In The Storm (OPEN)

Jack mumbled something under his breath as he leaned on the brick wall of one of the flats, rain drumming over him and soaking him wet. His pale hair had been turned silver by the water, and his skin was as white as a pearl. His jacket was dripping with water and the fur collar was plastered to the matterial, hanging helplessly as rain felt over it more. The whole appearance of the boy was almost black and white, but not one of his eyes, which gleamed it's usual electric blue.

He had no idea how much he had been leaning there, letting the rain fall on his and turn him into a human sponge, just that he had been there for quite a while. He opened his eyes, eyes he had shut to keep away the rain mercylessly batting his face to get into his eyes, and observed that the roads were quite empty, nobody passing around. Well, indeed, who would just hang around in the rain? Besides him, of course.

Rain was so much fun. And Percy wasn't joking when he thought this, he actually loved the rain. Even as a little kid he had always played and splashed around in it and had the most wonderful time. Sometimes he still did that, but only when he knew he could immediately get dressed in something warm and curl up on the couch with a big mug of hot coco to warm up with. But he was all the way in Rosbury, too far away from his dorm to warrant a splash in some puddles.

So he opened his umbrella as he exited the building he had been inside. It was a clear bubble umbrella, allowing him to see the dreary gray sky above and the water slowly dripping along the domed roof above him. It was beautiful, the sky when it was raining. One would think, with his bright blue hair and his sunny outfit, he was a lover of the light. But Percy was not such a person. He was obsessed with the dark and dreary, finding them far more beautiful than the daylight or the sunshine. Of course, no one knew this. No one ever knew the real Percy. That was just how he liked it.

Walking down the road he glanced sideways when he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He did a double take when he realized he had. It was that boy from the hallways the other day when he had met that fiery girl who had gotten herself caught in the dead end. Percy couldn't recall his name, whether they had introduced themselves or not, and didn't really care. He remembered dubbing him at one too much of a thug to be his type. But he looked absolutely miserable in the rain.

'Darling, what are you doing just standing there? Get over here and come back with me to the school. You're positively dripping." He commanded Jack as if talking to one of his friends back home. Everyone listened to him, he had the air and appearance of one who simply had to be listened to. Plus, if Jack didn't listen, it was his loss. He was the one standing in the rain after all.

Jack smirked at a passing lady with a child, both of them covered in jackets and protected by umbrellas. He fiddled his gloved hands into his pockets and the woman, probably thinking he was some psycho with a knife, herded her child away from him, looking back with fearful, huge eyes. Jack simply winked and tipped his hair back, the rain running on his throat and pressing his shirt agains his neck, the white material almost transparent, revealing the curve of his muscles.

He reckognized the boy he had met back at school, while he was... doing nothing, simply bouncing around making terrible jokes and stuff. He remembered seeing him and another Initiate girl back in the 'dead-end doom', as he called the small hallway that took most Initiates in a dae-end on their first day, making them look like dumb children.

"I knew you liked me." he laughed and flung his arms in the air. "Ah, the beauty of love. Now tell me, darling, how did I win your heart?" he grinned and caught the umbrella's stick, pulling it over his head, so that rain wouldn't splash on him, pulling Percy closer to him as well. "Was it my handsomeness? My humour? My overall charm?"

The rain was positively dumping, which didn't bother Percy in the least. It made him miss home, but he was at Beata and there was no reason to look visibly distressed. It was soothing, listening to the tapping of the rain drops on his umbrella, the muffled click of his shoes against the pavement, and the gentle laughter floating through windows left open by inattentive shop keepers. It was beautiful, really, and Percy pretty much reveled in the wonder and awe he felt at the sounds and sights.

However, it had to be ruined by this cocky guy he had met in the hallway. Sure, he was attractive, but he was no Percy's type but he seemed to think he was. Percy wasn't a complete jerk, who knew why this guy was standing out in the rain. Maybe he was brooding? Guys like that brooded all the time. Maybe something had upset him and standing in the rain was his way of beating himself up over it? Percy had no idea, nor did he care. He just cared that this guy could easily catch a cold from weather like this and that was not something Percy wished upon anyone. Alright, maybe his worst enemies, but not this guy. He wasn't an enemy, he was just obnoxious.

Instantly Percy cringed. This guy was insane. He knew he shouldn't have said anything, but now that the moment had passed, he knew he couldn't take it back. Love? Percy nearly gagged as he said the word and then sceered - scoffed and sneered - at the line he ended with. Gasping as Jack grabbed his umbrella and let go and backed slightly away, but not enough to be in the rain. "For one, you know nothing about love. For two, you did not win my heart." With a quick yank he grabbed for his umbrella and attempted to take if from Jack, not minding it he sprinkled some water on the other boy. It may have had no effect, since he was already so wet, but it would have made him feel better. "Two of those don't exist and the other is only half present." With that he turned his head and began to walk. If Jack followed, then he followed. Percy had no control over him.

Jack immediately pouted like a little girl when the boy pulled away from him, splashing him with droplets of water from the umbrella he had just pulled away. Not that it made much of a difference, since Jack was already soaked with enough water to be considered a human sponge. But, however, it was still rude, in his opinion.He waited for the guy to walk away a little before he ran towards him, his hand in the pockets of his jeans. He gave him a grin and ran one of his hands through his dripping hair. He was really unsure about what to say. But indeed, he needed to get back before he caught a cold, so what was there to lose?

"Hey, c'mon, don't get so upset! I was joking!" he groaned and gave himself a generous facepalm. "Are you unfamiliar with jokes? Are you the sort of quiet gay guy that never jokes because he is afraid people will notice he is gay?" he asked at once, then smile awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck with one of his gloved hands. "Forget the last statement." he added.

Jokes could be funny, but Jack's idea of joking was arrogant in Percy's mind. Jokes were only enjoyable when the were clean and funny. Jack wasn't funny, no matter how much he thought he was. It was entertaining being around him, just a little bit, but he wasn't funny when he spoke to Percy the way he did. Percy was an entitled person, but he still knew what was proper and what wasn't, and in his mind, Jack wasn't proper.

Rolling his eyes as he walked he waited for Jack to catch up without stopping his walk. Whatever Jack had to say, he could say it while walking. Percy listened through Jack's entire sentence before stopping and freezing in place. Quickly he took a breath and then proceeded, scoffing at Jack's last comment. "I'm not going to ignore it, sorry. You can't take back what's already done." Percy said with a matter-of-fact tone. Normally he was friendly and flirty, but Jack simply spoiled his mood. "I know you were joking, hon. I just don't like those kinds of jokes." He stated with an air of pride.

"As for your other comment: no, I am not quiet." He spat the last word with venom. "In fact, I am rather loud about who I am. Do you hear how I speak? Do you see how I dress?" It was quite fabulous, if he did say so himself. "You don't even know me. If you knew my friends from home, they would agree with me, I'm probably one of the loudest gays you will ever run into." He stated, once again proud of what he said.

Jack followed the boy along the wet streets, pulling his hood on to keep the rain from getting him even wetter. Which now seemed kind of impossible, since he was sure he had set a world record for wetness. Cool. He'll certainly phone Guinness about it later.

The clouds started to become rarer and less dark as they advanced on the roads of Roseburry towards Beata. The white haired boy was listening to Percy's voice absently, catching small parts of his sentences. This was helpful, since Jack had soon started to lose his patience. He suddenly fisted his hands and snapped at the boy, pushing him of the sidewalk.

|You, your friends, your life, your feeling! You, you, you!" he suddenly spat, his electric blue eye shining violently as he glared down at the boy. "Would you for one stop caring about your precious ass and come back to reality, Prince Perfect?!" he said and then groaned with impatience. He was already sick of that smart-ass.

Percy was regretting making Jack join him under his umbrella with every single step and ever fiber of his being. There was nothing to like about this boy, from what Percy had seen so far. Sure, he walked rather quietly when he wasn't speaking and he was a little cute, but there was nothing Percy liked about Jack.

It was kind of sad, to see the clouds getting thinner and the raining beginning to thin out as well. He liked the idea of walking about to Beata in the rain, but he figured if Jack was ruining his mood already, why not the sun as well? And the comments he had made! Percy responded to anything anyone threw at him, so it wasn't a surprise he was so firm about the words he spoke just then. But this guy-This. Guy.

It was almost as if the conversation changed entirely. Percy was responding to what Jack had said. It had been a statement about how Percy must be one of those 'quiet gays' and Percy was telling him otherwise. But suddenly, it was all about him?! When Jack pushed him, Percy dropped the umbrella and felt himself hit the ground hard. Tears instantly welled in the corners of his eyes from the pain, but they were there for five seconds before they where gone and he was looking right up at Jack again.

One might say Percy was shooting daggers at Jack with his eyes, but Percy felt more like it was a slow, painful poison that seeped through Jack's body, slowly making him lose control, feeling every moment the poison moved. He willed this upon Jack immediately. The rain drizzled on his coat as Jack continued to speak and Percy pushed himself up into a sitting position. Prince Perfect! Percy scoffed again and a small part of him broke inside. His whole life it had been about someone else, so he had made it about him. But when it was about him, he was selfish. Arrogant. Cocky. A disgrace to the family. They only kept him because they were related and he would be gone soon. Thoughts and memories like these raced through his head as he brushed himself off, though it did no good because it was wet.

"For starters, you made it about me." Percy stated, standing as calmly as he could, but clearly restraining himself from something. "You were the one who joked with me about love. About winning me. I am not a prize. Nor is my heart. You further insulted me by calling me a quiet gay. I am proud! Do not insult me!" Slowly the blue haired boys voice raised and he left very little, if any, room for Jack to respond. "I've lived in reality my entire life, Prince Thug! I am in reality right now, thanks to you! Sometimes, I leave reality! It's healthy, to pretend on occasion! I'm sick of living in reality and you are not curing me any more than my family did." Percy faltered but picked up quickly.

"I am a gem. I matter in this world as much as you do, and I do not appreciate you walking up to me and calling me your love, and flirting with that cocky, self-entitled attitude. I have a very much beating heart, unlike you." The words ended in a half shout, have spit fest that rendered Percy breathless due to both lung power behind the words and lung power controlling the sobs threatening to rack his body.

Turning he grabbed the umbrella. "Now leave me alone."

Jack almost gasped in surprise as he noticed the tears threatening to flow from Percy's eyes. Was he going to just cry? Luckily, the boy seemed collected and Jack could finally breathe freely, away from the problem that Percy might just crash and cry like a baby.

And now came the speech. Jack crossed his arms over his chest and listened to half of the words he said before he simply stopped listening, sometimes giving his nails a concerned look, other times squinting at the sky that had now began to pour again, turning him as transparent as a ghost. Not that he didn't enjoy it. At least that guy seemed like his highest bother was Jack's personality, life... He hadn't had such attention in his whole life. He could almost feel flattered.

"Stop. You think you're the only one with a hard life.?" he said and shrugged, giving Percy a sad look, unusual for the whole conversation. "I get it, bad life, bad parents. But answer me this one question. How. Do. You. Think. It. Feels...." he began with a threatening tone, but he broke off and stared at the rain for a few long seconds.

"To be an experiment. My dad... he just wanted me to get to be the strongest. But I am the weakest." he finished, still looking up at the grey sky. His hand in his pockets, back hunched, Jack let go of the subject and wandered the opposite way to the school. Maybe he shouldn't come back... But that is not possible, how could he just disappear?

The tears were from the pain, they had been small, Percy had assumed they had also been invisible. He was glad Jack never pointed them out, because he was having enough trouble handling this guys attitude as it was. Percy wasn't a crybaby, he had his dignity and he never, ever, broke down in front of another person. Even his family rarely saw him cry, and they were the closest things he had. Despite being rather distant, in a way. He didn't even have a friend he trusted enough to see him cry. He was too proud for that.

Of course, he had to go a break and yell at Jack. He was better than this, he thought, as the words streamed from his mouth and into the open air. He knew better than to yell at someone, it made him vulerable and Jack now knew there was a way to break him. Luckily, his anger wasn't the furthest one could go with him, but he knew there was no way Jack could break him all the way. His tailbone still ached, but his mind was too focused on Jack's arrogant face, despite the beautiful blue eyes, Percy couldn't stop thinking about how much he hated this guy already. How long had they known each other? A few minutes? It was awful. People always followed him without hesitation, but this Jack seemed more than willing to push his buttons. After his rant and with a swift mental kick to himself, he started to walk away.

"No, I don't." He had never said that, and he was even more angry with himself for making this rant about how much he hated home. He loved it, as well, it had its days. His life wasn't even hard, people around him just made it seem that way. He was by far not the worst off in the world, and he knew that full well. There were all sorts of people living in worse conditions and with worse family and Percy attempted not to think that he could have been on of those people. He felt lucky with what he had, even if he hated it so much. Percy continued to walk, but froze slightly when Jack stopped speaking. What he seeing Mr. Arrogant break as well? Like when Percy had said his family was trying to cure him of his daydreams? Of course, Jack continued, but Percy stood where he was, back to him. If Jack really wanted to rant about his life, then he could follow him. Percy was ready to keep walking again.

With a huff Percy turned his face toward the sky, eyes closed. "I didn't give you my life story, you don't have to give me yours." This wasn't spoken as harshly as it could have been, and Percy was unaware that Jack began walking away only moments after he had finished saying it until he turned slightly to look and over his shoulder to see him moving. This was by far the worst run in with someone Percy had ever had.

Jack gave Percy an empty look from his bi-chromatic eyes, the blue one turning dull while the white one was hardened, ivory. His eyes always seemed to match his mood, the intensity of colours varying on what he felt. And now he was feeling horrible, ready to snap and fall on the sidewalk. He was cold, probably the sickness was getting to his head. He was surely going to catch a cold, which was not his favourite possibility, but just the only one.

Well, at least the guy seemed to accept he did not know what having a bad life really meant, which was a consolation, because fever really told Jack he was not in the mood for explaining. Nor did he want to have to go through all of his misery for that guy.

Percy's voice rang once again from behind Jack, a simple but not quite that harsh as the white haired boy expected it to be, which was a weird thing, judging by their overall interaction. Jack simply turned on one heel and began walking back towards Percy, trying to fit shyly behind the umbrella without him considering Jack was again attempting a flirt. He shot the noy a grateful look from behind the damp hair obstructing most of his eyesight.

Jack's looks were really the only thing Percy liked about him. His beautiful hair, his nice features, and his eyes. They were strange, Percy had to admit, the blue was the same color as his, almost brighter, if he really thought about it. Sharp, but rather easy to read, which wasn't a big surprise since Jack didn't seem like the kind of person that was hard to read. They were a wonderful intensity, spilling his feelings like a book, the words written all over his face, especially in his eyes. Percy didn't have to hear his stupid words to know what kind of mood he was in and what kind of person he was. His appearance, albeit gorgeous, sad it all. Which was annoying, because Percy both enjoyed looking at him and didn't at the same time. It wasn't a big deal, he assumed he would rarely run into Jack. But it was still a bother when he did run into him. But it did make him pitiful looking to soak his clothes. Jack really looked sad and drenched, which Percy had pitied and why he had called to the other boy in the first place. But Jack had gone and made it bad.

Percy knew what having a bad life meant. He knew his version of a bad life, but not anyone elses. He had admitted to not thinking he was the only one with a hard life. Obviously, with the way Jack spoke, he had had a hard life. Percy had had a tough life, full of mental pushes and pulls and cuts and bruises, but nothing was visible on him so he was safe from the public eye and able to walk around without being looked at funny. Except for his clothes. He did get weird looks for his clothes. Percy silently wondered if the eyes were the doing of Jack's father. He had said his father had experimented on him, were the eyes a part of it? Were they those kinds of experiments? Physically visible and very much damaging? Percy knew there were bad people like that in the world, but it was hard to believe had had run into the victim of one of those said people. He had always believed he was safe where he was, but he was never safe. There would always be people around him, ready to beat him up, whether it was mentally or physically.

The blue haired boy wasn't entirely heartless. He was just missing chunks and pieces that needed replacing, which he hoped would happen eventually, but he was frightened of what it would feel like if they were returned. What Jack said clearly angered and scarred him, Percy didn't want him to say anything aloud that he wasn't willing to talk about. He walked away, slowly, taking a deep breath and allowing the cold, rainy air into his lungs. It was so nice for the world to be quiet for once, the only thing audible being the sound of the slowing rain on his umbrella and the tap of his shoes on the road. But there were other feet close by, approaching quickly. Percy glanced behind him to find Jack, walking close to his back, his face sheepish in a way. Maybe it was more shy. Perhaps humble? No, Percy wouldn't go as far as to say Jack looked humbled. But he did look like he wanted to be out of the rain, and Percy wasn't going to deny him that right. So he allowed Jack to walk back to the school behind him like a lost puppy.