The Imposter

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"I thought you liked a guy to have muscles and to be all manly and charming? I'm so not that sort of guy. But hey, if you wanted to date me, you should have said. We'd own the school-- though we kinda do that already, Rene," he reminded as he pouted his lips, though only doing so to check and admire his own reflection in his pocket-sized mirror; something he used even more than his mobile, and everyone knew he was addicted to that.

"I heard something else from the kids backstage. Apparently, that merman takes Drama class and he should be here by now," he cooed, his bright eyes glittering at the coincidence when said 'merman' quietly hurried onstage and, dumping his bag and jacket, apologised profusely to the centaur teacher for his lateness. "Oh god, he's kinda adorable, isn't he? I see why he's popular, in that weird sort of way."
 
"He's handsome, sure, but that doesn't mean he isn't weird," he murmured in response. Despite his bitter words, his cheeks still turned purple as he watched the 'merman' scurry in and apologize. As a brow slowly raised, Rene decided to slip off the stage both out of respect for the Drama students and to curiously approach the other.

"We can't keep meeting up like this~!" Cooed the creature as he moved to sit on one beautiful red velvet chairs that circled the theater. "I'm joking. I didn't know you took Drama? I guess I pegged you for the wrong kind of person. I mean, you're very quiet, I would have thought you would have avoided Drama entirely," he admitted as he crossed his legs neatly.
 
It was clear to most people that Percy avoided company like the plague. It wasn't that he detested people, but he preferred to be alone most of the time, especially in a school full of creatures he had gone his whole life refusing to believe even existed outside fairy stories. However, he could make an exception for Rene. After just one conversation, he had taken a liking to him, however odd that was for him to admit to. He was cautious around these monsters, and yet had developed a liking for the one that really wouldn't blend into human society very well. He didn't look human in any way, shape or form, and yet Percy still found himself thinking that Rene was nice and cute, even.

It was why the boy was witness to one of Percy's rare grins, the expression growing the moment he noticed the monster approach.

"You know it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for, don't you? Besides, I have hidden depths. I'm quiet, but I'm not shy. I like theatre and musicals and all of that. My father doesn't necessarily approve but I'm not here for long. I'd rather spend my time doing what I like and with people I get along with. Granted, I don't like many people as of yet. You're... alright," he drily laughed, his eyes briefly peeking back at the two figures Rene had left behind, his brow arched at their unsubtle staring. "Your friends aren't very subtle, are they?"
 
"No, definitely not," he admitted with his own grin, before looking back at the couple curiously. He quickly changed his focus, though, and instead faced Percy wholly. "That's okay, though. It's good to be unsubtle sometimes, it shows you're vulnurable, sort of, right? There's nothing wrong with vulnerability," he insisted as he curiously waited for the 'merman's' response.

"Are you going to be an actor, or just set building?" He continued as he watched a few other students hurry to fix a set that had comedically fallen apart without warning. Just because the school was better than most human schools didn't mean the students were any better. "I would love to watch you preform, in fact."
 
That was probably the one thing he liked most about Rene: the fact he was intelligent. He had heard plenty of people gush about his looks and his parents and his fashion sense, amongst many other things, but he hadn't heard people talk about how smart he was. Percy obviously was more than the quiet person he presented himself as; he could be witty and daring and pretty good company, but he was picky when it came to those he trusted, so most people only got to see him quiet and alone, and subsequently, that was how he was characterised. In reality, he obviously had depths-- and he genuinely liked the fact Rene did too.

Of course, it definitely helped that he found the monster attractive. That, though, was more of a bonus point, rather than the main focus of his newfound affection for him.

"They haven't given out roles for the play yet but I'm definitely going for the lead. May as well go for it, you know? You don't get anywhere if you don't challenge yourself," he shrugged, quietly turning his gaze to the frantic students behind him, his own smile pulling in amusement. He may be a tad cautious still, understandably so, but he wasn't so fearful anymore. They openly termed themselves as monsters, but they were just like any other kid his age. Just because they weren't human didn't mean they were any different to how the kids at his former school behaved. It really didn't take him long to make that realisation.

"You could probably get a role easily, you seem like you'd be good at this sort of thing."
 
"Me? I-Oh, definitely not. I have pretty bad stage fright," he admitted honestly as he leaned back a bit, taking in the chaos quietly. After a moment of seeming contemplation, he eventually offered a smile as he leaned back further, his back making a soft snap in response.

"Besides, I'm already head of the Gymnastics Club, I don't have time for plays and whatnot. I would much prefer to watch a play than be in it, especially if you were the lead," he purred, his flirting less than subtle, though he kept his body language relaxed and casual.
 
"And why is that? I was under the impression you were mildly irritated by me, actually. I'm usually quite good at judging people's intentions, but maybe I was wrong. You actually seem really nice and... sorry, I guess, for misjudging you," he smiled quietly over his shoulder, having turned to lend the other students a hand getting the set back up and stable. It was amusing to watch it comically fall down, but considering he was part of the production, he also wanted things to go well. Besides, he did realise he was probably stronger than a few of the other students, so it made sense to assist them.

"...You realise that your flirting style is pretty obvious, don't you? Not that there's a problem with that. I'd rather it be obvious than subtle because subtlety sometimes goes nowhere. Though I'm not sure if you're flirting to be nice or whether you actually think I'm attractive. Either way, it's a nice compliment, I suppose."
 
"Well, I suppose I'm pretty vulnerable then, hm?" He replied casually, though his cheeks grew purple in embarrassment. He had always been told he was a smooth person, his flirting always causing others to giggle or get flustered, even if it was as simple as saying he wanted to see someone in a play. The fact that Percy seemed completely unaffected by it was mildly irritating and incredibly embarrassing.

"I'm serious, though. I'd love to see you preform, especially if you're confident enough to go for the role. I know literally bare minimum about theater, though, so you doing anything would probably be amazing in my eyes," he admitted as he tapped his claw-like nails against the arm of his seat. "If I tried I probably would just freeze up in panic."
 
"You seem like such a confident person, though. I couldn't go up to you and flirt like this-- which I totally would have by now if I wasn't so awkward at it. I could stand in front of a hundred people and relay some lines without breaking a sweat, but all this flirtation stuff? Not my thing. I haven't done it before, never really done that whole dating thing. I don't like people, I'm not a huge fan of faking how I feel, so... maybe I was just waiting for someone who was worth making an effort for," he shrugged as casually as he could manage, holding back from asking Rene out there and then purely because he reminded himself how disastrous and irresponsible (and selfish) such a thing would be.

He wasn't here to make friends or indulge in romance. He had to gather evidence for his father to then show the world the existence of these monsters. Getting a boyfriend would only end in disaster, both for him and whoever the other boy may be. Nothing good would come out of it, but selfishly, he didn't want to think about that. Just in the short term, until he left the school and returned to his father, he wanted to enjoy himself. The man had pulled him from his old school and sent him off like this with no warning, so why couldn't he be a tad selfish for once? He had been put through a lot by his father, so in that one split second, he made the decision to act, rather than continue to put his father and his reactions first.

"You know, you're worth making the effort for. I could totally go out of my comfort zone and flirt with you. I'd need to learn how to do that first, but... yeah. You're cute, I've already said that. That's... more of a straight up compliment than flirtation, but it's a start, huh?"
 
"Well, aren't you direct?" He purred in an attempt to seem relaxed, though his whole face turned purple shyly. He could strut around all day feigning confidence but that didn't mean he didn't have insecurities, and whenever anyone confessed their feelings towards him, it was always difficult for him to just shrug.

"I could show you how to flirt a bit, if you'd like~?" He suggested quietly with a slow smile, going as far as to scoot closer curiously. "I'm not brilliant, but I must be good enough to pique your interest, right?"
 
"You could, sure-- or I could stick with the completely awkward thing I have going on because it seems to work for me just fine. You're blushing and you're not calling me a loser, so that's a good sign," he smirked, unable to stop himself from enjoying the moment. He hadn't flirted before, at least not to this extent, and he was well aware that starting to flirt with someone who wasn't even human probably wasn't a smart thing to do, given the fact he was essentially a fraud and had a father who wanted to expose the monsters to the world. That would have devastating consequences for them, that much was obvious, so perhaps flirting and building a genuine bond like this was a recipe for disaster. That said, he couldn't help himself just relax and do something fun with someone he genuinely -and perhaps surprisingly- found cute.

"...I still haven't really had a tour of the place. I'd appreciate you showing me around if you wanted-- just us, maybe. I like your friend, he seems nice, but maybe we could leave him snogging the face off his boyfriend and go and take a walk around for a while?"
 
"Oh, I'd love to!" He gushed as he glanced over at his friend, his brows wiggling towards them. "I haven't really seen you wandering about, just going from class to class. There are plenty of little places and surprises that I've found over the years. There's this little nook in the library that people don't really use, I go there when I'm sad to read. There's also this really cute spot in the courtyard that has a huge pond just for merpeople to swim in. I know you're afraid of water but I would love to see your tail," he admitted shyly.

"It's also pretty hidden from onlookers," he continued with a cheeky wink only to follow up with a burst of nervous snorts. "Pochemu ty tak nervnichayesh'? Ty prosto rusalka," he quickly whispered.
 
The mention of the pond made him realise just how far deep he was into the lie. He thought he had a pretty good reason not to get into water because trauma did have an often detrimental effect on people, so who would question his fear about water if he told them a traumatic experience had happened to him? Nobody so far had questioned him about it, and the few people he had told the lie to (those being mainly teachers) all seemed understanding. That didn't mean he felt triumphant that he was getting away with a lie, though. The closer he got to Rene, the worse he felt about how much of a deceptive fraud he was.

"Yeah, well... I'm not going to be jumping into any ponds, private or not. I barely like taking baths," he laughed under his breath, hoping to diffuse the conversation about water there and then-- and for good measure, he quickly changed conversation topics.

"How about showing me that nook in the library? If it's quiet in there, it'd be a good place to really talk and stuff. I don't do good around a lot of people."
 
"Yet you're taking Drama?" He corrected with a smile, his head tilting for extra measure as he let a brow raise slowly. "I think that's a load of shit. This place is so hectic, yet you're in your element here, right? It's just silly to me, though I'm not going to not show you my secret spot," he reassured as his eyes briefly farted towards the stage, watching as the professor seemed to call the disorganized students together.

"Looks like this is my cue to leave," he whispered before slowly getting out of his complicated position. "Meet me by the library when you're done with class, I'll show you around from there," he reassured before daring to offer a quick kiss to the 'merman's' cheek and hopping down, the loose sleeves of his sweater now engulfing his arms before he hurried from the chairs and out of the room, expecting Sylvan to do the same.
 
In contrast the quick kiss on Percy's cheek, Sylvan's parting kiss with his boyfriend had been far from gentle. Despite the looks he received, he was more than happy to bestow a passionate kiss on Brennan's lips. Being someone who loved being in relationships, he wasn't ever going to be subtle about showing his excitement and eagerness around his boyfriends, especially not Brennan who he honestly believed he could be with for a long time to come.

Eventually having to part with him, he easily caught up with Rene and, once out into the corridor of the school, exhaled happily. "You and the merman were getting pretty close," he commented quickly, his smile growing at the thought of his best friend finally getting close to dating someone. The idea of hanging out with Rene without him complaining about being a third wheel was wonderful, even if he found Percy slightly... weird.

"Are you dating him now? You don't kiss people's cheeks often."
 
"It's not a big deal," he smoothly replied as he waited, though his antsy disposition and his purple cheeks were evidence of otherwise. Avoiding Sylvan's eyes, he scoffed, hoping to at least pretend to be cool about the whole thing.

"You know, you looked like you were going to eat that vampire whole," he commented quickly in hopes to drop the attention on him, ironically. "It's funny, isn't your species known to eat their lovers after sex, or is that just a rumor? 'Cuz as far as I know, you haven't done that yet."
 
"Oh, hush. I haven't even had sex, so they're hardly lovers of mine. It's a dumb rumour, silly... though my mother did have a boyfriend for a while and he went missing, so maybe there's more truth to it than you think," he smirked playfully, making sure to giggle afterwards so it seemed more like a little joke. Truth was, he was pretty sure his mother had engaged in that sort of thing. She never had a steady boyfriend and always seemed to casually remark that her lover had 'left' a mere day or two after first introducing him to her son.

"I wouldn't eat Brennan even if I did that sort of thing. He's gorgeous and funny and cool and he actually likes me, Rene. Why would I ruin that by doing someone dumb like that? My mother might be casual about it, but I'm actually romantic. My mother isn't. She doesn't like being tied down. It's why I don't have a father. She told me that she merely used him for a child. It's what she's like," he shrugged with a dramatic roll of his eyes, wandering towards the canteen. He had been adamant that he was going to stick to the diet plan he had written up at the start of the school term, though he also knew he had a larger appetite than most monsters, and fruit and vegetables hardly filled the void as good as a cupcake could.

"Are we going to talk about my boyfriend or your little merman~? I can see what you're doing, Rene. It's not subtle."
 
"Yeah, and neither are you," he replied quickly as he followed along. "Percy knew you two were watching the minute he turned to look over. If... I'm going to learn more about him, you need better acting skills. Isn't your boyfriend in Drama? Maybe you should learn a few things from him," he scolded as his face only grew brighter in embarrassment. When Rene didn't get what he wanted or was made fun of, it was no surprise when he snapped back rather harshly - the only people he was afraid to talk back to was his parents. Sure, he was their son and he had been raised by them his whole life, that didn't mean their intense height and general influence didn't scare him. He had been yelled at by his father when he was young and it literally traumatized him from how terrifying his father could look.

"... I'm going to meet up with him after his class," he explained eventually as he folded his arms, his oversized sweater sleeves flopping to the side. "I'll show him this cute little place I go when you get in one of your moods."
 
"You don't need to snap at me. I take your bitchy remarks about my boyfriends all the time. You tell me they're not good enough or they're not at my level, and I get you care, but you still put my choices down. I'm not even doing that, I'm literally just asking about how things are with that merman. You're too sensitive sometimes," he huffed, trying his best to laugh it off, even if he was growing gradually annoyed with his best friend. He could take the harshness and the slight digs, but not when he hadn't warranted them, and in this case, he felt that he was perfectly innocent.

"I won't ask about him, then. I won't even mention him. We're best friends, so I didn't realise there were subjects we had off-limits. Apparently we do," he tutted, placing himself down at one of the canteen tables and, after rummaging in his bag, finally pulled out a bar of chocolate he kept on him for moments like this, where he needed a little sugar to help himself relax and not get too emotional. "...I think it's dumb, but you're the boss."
 
"It just pisses me off when you flaunt your boyfriends off, Sy. Like, you're just happily snogging Brennan's face off while I manage to give a kiss to the cheek. Like, you're so successful when it comes to 'love', I guess, and yet all I do is have sex twice when I was a freshman with some seniors who just left me behind. I... I may not have feelings for this guy but it's nice to have him like me," he grumbled, his hands nervously fiddling with his sweater.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped," he murmured with a growing pout. "I don't want you to be mad at me. It's just... I'm jealous," he insisted, especially over the fact that he had flirted and made out with Brennan before he became so handsome.
 
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