•Does it offend you, yeah?• [one/one]

Damien got lectured for bringing Kohen to lunch untill well after classes were over. The other two were still behaving like scared prey, anxious over being so close to one of the school's toughest bully, yet they were grateful nothing had happened. They'd heard from other less lucky kids just how bad Kohen could get and what he could do. The few unlucky ones had ended up switching schools just to get rid of the bullying and constant sense of fear they lived in the moment they walked in on school grounds.

After class, the other two had relaxed a little bit more and they were willing to talk about other stuff. Weekend was drawing near and Damien invited the other two over for some movies as they walked to the bus station. On the bus, they agreed over the meeting time and what movie they were going to watch right as Amanda's stop came up and the three said their goodbyes.

Damien got out of the bus last and walked the short distance over to his home, opened the door and slid inside. Only his mother and grandma were home, so after a quick hello, he darted upstairs and began working on his homework. He'd done most of it in class, but he wanted to finish it today. Not long after, he was called down for dinner alongside his family where he told them about the events of the day.

The next morning, before he left, he asked his mother if she could pack him an extra lunch. After his encounter with Kohen, he wanted to befriend him even more and perhaps try cheering him up a little.

As class ended, Kohen's friends came in and swarmed his desk- he had tried today in class but his head felt like it was going to explode. That's what he got for sleeping in class every day.
Jake wasn't at school today, which meant he would have to hang out with the others- who he didn't exactly have a tight bond with. It wasn't too unusual for Jake to go missing for days at a time- when he did return though everyone was on guard because he could change completely over a span of just a few days. It's like he was a different person. Sometimes he would take it too far- like last year when he was sent to juvie for intentionally shoving a kid down the stairs, almost killing him. The kid had hit his head hard and was in a coma after that. Surprisingly Jake only stayed in jail for a few weeks before he was chucked with the other underage delinquents.

Marcus was staring at Kohen's paper- bored. "You took notes?" He asked, not really surprised.
"Yeah? Like, I mean, what if there's a chance I can go to college?" He asked, staring at Marus.
Marcus stared at him with a confused look for a second before he busted out laughing. "Right, that was a joke, sorry, my bad, you looked so serious there for a second," He said, the same smirk as Jake on his face. He had picked it up from his lover of course.
Kohen laughed nervously. Marcus had given up on his dreams ever since he had joined the silence. He knew there was no hope for him or even a future- he didn't even try to fight it and neither did Jake.
Sometimes Kohen wondered how he had ended up in a group of broken kids- it was so sad yet scary at the same time.
"Anyways" Rae said, who was leaning on a desk, arms crossed. "Smoke break?" She asked. 'smoke break' was just another word for lunch at this point.
Marcus got up and nodded. "Yeah, let's go"
Aaron was silent the whole time. Though he did nod when they talked about the break.
Kohen nodded as well. "Yeah, just give me a second, I have something to get from one of my teachers" He lied.
The others looked at each other. "Right, whatever you say, lover boy," Rae said as she patted his shoulder and walked out with the rest of the guys.

Having taken a self indulging hot shower the previous night, Damien was now in very high spirits as he headed to school, taking his usual place in class and paying attention to the teacher like always. After class, he initially turned around to look for Kohen, but his friends ushered him to get out of there faster as the group of known delinquents surrounded the kid's table. They all looked like trouble so maybe the best idea was to avoid them right now.

However, Damien didn't leave with his friends for lunch; instead, he had to go do some small chores for the class, returning just in time as the bully gang had left. Noticing he and Kohen were alone in the room again, he waved the other over with his contagious bright smile.

"Hi again!" he chirped.

Kohen's eyes seemed to brighten as he heard the familiar voice address him. I mean, he totally wasn't there for him anyways. He tried to play it off cool as he saw the other approach his desk. "um, hi…again" he attempted a friendly smile.
Kohen sat there for a few seconds as if waiting for something. Then Kohen decided that he was being needy as hell and abruptly got up from his seat. "anyways, I'll see you around" he said, quickly making his way to the door.

Little did Kohen and Damien know that Rae had only used the break as an excuse. Marcus, Aaron, and Rae knew he had been acting weird since the other day and they were determined to find out what was up.
Kohen had just recently broken up with Vale- there was no way he was pinning after another guy this early on- i mean, what about his father? Wouldn't he beat him to a pulp again?- they were just really concerned for Kohen since they knew how rough his home life was.

The other got up to leave before Damien had found the opportunity to say anything, so when the other picked up his bag to leave, he asked:

"Ah, by the way! I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch together again. I know my friends were really scared of you and all, but i don't think you are that bad."

So far, lunch was his only way of befriending this kid, even though they had very little interaction.

"It's okay if you don't have time though - i understand your friends are waiting for you. So, if it's alright, at least take this"

He took out the extra lunch he'd asked his mother for and offered it to Kohen. It may have looked rude to offer him food like that, when the other probably had some of his own, but he still wanted to show him kindness through his own ways - especially since it looked like Kohen really enjoyed the sandwich from the other day.

Again, Kohen paused and turned to look at Damien. Kohen felt his heart skip a beat. what the fuck was that?? He questioned himself as he faced Damien. "No! I…I have time" He said quietly as he took the sandwich.
"um, my friends went out to do some stuff, I don't really want to though so maybe I can still sit with you guys at lunch?" He asked, thinking that maybe it was a long shot.

Rae blinked in surprise as she heard what Kohen was saying. Why was he hanging out with the new kid? What was his purpose? Or maybe….he had somehow seduced Kohen and he had taken a liking to the kid??
what the hell?! Rae thought. Kohen wasn't normally like this. He had stopped hanging out with their group even after school. What was his problem?!
Marcus, who was beside her just sucked on the lollipop Jake had given him yesterday, he didn't seem surprised yet again. He always knew that Kohen was much softer than the rest of their gang. "Maybe we should just drop his ass?
'cause I mean, if he wants to hang out with others we can't really be a part of that, they're scared of us shitless. We don't really fit in"
Rae was quiet. "We can't do that, he's our friend!"
"I don't think he sees us that way"
"You don't know that! You don't even like the kid!"
Marcus was silent. She was right. The kid was weak, just like had been a while ago. Though he was working towards building up his strength through the Silence. Marcus made a little sound "tsk" as he got up and left.
"Where are you going?" Rae asked, following him.
"Going to dig up some dirt on this kid, Damien. Kohen can't leave us that easily. If he were in a gang he would be killed. Imma make it clear that he can't just throw us away like trash."

Damien's expression brightened up as soon as he heard the other's reply.

"Sure! I'm certain they won't mind if you join us again, they're just overly cautious, that's all!"

Despite the scolding he'd gotten yesterday from his friends, he still wanted to bring Kohen over for lunch. Now, contrary to what Amanda suspected, there weren't any romantic feelings in the middle or anything, just Damien's pure will of wanting to befriend Kohen and try help him out a little - based on what he'd heard, the circles in which the other boy was orbiting around weren't exactly healthy, so maybe having lunch with someone from a different sphere of influence might be like a breath of fresh air for him.

In the cafeteria, Amanda and Franco breathed an exhasperated sigh, thinking "Ah damn, here we go again" to themselves. They tried warning Damien to stay away from Kohen not just because the other was a bully, but also because of the people he hung out with. Sooner or later, poor Damien would get in trouble one way or another.

"Hi guys, hope you don't mind i brought him along again" the boy smiled, pulling out two chairs for him and his guest.

"Nah, it's okay…" Amanda muttered, taking a bite out of her own lunch.

Kohen sat down again at the familiar table where Damien's friends were at. They didn't seem to mind as much as the other day but Kohen knew that somewhere deep down they wanted him to go away. He really couldn't blame them.
And so, as per usual, Kohen unwrapped the sandwich and bit into it, slowly sinking his teeth in. For some reason, he liked doing that- the sandwich was soft and perfect and he loved it. Kohen couldn't remember when was the last time he had enjoyed food so much- maybe it was because he was in the company of someone he could tolerate and didn't necessarily have to fear. It was a nice change of pace.
Kohen wasn't much of a chatter, so he sat there quietly, glancing up to the others once in a while. It felt…awkward. Like he didn't belong- and perhaps he didn't but he had made his other group of friends work, why couldn't he do the same for these guys?
What if….he started hanging out with them?
He froze. Stopped eating. What was he thinking?
He sighed and continued, taking small nibbles at the bread to make it last. He could only dream.

(sorry i haven't been on, depression calls-)

Like the day before, Damien sat down next to Kohen, not minding his friend's pleading looks - if he didnt listen to them the first time then chances were he never would. Though, interestingly enough, this time they weren't made fun of by the newcomer, no salty jokes, no smirk nothing. Franco may have been less colder than Amanda, but he swore he could feel there was a slight decrease in the other's dangerous vibe; was Damien actually having some kind of influence on this kid? If he did, then it must have been some kind of miracle, but he wasn't ready to judge it so soon.

Amanda continued to secretly keep an eye in Kohen, not trusting him even one bit - just because Damien was being openly nice to him and got away with it didnt mean she too would let her guard down.

In the meantime, Damien had noticed that Kohen seemed to like the sandwich he'd given him and it made him happy to know that. There were still a few more things in the package he'd given him, but he didn't want to press him.

"So, Kohen right?" he tried breaking the silence, while rummaging in his bag for the green apple his mom had put in. "Are you busy later? Sorry for asking but i was wondering if maybe you'd like to hang out with us a little bit. It's okay if you dont want to"

_{(issa okay man, take care)}

Kohen had been peacefully eating his sandwich until Damien had asked the question- to which he responded by almost choking on the bread. After Kohen managed to get it down, coughing a little afterwards, he looked at Damien, his teary eyes looking up at Damien. "Um, that-" He said with a shaky voice. "I-…." He paused to think about it. He and his friends were going out later on to do the usual- smoke, take a walk to the park, skateboard a little. They had planned to get intoxicated too, but if Kohen was being honest, he was a little scared. This could actually be his excuse.
"Yeah, sure, um, I don't see why that would be a problem.." He said slowly, looking at the bag Damien had given him. He frowned a little. There was something else in the bag. He curiously grabbed it and looked inside- there was also an apple- identical to Damien's and a…..small pouch of jellybeans? Kohen's face quickly turned red.
To counter this, he quickly pulled his jacket up to cover his nose and mouth. Whenever Kohen blushed it was very noticeable- he was easy to read, his friends had made that clear every time, and so, Kohen was self-conscious.
After Kohen had recovered from the shock he slowly pulled his jacket back down and grabbed the pack of jellybeans, opening it. It was clear that Kohen wasn't used to the kindness at all.
Since he had already finished eating his sandwich he went with the candy next. He popped one into his mouth and nearly dropped his jaw. They were sour- his favorite. He quickly popped four more into his mouth, making a slight face at the sourness.

Kohen kept eating, but a closer look at his face and you could see that his eyes seemed a little brighter- happier. His eyes were usually in a permanent sad state- droopy, but that didn't seem to be the case here. It was almost like he was genuinely happy for the moment.

(thanksies, i will uwu)

_{(d'awww man, i lov him hes too cute hnn qvq)}

(XD ahhhh thanks maaaan you boi is too precious to be beaten up by Kohen- i am dreading that part T^T)

(oh! also! you wanna skip to when they go out ?)

The boy initially patted the other's back when he chocked on the bread, helping him swallow it down properly, giving him a slightly worried look. He was about to apologize for making him choke but hearing the boy's response, his face lit up with a smile.

"Awesome!" he chirped, feeling hyped to have someone new to hang out with. "We might be going to the movies after school, hope thats okay with you. If not, we can go somewhere else!"

He was about to suggest some more options when he noticed the other's attempt to hide his blush - the tip of the ear from his side was tinted all red - but he preferred not to make any comment on it. Every move he made with this kid was very risky, so it was best not to push on too fast. Therefore, he continued to munch on his apple while he subtly looked at the other, the side of his face that was in Kohen's direction nearly hidden by the strand of hair that had escaped his messy bun.

The other two across the table were trying their best not to interfere too much in the whole ordeal - just because Damien was all fine and dandy while interacting with him didn't mean they too could do the same, at least not yet. But even so, they could not help but notice the way Kohen attacked the jelly beans. All suspicion aside, it was clear to them this kid wasn't totally a monster like everyone else made him out to be. Franco gave Amanda a short look, both sharing the same idea. If Damien really did manage to help this guy turn his life around, then it would be good not just for them but to Kohen as well; he needed less toxic people in his life

(ya sure if u wanna. Also ye, i too dread that part, esp since it brings back middle school memories ^q^)

(ah! I only said that cause i thought you had run out of ideas XD but it was like that for you too huh ? kids can be brutal man)

(yep, they're little shits with no compassion. Those were not nice years)

(ahahaha, yeah, truth)

Kohen nodded at what Damien said. "What movie are you guys gonna watch?" He asked. Kohen didn't really go to the movies- his friends never wanted to and his father was too busy for that. Deep inside, Kohen was more than excited. It took everything he had to maintain his excitement. "Well….no matter what you guys watch, I can tag along- I think I would enjoy a movie," He said, mumbling towards the end.

Kohen looked up when he felt the two staring. "What..? Got something on my face?" He asked, though, this time he wasn't trying to threaten them, he was just curious as to why they were looking at him. Perhaps they had seen his blush? I mean, he did very obviously try to cover it. Kohen looked away when he noted that that might have been the case. He cursed his emotions as he kept eating the jellybeans. Before Kohen finished them though he decided to save them for later and eat the apple that Damien had so kindly given him. "Oh and um thanks for the food- I'm not sure if I had thanked you yet-"

(though, the kids that would bully me were like Kohen in a way- their family lives were shit and I only came to find that out later when I was in high school,,, in a way i feel bad for them more than myself and what they did to me at the time)

"I think we're going to decide on the movie once we get there. If you find anything interesting you'd like to watch, don't be afraid to tell us!" he added the last part with a warm smile.

Franco quickly averted his gaze once he was noticed - even tho he wasn't exactly staring at Kohen directly at the moment - while Amanda just pointed at the corner of her mouth, trying to point out the small piece of sandwich left on his cheek near the mouth. She inwardly thanked the heavens that he really had something on his face and they weren't caught staring for nothing, but also feeling slightly less tense hearing the normality of his tone instead of the expected threatening one. That was one step on the right path, i guess.

"Ah, the food. It's alright, its my pleasure! Im glad to see you like it!" he responded, carefully tucking away the napkin left from the sandwich and tossing away what was left of the now eaten apple. "Ah, speaking of food, do you like chinese by any chance? Or any kind of eastern dishes?"

No, he wasn't asking because he himself was chinese, nor was he asking because he had any plans that included Kohen, no. He simply asked because that's when the thought of food crossed his mind. And the place he was thinking about was, by his book, one worth visiting.

(mine were mostly normal kids with okay families that just liked to pick on me because i was very weird. i had like, just one friend in the whole class, the others were neutral or hated me)

Kohen actually did have one in mind- it was a cartoon though, but he didn't want to admit that to Damien- especially not in front of his friends. The movie was called "How to Train Your Dragon". (imma just plug that in here-) He had seen a dragon on the cover and that was an immediate plus for him- Kohen had a sort of fascination with dragons and cartoons- He was very childish.
"It's okay, really, I don't mind what you guys watch-" Kohen protested. "But thanks for including me." He attempted an awkward half-smile.

Kohen blinked at what Amanda said. He slowly went to touch his mouth- the corner to be precise, and found the thing that was on his face. Oh god, how embarrassing- He thought, but was able to maintain his cool.
"Thanks.." He said, looking at the apple that he had taken a bite out of. Kohen turned back to Damien when he talked about Chinese food.
"Absolutely- I think Chinese, along with Vietnamese are my two favorite types of foods. I really love noodles- pasta to be exact" He corrected. Given that his parents were half Vietnamese, it was only natural that he had been introduced to their dishes at some point.

(oh man, some people just do it for fun cause they go nothing better to do- i guess that was your case. i was picked on because i was christian and it showed with the way that i dressed-)

(being christian isnt bad, i am too and my fashion style is the crappiest. But then again, im in a mostly christian country, and things are really chill religion wise here. Being hated for your religion is just dumb.)

"Ah, sure thing, don't worry! We'll see what's rolling when we get there. We'll decide then." Damien gathered what was left of his lunch and put it back in his bag, waiting for Kohen. Seeing how he was getting less and less obnoxious, the boy felt inclined to give him more attention than usual, trying to satisfy whatever needs the other may have. Him and his friends did their own way every day after all, why not dedicate this day just to making Kohen happy?

"Sure, no problem" Amanda finished her juice after pointing out the crumbs on the other's face, leaving him to his own devices, concluding that much interaction was enough for today.

"Oooh, Vietnamese dishes!" Damien smiled. "i haven't had too many of those but those few that i've had were really good! I know a restaurant that serves many great dishes, wanna go there some time?"

(honestly yeah- but then again the girl who fucked me up every day had it out for me from the very beginning since her mom and my mom knew each other and had some conflict. she still tries to pick some shit with me now and then in school since we go to the same one but i just ignore her, it's not worth my time unless she starts getting physical again)

Kohen finished his apple and stared at Damien as he spoke. "A restaurant? That sounds great dude, I haven't gone out often since I started working unless it's with my friends but I guess I could treat myself to some food now and then" he said, also cleaning up his mess and stuffing everything into the paper bag Damien had given him. He stored the jellybeans for later.
"…maybe we could even crash at my place afterwards? I'm not sure if you're into video games but I've got some pretty decent ones back at my place- I could use the company" He offered, figuring that he should contribute something of his own since the kid was going out of his way to include him.
"but um, i won't force you or anything like that, I just thought I'd put it out there" he finished, getting up to throw his trash away.

The bell was about to ring and Kohen was debating if he should go to class or just skip. It's not like he had good grades or anything and he had no business sitting in class doing nothing- it was quite boring for his ADHD of a mind.

Franco silently choked on his food on the other side of the table and Amanda stopped drinking her soda, when they both heard how the situation evolved. From simply sharing one's lunch with a bully, things ended up as a normal friend hang out invitation, Kohen actually calling the other "dude" - neither could believe their eyes and ears. Damn, perhaps Daniel's kindness really did hit its target.

Damien, on the other hand, had his eyes glimmering with excitement.

"Video games? Sure, i'd love to drop by!" he chirped, zipping up his bag. It wasn't yet clear if the invitation included only him or was available for his other two friends. If the latter, then they'd be a full 4 player team. "So, movies then video games? It's friday after all, we can go to the restaurant tomorrow if you'd like!"

Seeing the way he'd succeeded in making Kohen warm up more towards them, he was really glad to see his plan work, and so well. Of course he was into video games, he loved them a lot in fact - the very T shirt he had underneath the hoodie had a video game character printed on it (a cute version of Wu Chang from Identity V, holding his bell and umbrella).

They had two more classes ahead until they would be able to go home, therefore Damien and the others got ready to head to class. As luck would have it, the next class had a really chill teacher, who preferred talking to the students rather than making them copy entire texts of the blackboard. As long as you weren't making noise and paid at least half of attention to him, everything was fine.

(Man, what a low ass bish, picking on someone just because ur mom had a fight with theirs. It's just so pitiful and lowly. Good thing u dont pay attention to her, shes not worth your time. Take care tho)

Kohen nodded, liking the plan so far. These kids seemed like a chill group of people he could definitely fuck with- so far he was diggin' it.
"Yeah, that sounds good…um" Kohen seemed to pause as he quickly glanced over at the other two. "If your friends want to come too, they can- since you know, they're your friends and I'm sure you'd feel more at ease with them around" he spoke meekly.

Forward to after school and Kohen was leaning on a tree by the parking lot. He seemed very fidgety. He had never- and I mean NEVER in his life talked to others outside of his very brutal friend group.
Kohen was very obviously waiting for someone- Damien and his two friends, but as he was doing this, Rae casually walked over, wrapping her arm around his neck. "So, Kohen. Where were you at lunch?"
Kohen stayed quiet as he looked off into the distance. He was not about to start this petty fight.
Marcus, on the other hand, was not as gentle as Rae she shoved Kohen to the ground. "Well?. We asked you a goddamn question." His eyes glaring down at the boy.
Kohen simply got up and dusted off his clothes. "That's none of your business Mar-cy" He said, emphasizing the last syllable as if taunting. Marcy was what Jake called him and Marcus hated it whenever anyone else called him that.
That seemed to set him off. As if Kohen just threw gasoline on an already raring fire. "You better fucking watch-" Marcus said, walking menacingly towards Kohen, but Rae stopped him. "Chill out Marcus. I don't want you killing him."
Rae walked up to Kohen. "If you don't want to hang out with us anymore that's okay but at least hear what we have to say. Clubhouse tonight and then we'll stop harassing you." Rae said, asserting dominance, a superior air about her.
Kohen looked at all three of them. Marcus and the pissed off look on his face, Rae and the calm, smug look on hers- then Aaron's who looked tired as he waiting for the two to stop.
"Fine. But I never said I wanted to stop hanging out wit-" and then Marcus' fist connected with his nose. "STOP BEING A FUCKING HYPOCRITE WE SAW YOU WITH THOSE PATHETIC KIDS AT LUNCH, STOP LYING TO US YOU DIPSHIT."
Kohen was on the floor again as he placed a hand over his nose which was bleeding now. His eyes were narrowed into a glare at Marcus, but he didn't say anything.
Then the group left like nothing happened, Rae scolding Marcus and Marcus brushing it off.

Kohen just sat there mentally cussing himself out. "God fuck. What an ass." He said as he took his hand off his nose and saw the blood. He sighed deeply and shook his head. He was really stupid.
He was fucking with fire at this point. A gang member who could hunt him down and fuck his shit up, a chick who could have his ass beat- even killed and someone who was basically a powerful monopoly who could leave his whole family on the streets if he wanted.
Kohen felt his will waver. This really wasn't what he wanted. He wanted a peaceful life for fuck's sake. Kohen didn't even stand back up- he just laid back on the grass and stared dully at the sky.

(yeah, she was just that kind of person, but i mean, it's whatever lmao i'll be moving next year probably and hopefully, i wont have to deal with her ass anymore)