someone he assumed would be pretty intimidating. He was just about coping being around Sylvan, and while the werewolf would at least appear human most of the time, it didn't stop Percy silently freaking out about it.

"You sound so judgemental. It's how he chooses to express himself, it doesn't mean he's not from a good background," the drider tutted, pecking Brennan's cheek when noticing the vampire's reluctance to join in, before hurrying to catch up with Rene. "He's clearly elite if he's been accepted, Rene. How about we not judge him? Poor thing must be overwhelmed, he needs us to be polite, not judgemental, hm?"
 
"Wait, you went to a human school?" He questioned quickly, his eyes widening in both horror and curiosity. "Oh, my - how did you manage that? I'd be downright terrified the whole time. I mean, you're far more subtle than say, Sylvan and I but still. I mean, I'd be afraid if I was just a vampire, too. You have to tell me more about it," he insisted as he trailed down the halls.

"They didn't find out, of course, right?" He confirmed quietly, his cheeks purple in concern. "My mama told me about how humans treat us, especially more 'unique' creatures. She told me how a lot of our kind has been slaughtered because they were afraid. That's... so upsetting."
 
"I thought you knew that? Yeah, I've been around humans my whole life, it's... not that difficult to get away with. I only need a note to excuse me from swimming lessons, and I'm basically like everyone else. It's why being here was so overstimulating at the beginning," he explained, hoping that excuse would be enough to justify his nervousness. He already realised he hadn't done a good job hiding it, so hopefully he could now justify it a little.

"You're lucky," began Sylvan absently as he fiddled with his gelled hair, his lips pouting a little. "You can go out and be normal. Rene and I don't have that luxury-- which isn't your fault, of course. You're just lucky-- look, no need to be scared of a werewolf, Percy. They're strong and tough, sure, but they look human most the month. Nothing to be scared of-- is that him? He's cuter than I thought~"

Following the drider's gaze into the reception of the school, where the new students collected their timetables and various other necessary items, Percival almost instantly paled at the sight of the new student. It wasn't his appearance that really startled him, however unpolished it was in comparison to the majority of the 'elitist' students at the school. Nor was it the fact he was a werewolf that really unnerved him. It was the fact that Percy recognised him that caught him by surprise. Opposite him was someone he had gone through school with, from the age of 6 until just a few months ago when Percy left to embark on his father's twisted little plan. He wasn't great friends with him, perhaps talking briefly if they were put together on a group project, but, being from completely different social circles, he never interacted with him much at their prestigious human boarding school. Never would he assume that the boy would, months later, have developed this tough style... or set foot in a school dedicated to the education of monsters. Hell, he hadn't had a clue that they even existed before his arrival, so he never expected that the other, someone he had known for years, was a monster himself.

"Hi, I'm Sylvan, I'm... sort of on the welcome committee. I mean, I'm joining up today. Rene here is the actual welcoming committee, and his parents are in charge of this place, so he can show you everything-- I can do that too, obviously. And that's just Percy, his boyfriend. He doesn't say much," babbled Sylvan excitedly, casting the new boy an eager glance. "What's your name?"
 
"Oh, a welcoming committee? That's so sweet, my name is Marcus-" the boy began casually, only freezing upon taking in the small group and noticing the familiar face of Percival. Slowly slipping his things into his pocket, he didn't dare avoid the human's gaze. Of course, Rene caught on to the awkward air pretty quickly.

"Marcus? Is Mark alright?" He quickly offered with a smile, his tail swaying casually behind him. "Well, Ah... welcome to the academy, Marcus. It's interesting to see more creatures come from the United Kingdom all at once, but... ah... yes. My name is Rene, I'm a pet of the official welcoming committee. You seem to... already know Percival, yes?"
upload_2018-7-11_20-56-13.jpg
 
"We were, uh... we were at school together, since we were little kids, really. We weren't friends, but we... got on, I guess? I didn't know he was... a werewolf, though. That's... insane," began Percy weakly, still shaken by the fact there was someone here who actually knew him; who had been in the same swimming lessons Percy had been in throughout his school years. Hell, he had been on the school's water polo team with him when they were around 14, so pretending he was still a merman to Marcus was hardly possible. "It's, um... good to see you here, though? I mean, this place is... good, so..."

"You two know one another. How cute." Sylvan said sweetly, clasping his hands together whilst doing his best to hide his annoyance. "Percy hasn't been here long either, and he's slotted right into our little friendship group. You can come and sit by us at lunch, obviously. You're cute enough to be seen with us."
 
"Yeah..." Marcus began slowly, a brow raising at the predicament. He hadn't heard what Percival's excuse was of being at the academy yet, so for all he knew there was indeed a chance the other was some creature and he never knew. Offering a feigned smile to the other two, he still kept his attention on his classmate. I don't want to sound rude but I think I'd prefer to hang out with Percy for awhile, it's been a minute, yeah?"

"Yes, well, uh... sure..." Rene replied warily before offering a peck on Percy's cheek. "I guess I'll get ready for class - don't just slack off, okay?" He warned cautiously before grabbing Sylvan's hand in his. "Let's, uh... I guess leave them alone. I think this would be good for the both of them."
 
The first emotion he had at seeing Marcus had been genuine fear. Not fear of him, but fear that everything he had built up at the school, albeit through lies, could be torn apart with him spilling out the truth. The moment they were left alone, Percy physically looked uncomfortable, despite trying to look as casual as he could. He wasn't prepared to be put in a corner and interrogated by someone he had always thought was a bit weird. He had been an outsider at school, but he had voluntarily put himself in that position. He wasn't sure Marcus voluntarily ostracised himself, and he, like many people, had chosen to leave the boy to himself.

"...Why are you here?" He asked after a moment of awkward silence, glancing over at the boy. He was much taller than he remembered him being, but, given everything he had learned about him, his height was hardly an issue. "You're a fucking werewolf, huh? And you thought it was okay to be at our school, around... humans? I'm glad you're here now, but you should have come here years ago, Mark. I... whatever, you're here now, that's good."
 
"Better question is why are you here?" He questioned as he folded his arms and adjusted his weight. While the other felt fear, Marcus was more filled with anger- he wanted to start a new life with new people and to see Percival there with no real reason was a bit annoying.

"IF I recall, I'm pretty certain you aren't a monster, yeah?" He murmured with an expected raised brow. "Am I wrong to assume? If not, then what are you exactly? I mean, I want to be accommodating, hm~?"
 
  • Like
Reactions: potassiumboron
"You don't need to have a fucking attitude with me. It's exactly that attitude that left you friendless back in our old school. People here are way more judgemental, they've already shown a dislike to you, Mark. I don't think you're that bad, really, but don't interrogate me. I don't need to tell you anything. Clearly I'm here for a reason, but why would I disclose that to you of all people?" He questioned in return, his awkward smile vanishing the moment he felt he was being intimidated. It was difficult not to feel that way when he was stood opposite Mark, but he refused to allow himself to feel that way. He wasn't a pushover, and he wasn't going to start feeling that way by Mark of all people.

"I don't need to tell you anything, so you can either accept that and I can let you get to know the people I've been hanging out with, or you can be an ass and end up alone again."
 
"I like being alone," he countered, cracking his neck as an unsubtle sign of his anger. "Fuck off, will you. I know you're up to something Percival, you don't belong here and you'll never belong here," he warned as he pressed closer, being far taller than the human.

"I'm not here to start shit but I'm not going to sit idly while you act like a jerk, yeah? I'll meet these friends of yours, get to know them, and maybe I'll tell them more about me, hm? You aren't in charge of me, understood?"
 
  • Like
Reactions: potassiumboron
"You're going to tell them more about you? You want them to like you, don't you? Maybe withholding information about yourself is the best way forward, unless you want them to dislike you when you babble on about how much of a loner you were in school. But you do what you want. You've already got a bad reputation based solely on how you look. Your personality is dreadful, so it won't take that long for them to figure out it's best to leave you alone, which is how you apparently like things," he quipped back, glaring up at the other without seeming too intimidated. He had dealt with Sylvan for a week or two now, and, with his inherent dislike of spiders and the drider's inevitable height, it was fair to say he had terrified him for most of that time. He was relatively comfortable around him now, so Marcus' intimidation didn't unnerve him... too much, anyway.

"Have you both finished talking yet? I want to show Mark to class. We have History together, you can sit at the back with me. Rene sits at the front because he's a teacher's pet and he likes to bask off the attention all the teachers throw on him," said drider huffed, appearing in his impatience to wait another second for the conversation to end. "Percy will sit by Rene, obviously. They're lovebirds right now, it's sickeningly cute. So that means I'm the lucky one that gets to sit by you, hm~?"
 
"Lovebirds, huh?" The werewolf replied, a brow slowly raising once really taking in Rene who, for once, had grown quiet. With his many cat-like talents, phenomenal hearing was one of them... which meant he naturally listened to everything both boys had to say. It wasn't until he heard his name that he seemed to focus once again, a small blush growing on his cheeks.

"Ah, yes, Percival and I are a couple," Rene explained, his accent thick as he dared to link arms with the human. "I'm blown away by the coincidence, yeah? Who would have thought two people from the same school in the same city, in the same country would end up here~!"

"Yeah, it's pretty coincidental," Mark replied, his attitude seemingly switching in an instant as he smiled at Rene and Sylvan. While they both were startling, Marcus was clearly better at keeping his emotions hidden. "I'm glad, we're both thrown into this situation."
 
  • Bucket of Rainbows
Reactions: potassiumboron
"...It's definitely weird," agreed Percival slowly. He found it far more difficult to put on an act and pretend that he hadn't just lost his cool with someone who was clearly trying to intimidate him, but he knew that he had to do his best to act like things were fine and dandy. Getting into an argument would only risk exposing Marcus' doubts about him, and he wanted to avoid that if possible, which meant pretending to get on with the boy. "But it's... good. It's nice to have someone here that I know and... I'm glad he's here, this school is beneficial for people like us, so--"

"You don't need to keep praising the school, Percy. Rene already likes you, you don't need to keep blabbing on to win him over." Sylvan muttered, doing very little to hide when he was annoyed. He had clearly been making an effort to get on with Percy, despite his reservations about him. That said, he wasn't the sort of person to pretend when he felt a certain way about someone. If he was annoyed, he was going to voice that. Likewise, when he wanted to get to know someone, he was going to go full out to do that, hence his focus on Marcus. "It is a good school, though. Better than human schools, I imagine-- not that I've been. I won't exactly fit in there; it won't be very subtle if I turned up."
 
"I'll admit, this is better than my old school," Marcus replied with a shrug. "I went to a private school before so it isn't much different in that sense but that was back in the U.K. This place is so diverse and accepting and...?big. I know you don't have anything to compare to but I can assure you this place is great."

"Oh, thank you!" Rene replied, his cheeks purple at what he took as praise. "I promise I'll tell my father about it, he'll love to hear you say that. He can have a bit of an ego sometimes, but he'll already like you a lot if he finds out you've been saying such good things."
 
He had only really been talking with Rene for a week at the most, and been dating him for less than that, but it was extremely difficult for Percival to pretend that he was perfectly fine with his boyfriend and Marcus getting along. He wanted Rene to dislike the other, however selfish that was. He wanted the werewolf to be ostracised and ignored like he was back at their old school, simply to preserve his secret for as long as he could. Having them get along was problematic in a variety of ways, and he wasn't prepared to have everything be ruined by Marcus of all people.

"We need to get to class," he began quickly, turning his back slightly on the others to try and keep Rene's focus on him and him alone. "I don't want you to be late, Rene, so let's hurry and go on ahead--"

"We're all in the same class, there's no need to rush off. I'm not slow; the orcs are slow. I'm surprisingly quick. I'd be amazing at sports if I really had the energy to devote my time to it," grinned Sylvan, his own mood now perking up. He didn't like bickering with Rene, so having that friendship back on track and getting to now someone as cute as Marcus was a great start to the day. "...They probably want to sneak off to make out or something, they're so in love apparently~"
 
"Oh, s-shut up!" Squeaked Rene, his already purple face only growing deeper in color as he absently took Percival's hand in his, holding it tight as he bashfully looked away. Of course, what Sylvan was saying was true and all but, despite his seemingly snarky attitude, Rene did genuinely care about his education. While his family lived hundreds of years, and he had no clue what his typical life span was, there was very little chance that he'd inherit his family's positions. That being said, he was often presented to other higher ups and, while he knew his parents were loving and protective, he always would act respectful and prove himself through his amazing grades.

"Ah, we are, are we?" Marcus murmured as he watched Percival's pretty unsubtle attempts to keep Rene focused on anything else. "Lovely. Well, your boyfriend here seems pretty smart. If I remember correctly, Percy was a completely average student, nothing crazy. Maybe you could tutor him... and I'd love a tutor, too," he slowly spoke as he eyed Rene, teasingly licking his lips. If he could find a way to mess with the human, he'd be willing to play as dirty as he needed to.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back