His father. Of course. It was that father.
"That's not how a father should be," Luck muttered darkly. His own father neglected him and he never talked to his mother, but neither of them beat him up.

"I want to see him." Said Luck, his voice growing deep and ominous.


(I get the feeling that Luck would want to, uh do something to the father because he's probably rash. Problem is, I don't know if a high school bully does that :/)

Rune frowned, looking back to Luck when his tone darkened. "I don't think that's a good idea... If he ever found out someone knew..." He shuddered slightly, fearing the consequences if his father should learn that Rune had not only written everything down, but that someone else had read what happened, knew what he'd been doing to his son for years, now. "Definitely not a good idea."

Hearing Rune say that it wasn't a good idea, Luck pulled himself out of his sudden impulse. "You know," he said, "You could press charges against your father. You've got all the evidence for it. Why do endure all this?"

"Who would take me in, if he was convicted? More than likely, they'd throw me in some foster home for a year til I aged out of the system, then I'd have to find my own place, and learn to support myself immediately, while still going to school- because I will still be in school when I turn 18..." He replied. He'd thought about- and panicked over- that scenario many times. If he just reported his father... What then? "And what if the courts are more likely to believe him? He'd probably pin everything on you and the other bullies here... And destroy the evidence..."

Luck placed his hands on Rune's shoulders, staring at him in the eye and leaned in close. "If you don't want to report to anyone you don't have to. If you do, then you should do what you want. What do you want?"

Foster homes weren't particularly nice places. But then again, how much worse could a foster home be? Luck wondered. As for the other bullies, Luck was resolved not to let anyone bruise Rune again. He'd protect Rune, more than he had Cork and Fran and Blitzel. He grimaced inwardly at how he took those guys in. He'd let them crack on their own.

He wondered what Rune meant by his father destroying the evidence. After all, so long as the father didn't get his hands on the journal, the cuts on Rune would explain it all.

Rune's breath hitchhed slightly when he looked up, only to realize Luck's face was inches from his own. He got lost briefly in the other's gaze, before snapping himself out of it and pulling away. What did he want? "I don't know..." He said softly, arms wrapping around himself out of instinct, as he thought about Luck's question. "I want to be free from him... But I don't want to deal with the process. I don't want to be dragged in front of a court and have to relive everything he's done, and tell it to strangers who sit there and judge every little thing I say and do, watching me, their gazes full of either pity or disgust, or simply not believing me." He said, turning away slightly, shutting his eyes, trying his hardest not to cry.

"I don't..." He shook his head. "I just can't, Luck..." Tears slipped down his cheeks, despite his best efforts to contain them. And damn it all, he'd just cleaned himself up and redone his makeup, too...

"Hey, it s'alright," Luck started, slipping into an odd accent, lifting his hands up, palms curled slightly. Uncertain what to do, Luck dropped his palms.

"Believe it or not, no one's gonna just not believe you." Luck said. He drew a hand up to his hair, uncertain how to reassure Rune.

Dropping his hand, he brushed a tear away, "Sorry."
He'd brought Rune into the bathroom to clean him up so Rune would be able to get to his next class, not to get him to cry again. Why couldn't he stop his irresponsible mouth?

He shook his head slightly, using his sleeve to dab away the tears before they could destroy his makeup again. "S-s'not yiur fault..." He said weakly, leaning his head against Luck's hand briefly, taking comfort in the fact he cared enough to apologize.

"An' how d'you know they won't just disbelieve me?" He asked, glancing up at Luck, before turning to the mirror, smudging his makeup a little to make it look more natural since he'd been crying again.

Luck felt something briefly stir inside him as his hand came into contact with the soft warmth that Rune exuded. He was almost relieved and almost reluctant to let that feeling go as Rune drew himself away.

"Because judges and lawyers aren't like that. You don't have anything to make them not believe you." Luck shrugged, watching Rune in the mirror, "Part of it is acting like they'll believe you." His experience with teachers was like that. His experience with his family was like that. People believed you if you acted confident, tough.


(Oh gosh, I realized suddenly that Rune's named "Joshua." Whoops.)

((He is, yes. Only his father calls him that, though... Even his teachers call him by his second name))

Rune sighed softly, turning back towards Luck when he'd fixed his makeup. "I don't know if I could do it..." He said. His father had drilled it into him that no one would believe him, and despite knowing that was just a fear tactic to keep him from telling, he couldn't help but believe it himself... Why should anyone else believe? Everyone at the school knew he got beat up on a nearly daily basis, so why should anyone believe most of the bruises came from his father, and not from the bullies?

"You've got to be more assertive, Rune." Luck said. Then, feeling like he was being tactless, Luck shrugged and said, "It's easy to say but hard to do, isn't it." Luck placed his hands in his pockets and thought back. He'd learned to get tough from his youth, relying solely on himself. Eventually befriending Blitz and Cork and Fran. He didn't really have much advice to offer. How could you give a pep talk when you didn't truly feel how your audience felt?

"What's your next class?" He asked. Luck had math next. He groaned inwardly for still not having understood what he needed to know. His father told him math was important to graduate, and Luck had taken the advice to heart.

Rune shook his head lightly. He didn't understand how to make himself more assertive, when he'd been beaten into submission so often.

"I've got English..." He replied to the next question, noting the look of distaste upon Luck's face. "You're not very good at the subject, eh?" He asked, not thinking twice about how he worded it. It could very well sound sarcastic or insulting to most... It wasn't meant that way, however.

"English? I was thinking about math. But I suppose I'm not very good at English either." Luck shrugged, not minding. A perk of being a well-known bully, he supposed, was being proud of getting through school even without being good at things.

"Are you good at math or English?" He asked casually, for the school bell hadn't yet rung.

Rune gave a small laugh, hiding his smile. "Iwas talking about you not being good at math... But yeah, I'm pretty good at both... Not acing either class, but I'm still far from failing..." He said, shrugging lightly. Despite not acing the courses, he was still getting some of the highest marks in each of his classes, when he handed in his work.

Luck looked at Rune curiously, how did he know he had math next?

"Maybe you can teach me sometime." Luck said lightly as he grinned. "What's your favorite subject?" Luck asked, passing time as they waited for the bell.


(I have no clue if it's alright to just let them talk without plot. It ends up being super short on my end though ^^;;. Uhh, and conversing is difficult haha. So I'm not sure myself what Luck would do.)

"Maybe, yeah..." He said, smiling softly. "I'd have to go with either art or programming for my favorite class... Yours?"

Of course he knew what classes Luck had... He also knew that Blitzel also had math that period, and that the twins would be in the english classroom just down the hall from his, in a lower grade, but if he took the stairs at their end of the hallway up, then back down at the other end of the upper hallway, he could sneak past them easily, every time. He wasn't even sure that they knew he was just down the hall.

He also knew the rest of their schedules. One could never be too careful when it came to avoiding the bullies.

((Go for whatever feels right... And gah, I thought luck had mentioned having math , but he was just thinking it. Blah. Plausible explanation though! ... And who needs sleep?))

"Math." Said Luck bluntly. Then he frowned, "Well, I didn't like it before, but with these things, if I tell myself I like it I'll get better at it." He paused, considering for a moment, "I suppose I didn't enjoy any class all that much, except gym.

Luck looked curiously at Rune, "Art and programming? What do you like about those?"


((Obviously, I need sleep :P. What feels right is whatever pops into my head at the moment X'D))

Rune chuckled a bit. "Well, whatever works, I suppose." He said, smilinf a bit. He was still surprised that he and Luck were actually having a normal conversation. "I sucked at gym... Not only were people always theowing things at my head-" he shot anpointed look at Luck. They'd had the same gym class in ninth grade. "But when you've got bruises and scars to hide, on top of being the complete opposite of athletic..." He shrugged.

"I like art and programming because theyre detail-oriented classes. Plus art itself is a good stress relief."

Luck looked over to the side, abashed. "Sorry." He mumbled a bit as his hand drew upwards towards his neck. Two sorry's in a day was an awful lot for him. But then again, he supposed it couldn't be helped when he was bullying Rune all the time.

Luck thought about bringing up the idea of stress relief, but decided against it. He learned recently that saying things like that got Rune to cry.
"Details huh." He commented, "Why do you like 'em?"

He shrugged a bit, both at Luck's apology, and his question. "Not sure. Guess it's just the way my mind works. Better to give it something complex to figure out, like programming codes, than let my anxiety take control."

Luck nodded, noting that Rune seemed to favor things that let him forget about the stress that seemed to plague him all the time. In any case, if those things let Rune forget for a while, then he probably liked them enough to get really absorbed in them.

"That's good for you," Luck began, hands in pockets. "I envy people who can really get into a thing."

"Everyone can... it's just a matter of finding that one thing that interests you most." Rune replied, jumping slightly as he heard the bell ring. "Ah, suppose we should get going..."

As the bell rang, Luck frowned as he thought about his math class. Hopefully, they wouldn't have a quiz today. "Yeah, see you around." Luck replied, slightly grim. He left the bathroom and headed down the halls, which were just beginning to fill with students being dismissed.

He entered room 406, just beside room 404 where the math textbooks were kept. Sitting at the second row, Luck waited for the students and the history teacher to leave and for a different set of students and the math teacher to arrive. He opened his book bag and glared at his incomprehensible notes.

Rune waved, leaving a bit after Luck, having had to actually use the washroom before running off to class. He took his usual round-about way, not knowing if Fran and Cork had been told yet that he and Luck were on... neutral? Good?... terms now.

He made it into the English class just moments before the bell, quickly taking his seat along with the last few students who were standing around, chatting with their friends.

Students streamed into the class, talking among themselves. Some guy who normally sat at Luck's seat walked up to him as if to say "Hey, this is my seat," but seemed to think better of it and left.

Blitzel came in and sat next to Luck. They had math together.
"Hey boss, still struggling with math?" Blitzel asked in that sneaky way of his.

Luck glared at Blitzel, "Don't rub it in, Blitz." He sighed, "Give me your notes after class."
"Sure boss." Blitzel looked contented with himself. He enjoyed math thoroughly, in part because he thought that he'd be dashing if he wore a blazer and was smart at math.

Luck thought for a bit, "Oh yeah, and don't bother Rune. He's... not what he seems. You know."
Blitzel pulled at a blazer button before folding his hands together on the desk, "Alright boss. He was getting boring anyway. You have any targets in mind?"

"The small fry bullies," said Luck grimly. "We're going to go bother them."
Blitzel unclasped his hands and tugged once more on his blazer button, "Sounds fun." He said.

The math teacher walked into the class. "Alright class, stop talking." He said. "Class."

The class, undoubtedly, did not stop chattering.

The teacher waited, silent. The class would not be quiet. The teacher sighed, as he always did. He straightened himself and yelled, "Class, be quiet or I'm taking points off your participation grade."

And thus, the class began.

Rune's english class was relatively well behaved. When the bell rang and the teacher came in, they settled into their seats and quieted down right away. They started class with a note, then some worksheets. Once they were done, they had the rest of the class free to do as they wished, as long as it didn't disturb the other students who were still working. Most of the kids decided to chat with their friends about their weekend plans- who was throwing parties, which ones they planned to attend... Stuff like that. A few of the more studious teenagers decided to either work on their term projects, or read ahead in the novel they were working on. A couple, like Rune, zoned out into their own world with their phones, laptops, or handheld games in front of them.

During class, a couple of students talked here and there, but the teacher didn't take off participation points.

Luck didn't take any notes because there truly wasn't any notes worth taking. Math class was rarely about notes. It was about putting examples up at the board, solving them with the class, then practicing at home.
Beside him, Blitzel was solving things Luck couldn't understand. It related to the class, but obviously wasn't what the teacher was putting up at the board.

The teacher was saying something about graphs, "...range of the sine becomes domain of the inverse sine. So it is between -1 and 1 for inverse sine. The domain of the sine becomes the range of the inverse sine. Only it needs to be restricted to negative pi over two and pi over two. Can someone tell me me why?"
No one raised their hand.
"Luck?"

Luck looked at the teacher gravely. He had no idea.
"Because otherwise it's not a function." Blitzel piped up.
"Because then it's not a function." Luck repeated.

The teacher glared at Blitzel. "Alright, Blitzel, can you tell me why it's not a function then?"
"Gladly." Said Blitzel grinning. "It's because a function can only have one y-value for every x-value. So you need to restrict the domain of the sine graph, or the range of the inverse sine graph."

The teacher nodded in assent before moving on with the lesson.

Rune had practically flown through the assigned worksheets, it all being simple to him. After handing them in, he pulled out his laptop, and started working on some piece of code for his programming project, which the teacher couldn't get mad about, since it was directly linked to his English term project. He rarely ever did any sort of physical display unless told that it had to be done that way. Nearly every assignment he handed in was digital.

The teachers were okay with it, having realized early on that detail-heavy projects helped him focus and kept his anxiety lowered, though they had no idea where it stemmed from, likely assuming it was from the accident, or something.

Luck tried to concentrate through the lesson. Unfortunately, he knew much too little about what everyone had already learned to truly be able to understand anything.

Luck glanced over at Blitzel, who, unlike him, was incredibly happy to do, well, whatever it was that he was doing. At some point, Blitzel pulled on his button excitedly, as if he had just made an amazing discovery. Luck asked him about it, to which Blitzel simply shook his head in wonder and surprise. Luck had shrugged then. It didn't do to ask about what he wouldn't understand.

"...inverse cosine has a domain of -1 and 1, but a range of 0 to pi, can someone tell me.." The teacher was saying.

Obviously, this class was going to be a massive lecture. Luck wondered briefly if the teacher was pressed for time or something. At least, he knew, he wouldn't have a test soon, not with the fervor the teacher was going on with anyway. Besides, they had a test less than a week ago. Luck barely passed with Blitzel helping him.

Class went by much the same, until the bell rang, and eveyone started packing up their books and electronics, heading off to lunch. Rune rushed out, heading for his locker to grab his lunch, and the books he needed for the next two periods after lunch.

"...is negative infinity to infinity. So when you--" The bell rang, cutting the teacher off. The incorrigible students streamed out before the teacher could say a thing. People generally disliked this math teacher, because they felt he gave lectures more than really teach. Because of this dislike, they generally acted incredibly disrespectful towards him.

Luck put his notebook and pencil inside his bookbag as Blitzel handed him a ream of notes.
Luck flipped through the notes and scowled, "Blitz, you know I can't understand any of this."
Blitz grinned, "Keep them, boss. You'll need it when the test comes."
Luck glared at Blitz half-heartedly then headed to the lockers, where he put away all except his math notebook and prepared for his next class.
Blitz went off to find Cork and Fran.

Rune headed outside to sit in the fresh air and enjoy his lunch. Finding a nice shady spot away from the rest of the students doing the same as him, but not too far from the doors nearest his next class, he sat, opening the bag holding the contents of his lunch, bought that morning on his way to school- a chicken caesar wrap, an apple, and a bottle of water.

Luck strolled outside to search for Cork and Fran to tell them a new plan that was hatching in his head. He didn't have lunch with him because he'd already eaten it all during history class in the morning. He was incredibly bored then and had decided to finish his lunch to have free time later.

Cork and Fran saw Rune outside and, being bored, went up to him.
"Hey Rune." Said Cork, waving his left hand.
"Hey Rune." Echoed Fran, waving her right hand.

"Are you going to tell us what you had in those books?" Asked Cork.
"Yeah what's in them?" Asked Fran.

Rune, startled, slammed his sketchbook shut, holding it and his other books close so they couldn't be stolen again. "Umm, hi..?" He replied, a little wary of the twins still. Despite evrrything that he'd talked about with Luck, and the seeming understanding they'd formed, he was still a little skeptical of the twins.

"It's none of your business what's in them." He replied, tightening his hold on the books slightly.

Cork pouted, "You're no fun."
Fran mimicked Cork, "No fun," she echoed.

Cork sat down at Rune's left.
Fran sat down at Rune's right.

The twins' bowl-cut hair flopped over their eyes as they swung their legs.

"Why does Luck like picking on him so much Fran?" Asked Cork.
"I don't know, why does he, Cork?" Asked Fran.

"I don't know either." Said Cork.
"Maybe Rune knows." Said Fran.

"Hey Rune why does Luck like to beat you up?" Asked Cork, giggling.
"Yeah Rune why? Blitz was getting bored." Repeated Fran, giggling as well.

Rune fidgeted a little, uncomfortably close to both twins, and not able to get away from either without getting closer to the other, or being obvious about it. "I don't know... You'd have to ask Luck." He replied, putting his books in his bag, where they couldn't easily be grabbed, then picked up the other half of his wrap and took a bite.

Cork and Fran sighed in unison, their bodies drooping lower noticeably.

From the distance, they saw Luck approaching and their heads snapped back up.

"Hey Luck!" Shouted Cork.
"Luck!" Echoed Fran.

Luck walked briskly upwards, seeing that the twins were next to Rune, slightly worried about Rune's sanity around the twins.

"Luck, Rune won't let us see his books."
"Yeah, and he won't tell us why you like picking on him so much."

Luck frowned, "I'm not picking on Rune anymore. He's not bad."

"Why's that?" Cork asked.
"Yeah why?" Fran repeated.

"I've got a better idea," said Luck languidly. "Go pick on the other bullies."

Cork and Fran jumped up, clasping each other's hands. "War." They breathed, and waved good-bye to Luck and Rune.

Luck put his hands in his pockets, "You're okay?" He asked Rune.

Rune sighed in relief when Luck came over and the twins got up and ran off. "Yeah... Thanks. They.... Creep me out, kinda..." He said flushing softly. He knew the twins weren't inherently bad, but he'd had enough experience to know they weren't quite... Right.

"Hey. Is, um... Is there something wrong with them?" He asked, hesitant, unsure if he should ask, but letting his curiosity get the better of him.

Luck sat down next to Rune and stared at the twins' departing backs for few seconds, before he turned to Rune and spoke. "Not really," he started, "They're too dependent on each other." He said.

Luck thought for a moment, "They like being kids more than anything."

Rune nodded slowly, letting that sink in. "Ah.... So, what brings you outside today?" He asked, changing the subject as he took another bite of his wrap.