Nobody But You - 4. Chapter 4

Etienne gathered up his belongings as the bell rang for them to head to second period, purposely taking his time. All around him the world kept its sheen of normalcy in place. Students chatted idly about things as simple as who had what class together, what teams they were going to try out for. If he closed his eyes he could almost imagine that he was back in Breaux Bridge. He was shoving his binder into his bag and surreptitiously watching the other students file out of the room when an elegant hand reached across his desk, picking up his class schedule which still lingered. Etienne looked up over his shoulder to find a piercing violet gaze perusing the paper.

"Five out of seven classes together, including second period.", he murmured softly.

"Awesome. You have American History next with us. We'll show you where it is." The other twin's voice came from behind Etienne's right shoulder making him look up his way.

Etienne felt like a fish gasping out of water as he looked first one way and then the other, eventually closing his mouth with a snap. "Can I have..." The words faded off, weak to even his own ears, dying off completely when the twin to his left placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We're going to help you out, don't worry. I'm sure as a new student, things can be disorienting." He smiled down at Etienne and he swore he could see a hint of fangs flashing behind his lips.

Numbly Etienne stood up, grabbing his bag, and let himself be tugged towards the door. He was stuck in a state of shock, so unused to having any form of attention directed his way. Back home, by the time he'd reached high school, people had avoided him as some form of non-entity. If his eyes didn't put them off then the whispered words about his 'quirk' did it. Nobody ever came right out and said werewolf, but there was always the vague speculation to be had. Did he have a disease? Some mental ailment? Violent and creepy? People didn't have anything better to do than to wonder, but in the end they'd avoided him for whatever reason they decided to run with. Sure he was unparalleled on the track, but 'probably' because he was a 'delinquent' who only stayed in school because he was fast. That was the thing with whispers, you always seemed to hear them so loudly.

Though he was taller than them by several inches, they flanked either side of him forming a buffer between him and everyone else as they steered him through the halls. Over their heads Etienne could see heads turning to stare at them as they passed. The twin to his right had his hand pressed into the small of his back as the one to his left went over his schedule, his voice sounding as though it came from a great distance away. The smell of cinnamon was coming from somewhere and Etienne was in a daze as he put one foot instinctively in front of the other to climb the stairs at the halls end.

"So you're here for track, right? We don't do clubs and teams, so much hassle. I've heard here and there you're a big deal." Left Twin said offhandedly.

"It's something to do." To his own ears he sounded like a dick trying to sound cool, when in reality after so many years of fights and bullies, his body had acclimated itself to seeking out the quickest means of escape.

"I think it's pretty cool." Right Twin imperceptibly flexed his fingers against Etienne's hip as they ascended step by step.

Another hallway, much like the one below them, sprawled ahead of them as they crested the top of the stairwell. The only real difference was a set of double doors partway down the hall's length, thrown open to reveal rows and rows of books. Standing in the open doorway was the kind librarian who'd helped him that morning, her fingers giving Etienne a happy little wave upon seeing him.

"Good morning, Ms. Abbie.' Right Twin called out to her.

"Mom says she's got some new scrolls on loan from her friend in Cairo. They're in her study for you since they're still in Kyoto." Left Twin finished.

Her face took on a dreamy glow at the mention of the scrolls, "She certainly knows my weakness. I will most certainly let you know when I can stop by. Thank you, Tatsuya, Tatsuo. Give them my regards if you speak to them."

"Yes, Ma'am." They spoke in unison this time.

The mysteries surrounding the twins continued to build in Etienne's mind. His pondering was cut short as they came to a halt outside room 1, 'Mrs. Anderson' taped in jaunty cut out letters upon the wood. Left Twin opened the door wide while Right Twin brought up the rear, leaving him no choice but to be corralled into the room between them. This time a bespectacled white ewe in the pinkest dress he'd ever seen stood before the board.

"Welcome! Welcome! The seats are in alphabetical order, and as soon as everyone is settled we'll get started." She beamed with genuine warmth.

A coldness came over the twins as they moved to sit at two desks a couple of rows over, as though they'd had ice water dumped over their heads. Etienne sat at his own desk, facing forward he avoided the twin violet stares he could feel coming from beside him. It took him most of the hour before he got his breathing back to normal, erecting his bubble of solitude back around himself. This time when the bell rang for them to head to the next class, Etienne was ready. Bag in hand he darted out the door, almost running to where he assumed his next class would be based on the layout of the school so far. Reaching third period, Etienne's breath felt leaden in his lungs as everyone else filed into the room, but the twins were not among them.

Even after the door had closed and class began, he still felt the ghost of their touch and the linger of their stares. These alien feelings they'd incited within him left him confused and bewildered. The entire hour passed him by leaving him in the same heightened state. The bell for fourth period made him jump in his seat, hurriedly shoving his things in his bag and heading for the door.

As he ducked out of third period, he spied the ultraviolet hues of Right Twin...fuck he was beginning to tell them apart...looking over the crowd's heads, presumably searching for him. Turning immediately in the other direction, Etienne retreated like a coward, his tail almost literally tucked between his legs. Attention made him nervous. Attention meant confrontation, and from there came the jeers and bubbles. His own parents kept him at arm's length, stressing the importance of always keeping his head low.

He felt ridiculous ducking his tall frame down amid the masses in an attempt to escape the twin's notice. Not daring to stop until he'd reached his fourth period class, Etienne loosed a relieved breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding in. He thought he’d mentally prepared for today, constantly reassuring himself that it’s just another school, that he’d make it through just like the other 12 grades in Breaux Bridge. ‘Just keep your head down and fly under the radar’ he’d coached himself. Fuck, he was proud that he’d only spent fifteen minutes hovering at the fence outside. Nothing could have ever prepared him for the twins, never in a million years had he imagined he could host these kind of feelings.

Nobody ever dared to pay the outcast attention, lest they bring his seclusion down upon themselves. Track was a perfect example of the double edged sword that constantly hovered over him. While utilizing the very skills which let him escape the world around him, ironically had catapulted him into the athletic spotlight. At first people had assumed he was some star jock and a great catch. Girls would smile and wave their little fingers at him at the meets, and soon the whispers would reach their ears and little fingers ceased waving, replaced by stares filled with repugnance and fear. He’d become their prize pony, trotted out for oohs and ahhs, watch him put on a good show and win medals at State, always in the spotlight but so utterly alone. This was the reality he'd become accustomed to.

Again time seemed to fly by without him ever really hearing a word in class, so great was Etienne's anxiety. Lunch was a godsend and a curse all at once. The words Left Twin had muttered that morning repeated in his mind, 'five out of seven classes.', and those had turned out to be third and fourth period. Meaning the rest of the day would be spent in their company. The very thought twisted his insides into knots, leaving him in expectant panic. Remembering Right Twin's raven purple tresses searching the crowd before, Etienne took extra care to scan the halls before slipping out of the room searching out some corner of this school where he could have a little solitude for a while.

It took a little while but he eventually found a stone bench, tucked amid some hedges in the school's shadow. For the first time that day he felt like he could draw a deep restoring breath, letting them pace in and out of him for long minutes, attempting to re-center him. But even this was not to last, and he heard the crush of gravel underfoot and an unknown scent on the wind headed in his direction. Not only was it close but it was definitely not the cinnamon aroma of the twins.

“Well, if it isn’t the Big Star?” Etienne cringed inwardly at the growling voice, “Too good to eat with your fellow students? You must think you’re something great.” A skinny brown wolf, neck ruff bristling with aggression came around the corner of the school. His brown eyes looking Etienne over from head to toe as he advanced closer.

Etienne stood, towering over the intruder on his privacy, hoping his height would be bluff enough to intimidate him into going away.

“What’s with the freak eyes, man? All you are is a novelty, a sideshow.” The wolf bared his fangs, stepping right up until he was almost right up against the loup garous.

Etienne let years worth of ingrained survival instincts kick in against his will, and he could feel the wolf inside him rising to take over, growling at the lesser male. “Look, Dude, I don’t even know you. I'm just trying to enjoy my lunch.” The wolf only got him in trouble, and he’d learned at a young age that embracing what was inside him only caused problems. Everything human inside of him wanted to flee the whole confrontation, but after the constant tension of today the wolf was sick of being reined in. He fought hard to keep his ears from lifting from his skull, holding on to his charade of cool indifference with everything he had.

The brown wolf coiled his haunches, readying himself to lunge at Etienne, a deep growl rumbling in his chest..and immediately found his face ground against the gravel instead.

“Brett, you ball licking little runt.” The wolf yelped and whimpered, fighting the hand at the base of his skull. “Bad dog’s get grabbed by the ruff of the neck until they learn respect for others.” Right Twin’s eyes had darkened to nearly black, completely eclipsing the violet, his nails digging into the back of the wolf’s neck.

Brett’s eyes were suddenly panicked, looking to Etienne for help where only moments before he'd been ready to jump him. The aura oozing from the Twin was crippling in its power. “I was only talking to him, Tatsuya.” The wolf gurgled out against the hard crunch of the gravel in his face, tail shaking between his legs.

The Twin leaned in close to the wolf’s ear, “Go to fucking lunch, and you better learn some manners while you’re here at school.” The brown wolf scrambled up from the ground, retreating back the way he'd came.

Etienne saw Tatsuya’s eyes shift from black to their now familiar soft purple as they turned towards him, that menacing aura disappearing.

“Are you okay?” The gentleness in his tone was disarming as he spoke to Etienne.

Nobody cared how he actually felt...ever. Sadly Brett's reaction was the norm where he was concerned. “I’m fine, thank you.” Etienne's words were suddenly barely more than a whisper in the presence of the twin, his bravado from moments before disappearing. "Was just trying to have lunch when he just showed up. I don't even know him"

A small grimace curled the twin’s lips. “Me and my brother are...I guess you could say ‘well known’ around here. They see it as a challenge to see who can land one of us, so we tend not to favor anyone...”

The stares he'd received in the halls resurfaced in Etienne's mind as he'd walked with a twin on each side of him.

Tatsuya's words faded softly, his head turning to stare off into the distance for several long moments.

Etienne gathered his resolve, touching Tatsuya’s arm. “You okay, yourself?”

Looking down at where Etienne's hand touched his skin, Right Twin smiled broadly, “Yes, I’m fine. Tatsuo is a bit flustered and looking everywhere for me.”

Etienne was a little lost, as he’d never heard him speak and didn't see a headset or anything of the like for him to talk into. His eyes studiously looked at his feet, attempting to look anywhere but at part of the source of his anxiety for much of the day. “Thanks for your help with that...wolf.”

Tatsuya grimaced, “I should have known he’d try to start something with you. He’s always been a hot head and a self serving ass. I’m glad I found you though.” Clearing his throat, a sudden sense of shyness overtaking him, he locked Etienne’s gaze with his own violet stare, “As well as you carry yourself in front of everyone else, I can still smell the fear rolling off of you, and if me and my brother had any part in making it worse you have our wholehearted apologies.”

Hidden as they were from almost anyone else’s view, Etienne felt long warm fingertips entwining with his.

“Did you know some dragons mate for life?”

Barely more than a whisper of words, Etienne would have missed it without his sensitive wolf's hearing. “W..what was that?”

Silence answered him, again Tatsuya's head tilted to the side, staring off into space once more..almost adorably. Suddenly his gaze met Etienne's once more. “If you’re free would you like to visit our house after school?”

Inspiration for Twins.