Ah, SuFin…I will go down with this ship. This one is a high school drama~! Drastically different from my usual stuff, huh? Well, I felt like writing it after reading No Such Thing as Coincidence for so long by the lovely Kuro-Riya. LOVE YOU, HUN~ I'm posting the first chapter of this for the anniversary of her addicting story just for her. C:

WARNINGS:

T for Denmark. He smokes, he drinks, he swears, he's an ass. Which brings me to my next warning:

Denny is the antagonist. Never my favorite place to put him, but sometimes he just has to fill that role.

~Drama~ This wouldn't be high school without it.

The pairing is SuFin, which means boy x boy. Fluffy.

CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF FREINDSHIIIIP but lacks ponies. (Sadly.)

This whole story is PRE-WRITTEN. Which means updates are swift and regular, like a high-prune diet. (You're welcome for that lovely mental image.) There should be one chapter every three days or so, and there are 9 chapters.

Have some reads!

"Go away, you baby!"

"Yeah, nobody wants to play with a baby."

"Go play with the other girls."

"I'm not a girl!" Tino squeezed back the tears threatening to fall as the other neighbor kids pointed and taunted. All he wanted to do was join their game of street football and they started teasing him. They didn't even know the little boy that just moved in, but apparently they had no interest in finding out.

"Then why are you wearing girl's clothes?" one took a fistful of Tino's long sleeve and tugged sharply making the other stumble. He caught himself before he fell, though. Mama wouldn't like him getting his clothes dirty after they'd just been washed.

"It isn't girl's clothes! All the other boys wear this where I come from..."

"Where's that? Girly-land?" It wasn't a very funny joke but the others laughed anyway. "Look at his hair, it's longer than my little sister's."

"He sounds funny."

"Look, he's got purple eyes! That's creepy as hell."

Tino was pretty put off by the kids just a little older than him (but at their age, one year made a remarkable difference) and their foul language. Kids weren't supposed to say those words; that is what Tino was taught, at least. They formed a kind of half circle around the boy who was becoming a little frightened at the looks and laughter he was receiving. His Mama told him to go outside and make some friends but it didn't look like there were any here.

"Hey, I say we let him play," one suddenly suggested. Tino looked up with hope at the spikey-haired boy seemingly taking his side. Perhaps that was just the initiation to the group, to be strong enough to withstand a little taunting and prove that Tino was just like them.

"What do you mean, Mathias? There aren't any games we can play with a baby."

"There's one game."

"What is it?" Tino asked in anticipation. He was ready for a chance to show these guys he could keep up even if he was younger than them. The urge to fit in was surging through his little veins like fire.

"It's called dirtball. Wanna play?" The rest looked at each other quizzically as the ring leader stepped forward to look down at the newbie anxiously nodding his head.

"Sure! How do you play?"

Mathias grinned ear to ear. "All of us get a ball of dirt." He bent down and took a handful from the ground. The others snapped out of their confusion getting the hint of what was going on. Tino, though, was still clueless due to his optimism overshadowing his better judgment. The boys followed Mathias's example and collected a wad of slightly muddy ground. Tino did so as well, then eagerly awaited instructions.

"Then what?"

"Then we throw it at the one who's it."

It was about now that Tino was realizing what they were planning and he took a hesitant step back. "A-and…who's it?"

"You."

The younger just barely had time to turn around before the balls of loose dirt and pebbles were launched at him in a barrage of yelling and laughter. Tino felt them hit his back harshly as he ran away, but not before tripping over his own feet and falling on his knees. The boys laughed and picked up more dirt and rocks to throw finding the cries of their victim highly amusing. They chased him a little ways until Tino dodged onto a trail between two houses and the others didn't bother to follow. He could hear them high-five each other and celebrate their victory but he didn't stop running. Tino kept running until he couldn't run any more and he collapsed onto his knees in an ally.

Hot tears pricked at the corners of his eyes but he still wouldn't let them go. Not after being called a baby like that! Even if nobody was around to see him, he still didn't want to prove them right. Moving from Finland to here was hard enough but now it looked like Tino was an outcast, doomed to have no friends and never to leave his house in fear of Mathias and his gang of hooligans trying to play dirt ball with him again.

But why didn't they like Tino? Was he really that different? His clothes weren't that strange…maybe a little more colorful than the others, but still. And his hair? It wasn't that long. His eyes had always been a light shade of violet that and his parents said they were unique. The way he talked wasn't funny at all; in fact it was the others who spoke funny. Especially that Mathias kid. He sounded like he was from somewhere else just like Tino, but he was so mean!

The boy sighed and tried to brush off the dirt from his shirt. Mama wasn't going to like that. What would he say when he came back covered in mud? He couldn't tell her the other kids did it or she would tell on them and he would be a tattletale. That was the last thing he needed.

Why did his parents have to move, anyway? Just 'cause Papa got a job transfer didn't mean he had to move the entire family to another country! Tino had friends in Finland, and he loved his home! Sure it was an apartment, but it was familiar. This new place was scary. The people were mean. His new house was too big. Tino hated it here, he wanted to go home!

"Argh!" the boy couldn't contain his sudden burst of emotion about the whole ordeal. He couldn't cry, so he instead became angry. By his knee was a rock the size of his fist and he scooped it up as he stood. With all the strength he could muster, Tino threw the rock as hard as he could in whatever direction. It went flying out of sight, and a little of his anger went with it. He was about to take a breath and calm down so he could try to find his way back home when a sharp high-pitched sound made his blood run cold. It sounded like breaking glass and a quick shriek.

Tino froze where he stood and looked in the direction that the sound came from. What he saw was a glass window pane on the second story with a large jagged hole in the middle and the blinds on the other side hade a big dent in its blades. There were sounds like a woman was talking quickly and suddenly the blinds snapped up revealing a heavier set woman with a red face and short flaxen curls.

"You, boy!" the woman called out to the one in the ally with a dear-in-the-headlights look. "Stay right there, young man!"

Tino was too scared to go anywhere, anyway. His legs felt like they were submerged in concrete and his mind was rather blank. What just happened? Did Tino just break something that wasn't his? But he never did anything bad before! The only deplorable thing he's done recently is sneak a cookie after bed time and that wouldn't get him more than a wag of Mama's finger if she found out. Now he's broken a window, and on the first day in their new neighborhood! His parents told him to behave and not to make things difficult for them while they settled in. They were already stressed from the move as it was; now their son was running around with no friends and breaking windows! They were going to hate him. He was going to spend the rest of his life locked in his room in solitary confinement. The boy would never eat any desert again or get any toys for Christmas or any hugs from Mama or, or…

"You threw that rock, didn't you?" the woman came out of her house in a stiff legged walk straight for Tino. Any smart boy would have run and probably never see her again if he stayed clear of the little blue house with yellow trim. But Tino was not the smartest boy.

"Y-y-yes," he stammered as she approached looking very mad. Her long dress reaching her ankles swayed when she came to a halt in front of him.

"Why?" she demanded to know. Tino didn't have an answer. All he could do was begin a sentence and end it abruptly to start a new one.

"I didn't m-mean to," he was able to choke out, but by then the lady was dragging him by the arm towards the door she came from just under the shattered window. For a second, he thought he saw something move behind it.

"Where do you live?" was her next question when they entered the house that smelled a little like flowers and cleaning spray.

"I d-don't know…"

"Don't play dumb with me, young man. Don't make this harder for you than it already is. Where are your parents?"

It was at this point that Tino couldn't take it any longer. The tears finally overflowed and, without any other idea what to do, he reached forward and grabbed onto the dress of the woman and looked up at her with panicked eyes. "Please, miss, please don't get me in trouble! Mama and Papa will hate me! Don't tell them, I'll do anything! I didn't mean to break the window, it was an accident!" He continued to plead and beg and the lady seemed a little stunned. She was used to dealing with the delinquents of the neighborhood, but this boy seemed different from the rest. He broke down in a tantrum as if letting his parents know would be the end of all life as he knew it.

After a minute or two she was able to get Tino to calm down. He sniffed and rubbed his red eyes as he sat on the couch, hunched over and waiting for his sentence. The woman brought him a glass of water and he took it silently without making eye contact. He was doomed and didn't feel like drinking anything…but the cold felt good on his hands which were a little scraped from when he fell down earlier. At least the lady wasn't yelling anymore, but she still didn't look too happy.

"I will have to pay to get the window replaced."

"I-I'm sorry," Tino looked up when he got an idea. "I can get a job and pay you back…"

She seemed a little surprised for a moment, then shook her head and suddenly smirked. This boy really was a sweet thing, wasn't he? Nothing like the unruly children she usually got around here. "I don't think anyone would hire someone as young as you."

"Please don't tell my parents…"

A second of reflection occurred before the lady tapped her chin and looked the boy over thoughtfully. Her voice was a little softer now that she wasn't as angry. "Alright, I won't."

That surprised Tino and he looked up with wide eyes. "You…you won't?"

"Nope. I'm willing to keep this a secret and we can put it behind us."

"Really?" This was too good to be true!

"Yes. Of course, you will have to do something for me to help pay for the window." Oh. It really was too good to be true. But still, anything was better than getting told on.

"Okay…what do you want me to do?" Was it chores? Tino really didn't like chores and couldn't think of doing his at home then coming here to do more every day for who knows how long.

The woman sat down on the couch with Tino and tossed her curls over her shoulder so they wouldn't get in her way. There was a kind smile making her cheeks round and eyes sparkle with something wily. "Well…I have a son around your age. He is upstairs in the room that you threw the rock at. He doesn't get to go outside very much and doesn't get much company. If you agree to visit him and be his friend, I might forget the window ever broke. Your parents don't even have to know about the window. Sound like a deal?"

Be someone's friend? Was that really all he had to do? This was perfect! Tino really needed a friend anyway, and the lady was promising not to tell on him. As long as this boy wasn't like the others, Tino was sure this was a deal he could keep. He nodded his head and gave her a cautious smile and she clapped her hands together in delight.

"Great! His name is Berwald and I am Ms. Oxenstierna, but that is a mouthful so you can call me Ms. Ox. What is your name?"

"I'm Tino,"

"Nice to meet you Tino. I'll introduce you to my son upstairs, but first you have to wash up."

After washing off his hands and face with some special soap in what Tino considered to be rather thorough, the two climbed the hardwood staircase to the top part of the house where the bedrooms were. The smell of chemical spray was stronger up here and it was a little dark. There were three doors: one blank, the other open revealing a bathroom with some strange railings on the walls, and the next with a sign on it that said the occupant's name in baby blue letters surrounded in various stickers of cars and things like a typical room for a little boy. Before pushing it open, the woman rapped her knuckles on the white wood lightly, then called into it. "Berwald, I brought someone with me."

When the door opened, Tino expected to see a boy younger than him that needed babysitting. Instead what he found was an older boy, perhaps by two or so years (might as well have been a lifetime), lying in his dark blue bed with the covers up to his chest and one hand over the side. He had bed-head hair the same color as his mother's but short and choppy. The boy had glasses perched on his nose and was wearing a plain white T-shirt. What was most noticeable, though, was his face. Berwald was perhaps the scariest kid Tino had ever met and his sharp eyes were like ice as they bore into his soul framed with dark rings and shadow. It took everything he had not to squeak and run back down the stairs but the door was already shut as if the mother could sense his apprehension.

"This is Tino. He has something he would like to say to you." Tino was nudged forward and he quickly stood up straight. The boy, Berwald, pushed his thin wire-frame square glasses higher on his nose which didn't succeed in making him look any friendlier.

It took a moment to remember what he was supposed to be saying. "U-uh, I'm s-sorry for breaking your w-window!" Said-window was on the other side of the room from his bed and a few shards of sparkling glass littered the ground below. The rock was laying there, taunting him. Because of it, Tino was now stuck in this place with a scary kid that was going to want to beat him up just like all the others!

Berwald merely stared before speaking slowly. "…'S alright."

"He wants to keep you company for awhile so I can pick up the glass," his mother went on as if she didn't notice the tension. "I'll get the vacuum. Have good manners, Berwald."

"M'kay."

It was too soon that the boys were left alone in the dim room. Tino really wanted to turn on a light so that Berwald wouldn't be so scary but he found that the light switch didn't work. Berwald cleared his throat, startling the other, and explained.

"Light hur's m'eyes."

"O-oh…um…okay." He sure had a weird way of talking, as if he couldn't pronounce some sounds. The younger walked a little further in and took in his surroundings while the other's iron gaze never left him for a second. The room was rather plain. No posters or wallpaper, just white walls and a window with its yellow blinds obscuring the light and covering up the hole. There was a dresser and a small bed table, also a television in the corner. Berwald sure was lucky to get his own TV in his room! The only other thing was a small desk and a chair which the boy sat down in after getting his fill.

It was awkwardly silent. Tino swung his legs pretending like he was looking at something on the wall that caught his attention and Berwald didn't move. It was like time had froze. Finally, Berwald spoke up.

"Ya're name's T'no?"

"Yeah…"

"Hm." Another momentary silence. "Where ya from?"

"Um, Finland. I just moved here." Now it was Tino's turn to ask something but he couldn't think of anything except for the blindingly obvious. "So…why don't you go outside much?"

"M'sick."

"Oh, that sucks. When will you get better?"

"Dunno. Been sick m'whole life."

"Really?" Tino looked to the boy in amazement. He couldn't imagine being sick for that long! He had colds sometimes and even the flu and he couldn't stand them for more than a few days. "Why is that?"

"Born with a bad 'mmune sys'em. Makes m'weak," was the reply.

"I'm sorry… So what do you do, then? Do you just sit here in bed all day, or…?"

"Homeschooled. Draw."

"That sounds really boring."

"Hm."

Ms. Ox came back with the vacuum cleaner and sucked up all the little glass pieces. She then put paper over the hole in the window and kept it in place with duct tape. She hummed as she worked and the two kept talking about whatever came to mind. When it was finished she left again, smiling to herself.

"…Hey, Berwald?" Tino asked shyly. He squeezed his hands together between his knees like he usually did when he was nervous and looked to the side. The other looked scary but he wasn't being mean so far. "Do you think I'm weird?"

"What'ya mean?"

"Well…the other kids say I am. They say I dress and talk funny, and that I look like a girl and my eyes are creepy. But I didn't know I was weird until I moved here. Am I really that different?"

Berwald shook his head and immediately answered (which was odd because it usually seemed to take him a second to formulate the words). "No, not at all."

"Are you sure?"

"Hm," he hummed and nodded.

"Oh, okay." For some reason that made Tino feel just a little bit better. At least someone other than his parents said so. Berwald was nice…though he still found him scary. At least he wasn't throwing dirt balls and calling Tino mean names, and after today he could go home and his parents would never know about the broken window. There were still the sullied clothes stained with dirt, but the punishment for that suddenly seems insignificant to the one he could have received.

After awhile Ms. Ox said Tino was free to go. He smiled gratefully as he left the room with a quick goodbye to the boy in the bed who returned it with a nod. He was free, free! Now to retrace his steps and get home. By now his mother was done unpacking the kitchen stuff and would be starting to make dinner.

"Thank you very much, Tino. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Ms. Ox," Tino said brightly. She showed him to the door and he walked into the ally where he started.

"I will see you tomorrow."

A record scratch sound went off in Tino's head and he spun around on his heels. "T-tomorrow?"

"Yes, tomorrow. You promised to be Berwald's friend, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Does a friend show up once then never comes back?"

"No…"

"Then you will be here tomorrow." Ms. Ox smiled brightly and gave Tino a little wave. "Get home safely!"

"Thanks," the boy mumbled and started to walk away. Darn, so he wasn't free after all. Now he had to come back to hang out with the big scary boy again! Who knows when the lady would let him off the hook for this. He was screwed.

Oh well, at least Berwald wasn't too bad…

It's the start of a beautiful friendship. C: