(BL) Friendship On Fire

Aiden was, by all accounts, a dumbass. 

His friends knew it, his family knew it, and deep down, he knew it too. 

He wasn't stupid, exactly. Just reckless, impulsive, and far more interested in adventure than academics. He lived for thrill-seeking and chaos, always the first one to suggest something wild and dangerous. But the fact that he was undeniably hot, with a face like a Greek god, meant he got away with a lot of shit. 

Pretty privilege, his friends called it. 

Girls were all over him, vying for his attention in hopes to win over the handsome, oblivious 18-year-old who couldn't care less. 

He's single by choice, not interested in any of the attention he got. What was the point when adventure was calling? His friends would roll their eyes and joke that he was wasting all that "god-given beauty," but Aiden isn't bothered.

One day, in a sudden and wildly out-of-character fit of bravery (or stupidity, depending on how you looked at it), Aiden made a bet with his father. He declared with absolute certainty, "I'll pass all my exams this semester. Watch me."

His dad raised an eyebrow but agreed, probably knowing his son's track record. And thus, Aiden's latest and greatest challenge began—not jumping off cliffs or outrunning the law during one of his dumb escapades, but the terrifying world of schoolwork.

Aiden was giving it his best shot, really. He was sitting at his desk surrounded by textbooks and notes, trying to cram what felt like an entire year's worth of knowledge into his thick brain. 

But it wasn't working. 

He was failing. Miserably.

"Fuck this shut!" Slamming his textbook shut with a groan that sounded like a dying animal, Aiden threw his hands up in the air. "I'm not made for this!" he shouted to no one in particular. "I'm a free spirit! Bravery is not for weak dumbasses who think they can outsmart math!" 

"I don't know why I thought I could do this!" He kicked his chair over in a huff. "I thought, 'Hey, Aiden, you're brave! You can conquer anything!' But you know what? No one tells you that bravery and being a dumbass are two very different things!" He picked up a random notebook and waved it around like it was the enemy. "This is the devil's work! Algebra? Why do I need to know how to solve for X? When will I ever use that on an adventure? X doesn't exist! It's all lies!"

His friends laughed and watched him curl into one of his infamous tantrums. It was classic Aiden—completely over-the-top, dramatic, and absolutely convinced the universe was against him.

"I don't even know why I did this!" he continued in absolute despair. "My brain isn't wired for studying. I was born for thrills, for danger, not for sitting here with a pencil trying to figure out numbers that don't even make sense! I'm too pretty for this kind of mental strain! I'll just end up as the hottest guy to fail every exam ever!"

"And then my dad's going to make me do something awful like…join the family business. Or—God forbid—manual labor! I have delicate hands! Look at them!" He held his hands up to his friends to see. "I can't ruin them with hard work! I'm not cut out for this! I'm a man of adventure, not of academia!"

By now, his friends were in tears from laughing at the sheer melodrama of it all. 

"I give up," he groaned, his voice pitiful. "I'm going to fail, and I'll die from a brain cramp before I even get to explain myself. My dad's going to send me to a boarding school! I'm doomed. I'm just too hot to be smart."

After his dramatic declaration of doom, he glanced to his side where his best friend was sleeping peacefully. 

Hunter, completely undisturbed by Aiden's tantrums, breathing evenly as if the world around him didn't exist. Hunter—19, tall, and who radiates an aura so dark and intimidating that most people wouldn't dare come near him. No one really liked hanging out with Hunter, not because he wasn't good-looking…oh he was…but because he seemed like a storm cloud that could strike at any moment.

But Aiden was different. Being the carefree and oblivious dumbass he was, he could befriend anyone, even someone as gloomy as Hunter. The two of them were an unlikely pair.

"Hunter!" Aiden cried out, shaking his friend. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" He kept jerking him until Hunter groaned, his honey-brown eyes fluttering open which filled with sleep and bored indifference.

Despite his dark aura, Hunter has a youthful beauty. His messy, raven-black hair framed his face, and his sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and those soft yet piercing eyes gave him a look that could be both intimidating and captivating. His full lips were perpetually set in a bored line, as if nothing ever fazed him.

Hunter blinked once, then twice, slowly sitting up and glaring at Aiden, who looked at him with wide, pitiful puppy eyes. "Hunter," Aiden whined, dragging out his name. "You're going to let me cheat off your answer sheet, right? You wouldn't let your best friend fail, would you?"

Hunter's face didn't change. He stared at Aiden for a long moment, before saying plainly, "No. I will not help you this time."

Aiden gasped dramatically, his hands flying to his chest as if he'd been stabbed. "What?! No? You've gotta be kidding me, man! I'm dying here!"

Hunter leaned back against the chair, his expression bored as ever. "I promised your dad I wouldn't help you with this."

Aiden's eyes went wide in disbelief, his lips trembling like a child about to cry. "You—what? How could you do this to me, Hunter? My only hope!"

And before Hunter could respond, Aiden threw himself onto him, wrapping his arms around Hunter's shoulders, dramatically sobbing into his chest. Hunter stiffened instantly. His whole body froze as if Aiden had just electrocuted him. 

A faint blush spread across his cheeks.

"Aiden, get off," Hunter warned, though his voice sounded less demanding than usual and his face was growing redder by the second.

But Aiden, oblivious as ever, just buried his face deeper into Hunter's shoulder. "I'm doomed, Hunter! I'm going to fail! And it's all because you're too noble to let me cheat!"

While Aiden sobbed into Hunter's shoulder, his friends snickered and teased, finding Aiden's dramatic breakdown utterly hilarious.

"Look at him, crying on Hunter like he's some kind of emotional support pillow." 

Another chimed in. "Stop being a drama queen!" 

Aiden was still clinging to Hunter and shot them all a glare through his fake tears. "You guys are assholes! And pretty loose ones at that." 

Meanwhile, Hunter just sat there, looking as uncomfortable as ever, his face remaining as neutral as possible. But his eyes darted around the room, he was irritated by the laughter and he didn't join in. He remained stiff, staring at Aiden with concern and annoyance.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. Aiden's eyes lit up with a sudden burst of energy and he sprang to his feet, his earlier despair forgotten. "Yes! Time to play some basketball!" He began shoving books haphazardly into his bag.

His friends rushed out of the room, calling back to him, "We will wait for you, Aiden! Let's go!"

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to finish your math homework?" he asked, clearly puzzled.

Aiden shot him a disgusted look, wrinkling his nose as if the book was a particularly offensive piece of garbage. "No way. I've had enough of that!" He turned to Hunter with a playful grin and reached out, pinching his cheeks with exaggerated affection. "Let's play first! We can come back to this later, no?" 

Hunter's cheeks that were already tinted from his earlier embarrassment, turned a bit redder. 

Aiden grabbed Hunter's hand and pulled him out of the classroom. "Come on! You can't say no to me!"

Hunter stumbled slightly but let himself be pulled along, his hand still in Aiden's grip.

As they ran down the hall, Hunter couldn't help but glance sideways at Aiden as he tried to keep up. His almost shy reaction was there for anyone paying attention to notice.

Aiden, the ultimate embodiment of chaos, charged into the basketball game with full force. As always, he was yelling and running around like a hyperactive kid. He dribbled the ball with a reckless kind of enthusiasm, throwing himself into the game even though it was obvious he had no strategy whatsoever. 

"Pass it here! I'm open!" Aiden shouted, even though he wasn't open at all. In fact, he was more in the way than anything.

His friends groaned, but they couldn't help laughing at how clueless he was. Hunter, on the other hand, played quietly and silently. No one really talked to him or paid him much attention, but that didn't seem to bother him. He was used to it. He kept to himself, as always, the gloom to Aiden's brightness. Yet, as long as Aiden's chaotic attention was on him, Hunter didn't seem to mind being in the background.

After the game, the group gathered in a circle, sweat dripping down their faces as they flopped onto the ground, exhausted from the heat. Aiden, always needing to be near Hunter, plopped down right beside him with his usual grin. 

"Man, I'm dying from this heat," Aiden groaned, pulling his shirt to fan himself dramatically. He looked around at their small group—four more people: Nick, the jokester, who's always cracking a smile. Brian, the silent and observant type. Ethan, who always had a weird fact to share. And Jake, the one who never missed a chance to stir up trouble.

The idle chatter soon turned into their usual dumb talk, but someone suggested, "Hey, let's play truth or dare."

"Of course! Let's do it!" Aiden agreed without hesitation.

As the game started, dares and truths were thrown around, ranging from simple to just plain stupid. But then, Nick's grin widened mischievously as he looked at Aiden. "Alright, Aiden. Truth time. Are you gay?"

Aiden blinked, looking surprised before bursting out laughing. "Me? Gay? Have you seen how many girls are practically throwing themselves at me?" He pointed to himself with his thumb, flashing his cocky grin. "Nah, man. I'm straight as they come. The ladies love me."

Hunter shifted beside him, a subtle but noticeable move, as if Aiden's answer had made him more uncomfortable than the question itself. 

The group snickered, but then Jake turned his attention toward Hunter. "What about you? You gay?"

Hunter froze and his eyes widened in surprise. He looked flabbergasted and his face turned slightly red under the scrutiny. Everyone stared at him curiously while waiting for his answer. 

Aiden frowned at how stiff Hunter suddenly became and decided to answer for him. "What kind of question is that?" he scoffed and put an arm around Hunter's shoulder casually. "Of course not! Hunter's straight. Just like me." He shot Hunter a grin. "Right, Hunter?"

Hunter stared into Aiden's eyes for a second, his heart thumping in a way he couldn't quite explain. For a moment, he seemed to struggle with what to say, but he eventually nodded. 

"Yeah," he muttered. "Straight."

The group accepted the answer without question, moving on with the game. They laughed and joked, carrying on as if nothing happened. But Hunter stayed quiet, more so than usual, his eyes drifting to Aiden every so often, while Aiden remained blissfully unaware, still caught up in the stupid game. As long as Aiden's attention was on him, Hunter didn't mind staying in the background, even if things were starting to feel…complicated.

As the sun beat down on the group, Sarah and Sam came over to join them. Sarah, with her beautiful features and cute smile was a girl so many had a crush on. But she has a crush on Aiden. 

It was no secret to anyone…except for Aiden.

Sarah took a seat beside Aiden, her gaze briefly fixed on him with a soft smile, while Sam sat next to Hunter. 

"Here, you look like you need this," Sarah offered her water bottle to Aiden.

But in typical Aiden fashion, he took the water, only to immediately hand it to Hunter without a second thought. "Here, man, you look like you're dying out here."

Hunter awkwardly looked at Sarah who blinked in disbelief and accepted the bottle. While the rest of the group exchanged disbelieving looks, shaking their heads as Sarah sat there, completely dumbfounded. 

Aiden, unaware of any awkwardness, continued grinning like nothing unusual had happened.

The bell rang, signaling the end of their break. Aiden jumped up excitedly. "Alright, later, Hunter!" he called out, pinching Hunter's cheeks playfully before running off with the rest of the group.

Hunter watched him leaving, feeling an odd emptiness settle in his chest. He wished he had another class with Aiden. But as the group disappeared from view, he let out a small sigh. 

Sam looked at him with a knowing smirk.

"What?" Hunter asked as he suddenly felt embarrassed.

Sam chuckled softly. "So, did you tell him?"

Hunter's eyes widened in panic, and he quickly looked up at him. "Tell what?"

Sam rolled his eyes in disbelief. "Telling Aiden that you like him. What else?"

Hunter shook his head. "Aiden's not…he's not gay." 

Sam frowned, looking genuinely confused. "And what does that have to do with you telling him how you feel?"

Hunter blinked, his mind scrambling for an answer. "It's…it's not that easy. I'm not blunt and straightforward like you. Besides, I don't want to ruin our friendship."

Sam sighed, looking at him with an understanding gaze. He was one of the few people Hunter could talk to without feeling judged. "I get that. But you're going to torture yourself forever if you keep quiet."

Hunter shook his head again, plucking the grass mindlessly. "I still can't. I don't want to lose him." He thought about how unbearable it would be to not have Aiden in his life, even if it was just as friends. "I can't tell him that I like him."

Just as those words left his mouth, he heard a familiar voice behind. 

"Hunter?"

His heart nearly stopped, and his eyes widened in dread. A chill ran through his body, and it felt like his soul had just left him.

He slowly turned his neck, panic written all over his face, only to find Aiden standing behind him with an unreadable face. 

Fuck…did he hear it?