(BL) Friendship On Fire

Hunter stormed into the cafeteria. The moment he stepped inside, he exhaled sharply, pressing a hand against his chest as if that would somehow ease the burning inside him.

He was exhausted from everything, from pain, from rage, and from heartbreak of hearing Aiden saying yes to Sophia. 

His hands balled into fists. He didn't know this day would come so soon. 

But the moment Aiden had looked away from him and looked at that girl, smiled, and fucking agreed, something inside Hunter snapped. For a wild second, a fucked up, possessive part of him had wanted to march straight up to Aiden, pin him against the desk, and tell him in front of the entire class. 

"You can't date anyone else. You're mine. Let them all fucking see. Let them all fucking know who you belong to."

But he couldn't do that. Because Aiden didn't belong to him. Aiden wasn't his and he might never be. 

And that was the real problem.

Hunter took a deep and shaky breath, pressing the heels of his palms against his eyes.

Avoiding Aiden had already been fucking torture, but this? Aiden getting a girlfriend. 

And he had to watch it happen.

Hunter laughed bitterly, running a hand through his damp hair. Maybe Aiden getting a girlfriend would be a blessing in disguise. At least, he won't live in his own fantasy world. 

Because Hunter's life was already a fucking disaster.

He didn't even have a stable place to live. He worked part-time just to keep a shitty, barely livable place. Meanwhile, Aiden was out here living like a spoiled prince, someone who never had to worry about his next meal, who never had to wonder where he was sleeping that night.

Hunter and Aiden lived in two completely different worlds. They were never meant to be in the same one.

Hunter stared at his reflection in the glass of the cafeteria fridge. His face was blank, and his eyes? They looked broken.

And then, like some cruel fucking joke, his mind whispered a thought he had always hated.

"If only I was a girl."

He closed his eyes in annoyance. If he were a girl, maybe this wouldn't be so impossible.

If he was a girl, maybe Aiden wouldn't have flinched when Hunter confessed to him. Maybe Aiden wouldn't have to force himself to pretend Hunter's feelings didn't exist. If Hunter had been born different, maybe he wouldn't have to keep watching Aiden slip away.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt this much.

Hunter breathed out, trying to shove the thought down, deep into that dark, painful part of him he didn't want to acknowledge.

Aiden had already made his choice. So, he should focus on himself too. He needed to get his life together.

Because he couldn't keep living like this, like someone who had no direction and no future. 

One day, he'd stop feeling like this and his pain would fade away.

Right? 

He was still gripping the edge of the cafeteria table when a sudden commotion nearby snapped him out of his thoughts.

He turned his head and saw a group of guys gathered around a lone student who sat at the farthest table, eating in complete silence while the delinquents around him laughed and threw things at him.

Hunter's fingers curled into fists.

"Ever sucked a dick before?" 

"Bet he has. Probably get on his knees for free?" 

"Look at him. He's got that 'please fuck me' face."

Loud cackles erupted from the group.

The student kept eating like he couldn't hear them. His fingers were shaking around his fork, but he didn't say a single word.

"What's wrong? You can take it up the ass, but you can't take a joke?"

"Shit, I bet he likes it rough. Gay bitch, haha!"

Suddenly, the table shook as someone kicked it from underneath. 

"Oi." The laughter died down. The guys turned and when they saw who had spoken, some of them blinked in surprise.

Because no one ever expected Hunter to talk.

"The fuck you want?" one of them sneered at him. 

Hunter's unnerving glare was enough to intimidate the guy. "You got a problem?"

"Yeah. You." The guy snorted and stepped forward, all cocky and confident, probably thinking Hunter was some quiet nobody who'd back down if pushed.

But Hunter just stared the guy dead in the eyes and faster than the light, his hand swung across the guy's face. The crack of his fist meeting the asshole's jaw echoed through the cafeteria.

The guy stumbled back with a grunt, clutching his face.

A second of silence. And the guy grimaced. "You fucking bitch—!"

The remaining assholes hesitated. They looked at their fallen friend, then at Hunter who was just standing there with a bored look without any care. 

"What the hell is going on here?!" a loud voice boomed through the cafeteria.

A teacher walked in, her eyes widening as she took in the scene, the knocked-over trays, the groaning guy on the floor and Hunter standing in the middle of it all.

"Hunter! You again?" she snapped directly at the troublemaker. 

Hunter rolled his eyes. "They started it," he said flatly.

The teacher scowled without letting him complete. "I don't care who started it! Fighting is not allowed—"

"Oh, so bullying is, then?" Hunter cut in with a sharp accusation. 

The teacher hesitated at this. Hunter gestured toward the student, who was still sitting there, face blank but hands clenched into fists under the table.

"They were throwing shit at him. Saying shit to him. But I didn't see any teacher or student stopping that. What, you're gonna pretend you didn't hear it?"

The teacher's lips thinned. She sighed, rubbing her temples. "All of you—out right now."

The assholes gave Hunter one last warning glare as they staggered to their feet, one of them wiping blood from his mouth.

"This ain't over," He gestured to him. 

Hunter arched his brow. "Yeah? Then take a fucking number," he deadpanned.

The guy cursed under his breath and walked off. Hunter puffed out sharply, running a hand through his hair in frustration. 

After the teacher walked away too. Hunter glanced at the boy.

"You good?" 

The boy flinched but slowly he nodded.

Hunter was already done with today.

After the whole fight, the teacher's bullshit, and the realization that Aiden was actually going on that damn date, he just wanted to be alone.

So, he walked away.

But before he could reach the exit, a small voice stopped him.

"Um…excuse me."

Hunter paused and turned around to see the boy was standing there, looking shy and nervous, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his clothes. 

Hunter frowned. What now? I want to leave. 

"I just…I wanted to thank you," the boy said softly, avoiding Hunter's eyes.

Hunter sighed. "You don't have to." 

The boy hesitated, glancing at the floor. "Still…no one's ever stood up for me before. Not even the teachers." 

Hunter was already regretting getting involved. Why do people always feel the need to talk?

"Listen," he let out, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Next time they mess with you, just throw your hot food at them. Burn their damn faces off."

The boy was startled by his words. He abruptly looked up and for the first time, Hunter actually looked at him.

He had soft features, almost doll-like, with delicate cheekbones and a small, rounded nose. His lips were full, slightly parted in surprise, and his eyes were big and brown, they held a kind of innocence that made him look even younger than he probably was. His dark hair was slightly messy, strands falling over his forehead. There was something fragile about him, like a small animal caught in headlights.

Hunter sighed when he didn't reply to his surprisingly brutal advice. "What's your name?"

The boy's cheeks flushed pink and he shuffled his feet. "Um…it's Casen," he mumbled shyly.

Hunter gave a small nod. "Alright, Casen. If they ever bother you again, come find me."

Casen's face lit up with a bright smile. "Really?!"

Hunter raised a brow. "Yeah. Just don't get used to it."

Casen nodded eagerly. Then, as if remembering something, he reached into his bag and pulled out a chocolate bar.

"Here," he held it out to Hunter. "As a thank you."

Hunter stared at the chocolate like it personally offended him. "I don't like sweet things," he declared bluntly.

Casen's smile dropped. He pulled his hand back, looking a little disappointed.

Before either of them could say anything else, an annoyed voice cut through the mood.

"What the fuck is this?"

Hunter and Casen both turned to see Aiden storming toward them with his face set in a deep scowl.

Hunter was surprised to see Aiden there. And to double his surpris Aiden grabbed his wrist and yanked him back, stepping in front of him like some kind of protector.

Hunter looked at him worriedly. Did—did Aiden just shield him?

From Casen? A boy half of Hunter's size. 

Aiden, despite being shorter, stood firm, his glare locked onto the terrified boy in front of them.

"The fuck do you think you're doing?" Aiden questioned Casen. 

Casen flinched, looking as if he'd just been caught stealing. "I-I was just thanking him—"

"Thanking? Thanking for what?" Aiden demanded. 

Casen took a step back, his face turning even paler.

Hunter exhaled sharply. "Aiden, calm down. What are you doing?"

Aiden turned to Hunter, looking offended.

"Calm down? The fuck do you mean, calm down? Who the hell is this guy, and what were you doing with him?"

Hunter stared at him. Was this motherfucker serious?

"He's just some random student. Why the hell are you overreacting?"

Aiden gasped dramatically. "Overreacting?! Hunter, what the fuck—" He cut himself off, inhaling deeply before crossing his arms. "I'm just saying. This guy is bad news."

Casen visibly shrank at those words.

"Bad news?" Hunter repeated in confusion. 

Aiden nodded confidently. "Yeah! He's gay!"

Casen's ears began to ring as he remembered those bullies. He worried if Aiden was gonna bully him too. 

Hunter's eye darkened as he glared at Aiden. "So?"

Aiden groaned, rubbing his temples. "Hunter, do you even use social media? His photo of him kissing some guy is all over the internet. People are talking about him, calling him a cocksucker freak and what not. If you keep hanging around him, they're gonna think you're gay too. And you know how people are in this school. Do you want to be dragged into that mess?"

Casen's face turned completely pale, his eyes wide with humiliation. His hands shook as he curled them into his clothes, his entire body shrinking in on itself.

Hunter's jaw clenched so tight it hurt. His entire body radiated an eerie, ice-cold rage. "What the fuck did you just call me?"

He took a step closer to Aiden and asked in an alarming voice. "Say that again."

Hunter wasn't just mad. He was fucking livid.