standsonhigh | High school AU open post

"I will actually leave you here. And I know how dangerous this is. As far as I'm concerned, I hope this is the last time I have to hear your miserable voice." Rodolphus stepped closer again, grabbing Koschei's hair and making him look at him. "Now, say 'thank you' and I won't kick you knee and punch you in the stomach. How's that for getting to live a while longer?"

He knew very well that a wrongly timed punch or kick could actually lead to his death and he didn't know what to do. To say thank you would take everything he believed in away from him and frankly, that was all he had any more. Tom had taken everything away from him but his pride. Taking a deep sharp breath, he purposefully looked away, tip toes bracing for what would happen next. "Just leave me alone, you moronic idiot."

"There is nothing funnier but you being this scared, you know that?" In the end, Rodolphus just laughed and ruffled Koschei's hair, not hurting him before him and the others headed back to the castle, still jeering and laughing and leaving Koschei behind to struggle to keep his balance.

Hours passed before anyone came close to this side of the lake again. It was raining, after all.

"Well, if you could see the stars tonight it'd be amazing, Really." Theta was trying his best to convince Rose, who seemed less skeptical and more cold and wet.

"Theta, this is nice and all but --" Well, she was wet and she really wanted to get back inside. Theta had a lovely enthusiasm for so much and that could be infectious but no one really wanted to go on a romantic walk in the pouring rain with the wind viciously blowing it in their faces.

She was about to gently break it to him that she didn't actually want to look at the stars in this weather when she noticed the oddest sight just ahead. One that killed the very tiny shred of romance left this evening.

Was there a kid hanging from that tree?... Oh no, he wasn't dead, was he? Because that was not a good way to end a first date, finding a suicide victim. "Erm ... Theta?"

"Hm?" Theta had not noticed anything, because he was busy staring up at the sky despite the fact that he couldn't even see a thing and had to keep blinking when his eyes were hit with raindrops. However, when Rose said his name he looked around and then he frowned, grabbing her hand and running toward the figure hanging from the tree.

"Koschei?!" To his credit, he at least sounded suitably alarmed and immediately wrapped an arm around his friend to hold him up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm having a picnic," Koschei stuttered out sarcastically, trembling so hard by this point that his voice jittered the whole way through. His toes slid in the mud, trying to keep a grip so he didn't accidentally get choked again. It had happened only once, earlier on, when he'd slipped and his throat had taken quite a nasty choking which had rendered his voice a little hoarse. "Get me down."

His legs were killing from being tensed this whole time, he was completely soaked and his underwear were just plastered to him. And it was very hard to stay still and unstrangled when his body was shaking as much as it was.

Turning his head, he gave the girl with Theta a very strange look. What the hell was this idiot doing now? A date in the rain? He was thankful for the rescue but really? With a defeated sigh, he just tried his best to get as close to Theta's warm body as possible while he was undone. His own was ice cold.

"Er. Right, right. We're on it." Theta did his best to undo the knots while also keeping Koschei standing and was glad when Rose helped out, because with one hand he wasn't getting very far. While Rose finished getting the rope around his neck loose, Theta untied his wrists and rubbed his back reassuringly. "Thanks Rose. You're so cold, Koschei..."

He had given his jacket to Rose earlier, or he'd have offered it to Koschei now. "Let's get you inside, quick. Everything will be alright, you'll see. Who did this?"

Koschei just clung to Theta, head pressed protectively against his shoulder, trying to keep close for warmth and to keep himself upright at the same time. That was it, they'd crossed the line so much now that the line was barely in sight. They actually tried to kill him this time, he culd of died. His heart was racing as he staggered along, trying to talk himself out of doing something stupid like running to Tom's room. He could of, it was late and he'd be there, but he could barely keep himself upright.

"Tom," Koschei growled out, teeth clenched in an effort to avoid then chattering. Fortunately one of them had common sense enough to try and get some clothes on Koschei and Rose was soon offering Theta's coat to him in an effort to warm him up a little. "He's actually trying to kill me, Thete."

"Tom?" But although Theta had a hard time believing that, he didn't voice his doubts. Why would Koschei lie about this, anyway? But that could wait, anyway. He rubbed Koschei's back reassuringly, making shushing noises as if he was a little child or an animal, at least until he saw the look Rose threw him, at which point he cleared his throat and straightened up a little.

"Let's go to a teacher. And you need a hot shower."

"No, no teachers, I can handle this," Koschei insisted as he slipped his arms into the jacket, wrapping it around him. Thank God Theta had a stupidly long coat, for once it came in handy. Usually he just got it trapped in doors or left it in a pile in the middle of their room. "Just have your date, I'll be fine. Trust me."

Yep, totally fine. What with him barely able to keep himself upright, trembling unstoppably and covered in mud. Completely fine. He let go of Theta as soon as they reached the doorway, tentatively making his way inside the school, sheer determination keep him upright. He was going to go sit in a hot shower all night, that'd fix this problem. Maybe some time in bed too.

"Don't be silly, Koschei. Rose understands!" Before Koschei could fall over, Theta wrapped an arm around him again and pulled him along. "Rain-check, Rose? I'll show you the stars tomorrow. Maybe we can actually see them then!"

As happy as one could be after a ruined date and rescuing a friend from choking to death - which in Theta's case meant very cheerful, actually - he led him back to their room, chatting to pass the time.

"Rose has never seen a comet, so I wanted to show her one, but it just had to rain, didn't it? I wish I had a key for one of the towers, we could see things much better from up there. Well, if it would just stop raining, at least."

"You're such an idiot," Koschei complained but it came out as a hoarse whisper which went unheard over Theta's ramble. Koschei simply clung to Theta again, leaving muddy foot prints behind him like some sort of epic trail. "It forecast rain, check the weather next time."

He didn't speak much after that, just let Theta yammer on as together they stumbled back to their shared room. Koschei was just glad no one was about to see this, it was quite a show. Once the door was opened, thoughts of a shower were forgotten as he broke away from his room-mate and went straight to his bed, clambering into it, desperate for warmth.

Soaking the bed with his wet and muddy form probably wasn't a good idea but it was so tempting and he couldn't resist. So he was happy to be a freezing lump under his covers for now.

"Well then..." Theta trailed off and shrugged, then rubbed the back of his head and felt useless for a moment or two before announcing that he was just going to go check on Rose and leaving the room again.

Then there was nothing for a long time, until at last Barty reached the door, soaked from the rain himself and knocking rather desperately. He'd seen the trail, at least, which was making him hope that Koschei would actually be here.

"Koschei?!"

Koschei didn't want to get up, he was barely keeping himself awake as it was and the idea of getting out of his bed was a horrible one he couldn't face. So, rather skilfully, he rose from his bed while wrapped in his duvet, clasping it tightly as he ventured unsteadily towards the door.

He must of been delirious, he really must of been. When he opened the door, he could of sworn it was Barty. Like he was sure he'd heard his voice earlier. Why the hell would Barty ever visit him again? Maybe he was hallucinating and this was actually Theta. And it'd be really weird if he called him Barty, Koschei would never live it down. Theta would probably try to set them up or something.

Because of his lack of knowing what to do, he sort of stood there, staring at Barty. Damp, muddy and looking very pale. It had been a rough night, he was allowed to be weird.

Luckily Barty was out of the age where a ghost in a sheet could scare him, but he still needed a moment or two to make sense of everything. Then, of course, he flung himself at Koschei and hugged him tightly, held him as close as he could, perhaps even a bit too tightly, while hiding his face against him.

"I thought you were dead. Fuck, Koschei..." He was only slowly calming down his breathing, obviously having run all the way. "Tom wouldn't let me leave and what he said..."

"They actually tried to kill me," Koschei said bluntly, not returning the hug because that would require dropping the duvet he was so desperately holding onto. Hours standing outside in the rain, on his tip toes, scared he was actually going to die really had take their toll tonight. If he'd of died... everyone would of thought he'd killed himself. He'd be forgotten and ignored, like that, and they'd of gotten away with it. This had stopped being s nagging issue and become a big problem now, the next move could be worse and how could he survive every time?

"They ruined my favourite boxers," Koschei complained, knowing his priorities were very wonky right now but he was just so cold, he couldn't even think any more. This room wasn't actually all that warm and his covers were too well worn to prove that much heat. Barty, on the other hand, was lovely. Like a hot water bottle, actually. He pretty much melted into the other boys hold. "You're so warm, don't let go."

"I know. I know they did. Tom told me, but I had a hand cuffed to my bed, I couldn't get away." And his hand was still sore and hurting from finally getting away once Tom had fallen asleep, but that was another issue. "You have to change school or something. Tell someone. I will tell someone. Come on, you're freezing, lets get you back to bed."

He pushed Koschei further into the room, definitely not letting go of him. "Warm? Well, you're hot. I mean. Cold right now, but. Y'know."

"I'm not leaving, this my school. All my family went to it for generations. Tom is just some lucky stray mongrel that got a scholarship, he doesn't belong here. I do and I won't leave," Koschei growled, but there was an edge of desperation in his tone. His reputation was at stake here, this was such an important school and all his family had been here. To leave would be admitting defeat. And to tell would just embarrass him. "I can sort this, I really can."

If he just had to kill him. Simple as. He was going too far, he was hurting Barty and trying to kill Koschei. So he had to kill Tom before Tom killed him otherwise he'd lose everything. And he refused to run away like a coward.

Moving in closer to Barty, he snorted in amusement, trying his best to hold back the trembles he felt so Barty didn't get too concerned. He didn't need him going off and telling a teacher, he couldn't even imagine how awful that would be. His parents would force him into a transfer too. "I'll be fine, I will, just come lie with me for a while. I can't get warm again."

Yes, Barty, come lie on the wet and muddy mattress. Such a pretty sight.

"You need tea," Barty mumbled, feeling amazingly useless and at least deciding to lie down on that uninviting mattress so he could pull Koschei on top of him. He bit his lower lip as he stared up at the ceiling, not really knowing what he could still say. He had never felt as completely helpless and pathetic as tonight and knowing that Koschei wouldn't back off just made it worse. How was he supposed to keep him safe if all he did just ended up making it worse?

"I can't let anyone see me near you again," he announced finally, even as their bodies were pressed right against each other, "Maybe I get a girlfriend."

Alright, that jump of logic was hard to follow for anyone outside his head.

"I don't have any tea but you're welcome to find me some," Koschei pointed out as he lay on top of Barty, enjoying the body heat he was getting. This was working much better than a damp bed. Eyes closed, he tried not to think about how horrible this was getting for both of them. He wanted a moment to just relax and sleep a little, feel warm again. But when Barty suggested they avoid each other publicly, he couldn't hide his annoyance or the growl that slipped out. Why did they have to hide and lie for Tom to be happy?

"You don't need a girlfriend and I shouldn't need to run away for my own safety," Koschei insisted, opening his eyes once more to look at Barty. He didn't know why he said what he said next but -- well, later he would argue that a night out in the cold and rain with the threat of his death had totally smashed his sanity. But for now, he really didn't care much. "Let's just kill him. Together. We're smart, we could get away with it. Just leave the door unlocked and I'll sneak in."

Then what? He didn't know. Slit his throat? Choke him to death? He had to do something, he really did. "I can't take this any more, I really can't. Either I'm going to die or he is. There's no other answer."

"No! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Barty shoved at Koschei's shoulders, but it was a very half-hearted shove. He didn't actually want him to budge, he was just lacking other ways of showing his annoyance. If annoyance was really the right thing to say. After having spend hours being taunted by the person he was closest too, he'd always desired to be closest to, with the murder of the boy he had a crush on, he really didn't need to hear that same boy voicing murderous thoughts.

"It's bad enough I like boys, did I really have to like boys that will spend life in jail?"

"He tried to hang me!" Koschei cried, unable to help himself sounding just a bit more upset than he wanted to. He had actually been afraid for his life tonight, standing outside in just his underwear, legs threatening to buckle. He still had an ugly mark there from when he'd slipped and he was sure it'd take a fade with his other bruises. His whole body was riddled with marks by now, years of suffering on him. Surely he earned this moment? "He actually tried to kill me tonight, Barty. This isn't a game any more, he's going to try and break me."

And he wanted to say that he didn't care, that he wasn't scared, but he really was. He didn't want to die young, he had so much to achieve yet. To lose it to a jealous teenagers with his own mini army wasn't fair. He wanted to win! He deserved a victory.

"I'm trying and I've been trying since I was eight to keep a hold of this situation and not get dragged into a war but I can't any more. It's been too long, Barty. I don't think I can take much more of this!" He couldn't run away, he couldn't leave, so what could he do but fight back? And he couldn't fight a whole army! But he could fight the man that kept them together. Cut off the head and wait for the body to follow.

"I know he did, Koschei, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'd have done anything to stop it, I tried. I really tried!" Barty kissed Koschei's neck where he could see the mark of the rope and he hugged him tighter, once more reminded of how it had felt to be unable to get out and know that he might be dying that very second. He was terrified still himself, he definitely didn't blame Koschei for being upset.

"But what do you think would happen if you did kill Tom? Say you'd get away with it, but still. What's next? Killing Rodolphus? Lucius? All of them? Tom started it, I know, Tom chose you and all that, but he's not the only one keeping it going." He sighed and ran his fingers through Koschei's hair. "Just. Just try and relax. You're safe for now."

"Tom made me a target, I can't relax as long as he exists. But if I end him, they might think twice. They'll be afraid of me and I can be safe again. No one tying me up outside, pissing on me or beating me up," Koschei insisted, closing his eyes and trying his best to let himself relax. He wanted Tom dead, he didn't care if it fixed the issue or not. He just wanted to remove him forever. He'd been doing this since he was a child, since before he could remember a happy experience at school. And the worst part is that he just didn't get why. Yes, he'd upset Tom when they were younger but why was he still holding a grudge?

"Even if they did keep picking on me, even if they never stopped, he would be gone. And I could have you," Koschei said, an edge of possessiveness in his tone. But since Tom had gatecrashed their time together, he hadn't been able to be with Barty properly and he was pretty sure the boy had hated him. Though now suggested otherwise. "We could fight them off together, me and you. But we can't stop him, he won't ever back down. Tom has to die."

"You want me?" Well, he had to focus on just about the only thing in there that didn't just make him shudder with how unsettling it was. Just focus on that part, focus on him getting to hold Koschei now, focus on finally not feeling like he'd just been used by the other boy and maybe he could stop him from doing something crazy that might ruin their entire lives. That would, might actually doom Tom.

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