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Jayden run up the staircase, tripped and fell, landing flat on his face.
Haha a little joke before we get back to the actual story. Okay, okay, I’m serious now. *clears throat*
It was the first day of classes and the sky was bright and full of promise. Samuel’s eyelids twitched as the rays of sunlight hit his face. He yawned and buried himself deeper into the covers, stubbornly refusing to wake up.
He felt his bed dip softly as someone sat down beside him.
‘Wake up, sleepy head. You’ve got a big day today.’
‘No,’ Samuel refused stoutly, burrowing even deeper into his bed. ‘Go away.’
Jayden laughed. ‘I warned you not to party too hard last night, now look. Come on, you don’t want to be late on your first day, do you?’
Samuel was unyielding. He kept his eyes firmly closed, refusing to budge. His boyfriend sighed and a second later, he felt a feather-light kiss on his brow.
‘Get up, Samuel,’ Jayden said, his lips soft as he moved down his face, placing a single kiss on each of his closed eyelids. ‘Please?’
Samuel threw off the covers. ‘Alright fine, I’m up. Are you happy now?’
Jayden shrugged. ‘You always make me happy.’
Samuel gave him a suspicious look. ‘Are you feeling alright?’
‘I feel fine. Why are you asking me that?’
‘You’re acting… not you.’
Jayden smiled. ‘I’m just happy that we’re back on the same page. Give me a few more hours, and I’ll be back to the moody grump you fell in love with.’ He poked Samuel on the nose. ‘Enjoy it while it lasts, bedhead.’
Samuel rubbed his nose irritably. ‘By the way, where did you go last night? You disappeared all of a sudden.’
Jayden gave him a noncommittal shrug and stood up. ‘Had stuff to do and so do you now go take a shower.’
He walked out of the room before Samuel could pester him about it. Samuel rubbed his eyes tiredly and stood, making his way to the bathroom.
About an hour or so later, he walked into the living room freshly showered and fully dressed. He took a seat at the counter as Jayden placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him.
‘Paul didn’t make this, did he?’ he asked as he hesitantly picked up a fork. He poked the food with trepidation waiting for Jayden’s answer.
Jayden shook his head in amusement and Samuel immediately brightened up. He dug in eagerly.
‘So, Mr. School President, what are your plans now that you’ve won?’ Jayden asked as he watched Samuel gobble down the eggs.
‘Hmm,’ Samuel responded, chewing thoughtfully. ‘There’s a lot that needs to be done. The administrative structure is far too outdated. Take, for example, my position. The head prefect and the president of the student council need to be two different offices. The consolidation of power into one person has made the entire administration too bureaucratic.’
Jayden smirked. ‘Shaking things up, I like it.’
‘It honestly should have been addressed a long time ago but we’ve clung to it because of tradition. I also have a feeling that my predecessors chose to ignore it because they didn’t want to reduce their power.’
‘And you do?’
Samuel shrugged. ‘I didn’t run because I wanted power. I genuinely wanted to make a change. The whole system is messed up. I am in the second term of my final year, I have just one more term in school left and in that final term, I would be busy with my exams. How is it rational that this is the time I get elected into office?’
He shook his head. ‘I should have been elected in second year but it doesn’t happen because third years don’t want to take orders from their juniors. It’s insane.’
Jayden frowned. ‘But to correct that you would have to give up your time in office. That means you would only be president for just one term.’
‘Exactly. That’s why none of my predecessors corrected it. The reason I competed at all was because I knew one else would be willing to make that sacrifice.’
Jayden’s face filled with disbelief. ‘So you put in all that effort because you wanted to just give it away?’
‘Yes.’
Jayden stared at him in silence for a full minute before shaking his head and walking away.
‘What?’ Samuel asked following him.
‘You know what, I’m just not going to say anything. If that’s what you want to do, good for you.’
Samuel pulled a face. ‘Why can’t you be more supportive?’ he complained.
‘I am being supportive. I said to do what you want, what more do you want from me?’
‘At least pretend you approve,’ Samuel muttered. ‘I can feel you judging me.’
‘I’m not judging you,’ Jayden protested. Samuel gave him a look and he amended. ‘Ok, maybe I am but just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean I don’t support it. Besides, you don’t need my approval.’
‘It would be nice to have it though,’ Samuel mumbled.
Jayden grinned and cupped his boyfriend’s face in his hands. ‘I might not approve of what you’re planning to do but I do know that it’s going to put a lot of noses out of shape. And that, I always approve of.’
Samuel smiled. ‘Thank you.’ He turned to glance at the clock on the wall. ‘We should get going. We don’t want to be late for class.’
Jayden let his hands drop. ‘I can’t. We can’t be seen together, remember?’
Samuel frowned. ‘But Azrael already knows we’re back together.’
‘He knows, but Valentina doesn’t. I don’t know how long it’ll take before he tells her but for now, to keep up appearances, we can’t go out together.’
Samuel’s face tightened with anger. ‘I hope I don’t see him today because I can’t promise I won’t punch him again.’
Jayden averted his gaze. ‘Erm… about that…’
Samuel gave him a wary look. ‘What?’
‘I’m afraid you’d have to spend most of the day with him.’
Samuel’s jaw clenched. ‘What?’
‘He’s supposed to be keeping an eye on one of us to make sure I don’t break my promise. He’s not going to be watching me anymore so he has to watch you now.’
As if on cue, a pleasant knock came from the door. Samuel’s eyes moved wordlessly from Jayden’s face to the door.
‘I’m sorry,’ Jayden whispered beside him. ‘I wish there was another way but…’
‘It’s fine,’ Samuel cut him off. ‘At least now, he wouldn’t be around you anymore.’
Jayden studied him carefully. ‘Are you sure?’
Samuel nodded and gave him a thin smile. The knock came again and he rolled his eyes before moving to open the door, revealing a beaming Azrael.
‘Oh, there you are. I was debating whether I should just go ahead and pick the lock.’ He clapped his hands together excitedly. ‘So, are you ready to leave?’
Samuel ignored him and turned to Jayden. ‘I’ll see you later, alright.’
Jayden nodded and watched tightly as Samuel picked up his backpack and walked out of the dormitory.
‘Don’t worry, old friend,’ Azrael said, coming up to pat him playfully on the back. ‘I’ll make sure to take good care of him, so chin up.’
Jayden’s eyes travelled down his face. ‘I see your nose is fixed,’ he noted with disappointment.
Azrael chuckled and touched his nose thoughtfully. ‘It would be a shame if it had been broken. My looks are one of the more effective tools in my arsenal. You would be surprised at the things I can get people to do just by smiling at them.’
Samuel’s head popped impatiently through the open doorway. ‘Are we going or not?’
‘Why is everyone always so impatient?’ he sighed. ‘Fine, I’m coming. Hope you have fun Jayden. I have a feeling Samuel and I would enjoy ourselves tremendously.’
He left the dormitory and Samuel scowled at him before falling into step beside him.
‘Can you stop that?’ Samuel snapped as Azrael began to whistle the tune of some old nursery rhyme.
‘Why so grumpy? Look, at the bright side. I was in your shoes just a year ago so by spending time with me you can get lots of helpful tips.’
‘I don’t need any help from you. And if you try anything funny, I’ll punch you in the face.’
Azrael was humoured by that thought. ‘I’ll advise you not to attempt that again. Unless of course, you wouldn’t mind losing an arm in return.’
Samuel’s fists clenched but he was wise enough to take Azrael’s words seriously. He hesitated for a second before saying, ‘I do have one question.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yesterday, what did Jayden mean when he said he would play with you? What game are you two playing?’
‘That’s two questions.’
Samuel glowered. ‘Just answer it.’
Azrael chuckled. ‘If you wanted to know, why didn’t you ask him?’ He caught the look on Samuel’s face and relented. ‘Very well. How do I explain this?’ He hummed thoughtfully. ‘It’s something like a battle of wits. For Jayden to win he would have to find a way to beat me.’
‘What happens if he loses?’
‘Then you die.’
Azrael laughed and gave him an encouraging pat on the back. ‘Don’t worry, you have a lot of time till then. Why do you think Jayden made that first move?’
‘I was going to ask about that. What did that mean when he said…’
‘Queen to E8?’
‘Yes. What does that mean?’
‘He was surrendering you to me to buy himself time. You are my distraction. He has the length of time until I grow bored of you to spring his trap.’ He sighed. ‘He’s really the one you should be asking about this. He would explain it much better than I would.’
Samuel however still had more questions. ‘I don’t get it. How am I supposed to distract you?’
If Azrael was annoyed by the questions, he didn’t show it. He hummed as he considered how to answer him.
‘Let me put it like this. In my experience, I have learned to place human beings into four distinct categories. The first are the fools with golden hearts; your friend Leo is one of them. The second are the fools with cold hearts; our dear Valentina falls into that class. The third are the clever people with golden hearts; Jayden’s friend, Noel is a prime example. And the fourth are the clever people with cold hearts. Are you following me so far?’
Azrael waited until Samuel had nodded before continuing. ‘Most human beings fall into these categories but once in a while, you’ll encounter the rare person who falls into none. Would you say Jayden has a cold heart?’
Samuel considered it and shook his head. ‘It’s easy to make that mistake if you don’t know him well but his heart isn’t cold.’
‘Would you call it golden either?’
Samuel shook his head.
‘Exactly, and in that rare group is where Jayden and I find ourselves. However, there’s a rarer group still.’ Azrael sighed and his eyes obtained a faraway look. ‘Humans are marvellous creatures, they possess the uncanny ability to evolve so it’s possible for people to move across categories throughout their lives. For example, a fool with a golden heart can become disillusioned by life and become a fool with a cold heart. Though we can all change we can only stay true to a single character at a single point in time.’
Azrael’s expression turned wistful. ‘There is however a rare group of people -rarer even than the one Jayden and I belong to. Those who belong to every single category at once.’
His eyes glinted as they met Samuel’s curious ones. ‘You are one of them.’
Samuel didn’t know how to react to this information. ‘Is that why you want to spend time with me?’
‘Indeed. You are an oddity and even though I have met others like you, I would still like to study further.’
Samuel thought about his words for a minute. ‘You said I fit into all categories at once but my heart has never been cold.’
Azrael stopped and turned to face him fully, his cerulean blue eyes piercing directly into his own. Samuel suddenly felt naked in a way he had never felt before. It felt as though every thought in his head was being sifted through and his soul was being stripped bare. Azrael’s gaze probed deeper and as if drawn by his eyes, a swirling darkness from the deepest recess of his heart slowly stirred to life and he suddenly recalled every dark thought he had forcefully repressed.
He tore his eyes away and tried to shake off the unpleasant feeling that settled over him like a shroud.
Azrael straightened up and turned as he resumed his steps. ‘My point stands.’
Samuel shook off the feeling and rushed to fall into step beside him. ‘What just… what did you… Nevermind, it doesn’t mean anything. Everyone has had bad thoughts before.’
Azrael hummed in amusement. ‘People with golden hearts will never act on them though.’
‘Anyone can act on them given enough provocation,’ Samuel argued.
‘But you don’t need any provocation, do you?’
There was a smile in Azrael’s voice and Samuel’s mouth was already open to deny it when he realized with a jolt that Azrael was right. A cold feeling travelled down his spine as the implication of this realization started to sink. He shook his head and decided this wasn’t the time to be having an existential crisis.
‘Alright, fine but why is it of interest to you?’
‘Because even though there are patterns to human behaviour that make it possible to predict what a kind of person would do in a given situation, the lived reality of every human soul is unique. That’s why you can never find any two people who are exactly alike. Take Jayden and me for example, our personalities are so alike you can mistake us for twins yet are we the same? It’s the old argument of nature versus nurture. We started with identical traits yet our experiences have brought out different qualities within our identical nature that while we are so alike in most ways, we are fundamentally different in others. Therefore by studying you, I would be able to expand my knowledge on the subject and thus, perfect my ability in controlling people.’
Samuel stared at him. ‘So this is just to help you manipulate people.’
Azrael shrugged. ‘I also find the topic to be extremely fascinating. But the point still stands. Your sweet Jayden has until I complete my studies on you to come up with a plan to defeat me. If not, well… I hope for your sake you don’t find out.’
Samuel grew quiet after this and the rest of the walk was spent in silence.
~
The following days for Samuel were unnerving, to say the least. Azrael did as he said and accompanied Samuel everywhere, observing everything single thing he did. The only time he was free from him was during class and at night when he dropped him off at his dorm.
To Azrael’s credit, his presence wasn’t as overbearing as Samuel had expected. On the contrary, he kept a rather low profile by his side and didn’t talk much unless Samuel spoke to him.
As unobtrusive as Azrael was, however, it was difficult not to be aware of him at all times. When Samuel was not in class during the day, he spent most of his time in the library studying or getting through the mountains of paperwork that came with his new position. And while he worked, Azrael sat before him, watching every movement he made with those piercing blue eyes of his. He never said a word, he never did anything else except sit and watch.
It only took a few days before Samuel couldn’t take it anymore.
‘Why are you looking at me like that?’ he asked one day.
Azrael blinked as if confused by this question. ‘I am studying you. I thought we already covered that.’
‘Well, if you are shouldn’t you be like, writing notes or something?’ Samuel said, gesturing emptily into the air.
Azrael cocked his head to the side curiously. ‘Would it make you more comfortable if I did?’
‘No… I dunno. It just seems weird. It seems like you would need notes if you’re making a study.’
‘But I am taking notes just not in the conventional way. As we speak, I am sorting and filing all the information I need. You just spoke to me about my process which invalidated a working theory I had. I’ve already retrieved the significant files in my brain and edited them to conform to reality. I’m currently drawing up a new hypothesis which I’ll be testing in the coming days.’
Samuel stared fully at him in shock. ‘Is that even possible?’
Azrael frowned. ‘Of course, it is. How else would I be doing it if it wasn’t?’ He shook his head sadly. ‘We all have brains in our heads and it grieves me when I remember people don’t use theirs to their necessary capacity.’
Samuel shook his head. ‘No, that’s not it. You’re just special. You’re one of those people with a photogenic memory.’
‘It’s photographic, not photogenic,’ Azrael corrected. ‘And no, my memory is not eidetic. You go to the gym to become stronger, don’t you? A brain is like a muscle, and like muscles, with constant exercise, it becomes capable of handling increased workloads.’
‘It’s still weird.’
Azrael shrugged. ‘If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll stop.’
Samuel was surprised to find that he did indeed stop. This wasn’t the only time that Samuel felt confused about the enigma that was Azrael. As they spent more time together, he slowly began to realize just how alike Azrael and Jayden were. And without him being aware, it was this similarity that made him grow comfortable in Azrael’s presence.
Due to that, he began to notice other things as well. For instance, he noticed how focused Azrael was when grew engrossed with his work. He approached every problem with a slight furrow of his brow and a small purse of his lips that was almost cute. He also had a habit of chewing his bottom lip whenever he encountered a puzzling question in his calculations and his face always filled with childlike delight whenever he arrived at a solution.
When Samuel looked at the quiet boy before him with his head bent over his book and the sunlight dancing in his golden curls, he found it hard to associate that angelic image with the homicidal maniac he knew him to be.
He told Jayden as much the very night he had come to that realization. Jayden had looked at him with a derisive smile and said, ‘And that’s exactly why he’s so dangerous. His innocent beauty disarms you and makes you let down your guard.’
Samuel grew alarmed by that. ‘So he is doing it intentionally to make me drop my guard around him?’
Jayden shook his head. ‘I don’t think he is. Most of the time he is not even aware he is doing it. That’s what’s so brilliant about it. It is that authentic unassuming quality that draws people in and makes them trust him.’
Samuel suddenly noticed the tired tinge in Jayden’s voice. He was trying to hide it from him but lately, he had been growing more and more distracted. He tried to spend every night with him but whenever Samuel woke up in the middle of the night, he was gone.
Samuel had also heard from Noel that Jayden had taken to sleeping in every class he had. The teachers would have complained about it if it were not for the fact that he had continued to hand in all his assignments on time and ace every test they threw at him.
Samuel had a feeling he knew what had been keeping Jayden so busy these days. ‘Are you still looking for a way to beat Azrael?’
Jayden was a little surprised by the suddenness of the question. He nodded. ‘Yes, I am. I’ve hit a few dead ends but don’t worry, I still have a few leads I’m looking into.’
‘I wish you would talk to me about it, I could help.’
Jayden shook his head firmly. ‘If I tell you about it, he will find out.’
‘I can keep a secret,’ Samuel stated confidently. ‘Don’t you trust me?’
‘It’s not that I don’t trust you but he is capable of weaselling the information he wants without you even realizing you are helping him. You’ve spent enough time with him, can you honestly tell me there hasn’t been moments when you’ve suddenly realized you’ve told him something you had no intention of speaking about?’
Samuel’s mouth dried as a countless number of such moments flashed through his head.
Jayden looked away. ‘Exactly. Most of the time, it would be an odd passing remark that would have no significance to you, but to him, it would be a wealth of information from which he can discern the answers he needs. The only way we can take him by surprise is for you to be completely in the dark.’
Samuel drew his legs up and placed his chin between them. ‘I understand what you mean but it still sucks. I want to be useful.’
‘You are already helping enough by distracting him.’
‘Am I distracting him or is he distracting me,’ Samuel mumbled.
Jayden frowned. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘I just find him disturbing.’
Jayden gave him a look. ‘If it’s bothering you then turn the tables by doing the same thing to him.’
Samuel blinked. He hadn’t thought about it like that. Deciding to follow Jayden’s advice he started a little research of his own.
The next day he got a little notebook and started noting down all the little things Azrael did. He made a table and began comparing all the ways he was alike Jayden. He made another table and in this instance, listed all the ways they were different.
He grew so engrossed in this exercise that he didn’t notice Azrael standing beside him until he spoke.
‘What are you doing?’ he asked curiously, looking over his shoulder at his notes.
Samuel tried to cover the pages but he gave up in the end and replied, ‘You mentioned that you and Jayden were alike but different so I decided to find out exactly how much.’
Azrael’s expression piqued with interest. He sat down and closed the books he had been studying, giving him his undivided attention. ‘What have you got so far?’
Samuel blinked stupidly. ‘Huh?’
Azrael gestured patiently to his notes. ‘Your investigations. Tell me about them.’
Samuel glanced unsurely at his messy scribbling. ‘Oh, erm. Let’s see under similarities I put intelligent, calculating, a bit emotionless, and deadly. However deadly also falls into the differences because while you have no compunctions about taking human life, Jayden will never kill anyone. I know he can but he won’t. He’s not like you.’
Azrael cocked his head to the side as he studied Samuel curiously. ‘Is that what he told you?’
Samuel frowned. ‘He doesn’t need to tell me. I know he hasn’t killed anyone.’
‘Huh.’
Azrael said nothing after that. He reopened his books and went back to reading, pausing occasionally to write a few notes.
Samuel, however, couldn’t let it go. ‘What do you mean? He hasn’t killed anyone, has he?’
‘While I do no doubt that following this thread would prove an interesting journey that might unravel your relationship, I have no interest in doing that. It is none of my business, talk to Jayden about this.’
Samuel was now confused. ‘I thought you wanted to break us up. Isn’t that the whole reason why you’re doing this?’
‘No, I want to have fun. Your relationship with Jayden is just an unfortunate casualty that happened to be caught in it. I honestly don’t care who he’s with or whether he’s in a relationship at all.’
Samuel was quiet after that. He didn’t see Jayden that night but the next night he cornered him and brought up the subject.
Jayden was looking more tired than normal. He listened to Samuel silently and after Samuel was done he answered, ‘I didn’t mention it because you didn’t ask but yes, I have once.’
Samuel was crestfallen. ‘Why?’
Jayden shrugged. ‘I used to hang out with a lot of unsavoury characters back then. I didn’t do it because I enjoyed it but because it was necessary at the time. I don’t regret it. Trust me, with the kind of person he was, the kind of things he did, the world is a far better place without him in it.’
Samuel looked up and there were tears shining in his eyes. ‘That was not your decision to make. He was loved by someone.’
Jayden scoffed. ‘I can assure you he was not. Please stop crying, he does not deserve your tears.’
‘You may be right and he was a terrible person. But if what you are saying is true and no one missed him when he was gone then he deserves my tears even more. He was once an innocent child full of hope in the world. I regret what he became but I will mourn for the man he could have become and the child he was.’
Jayden thought it was silly to cry over something that never happened but he was wise enough not to voice his thoughts. Instead, he opted to dry Samuel’s tears with the pad of his thumbs.
Samuel caught his hands and stared fiercely into his eyes. ‘Promise me. Promise me, you wouldn’t do something like that ever again.’
‘Not even in self-defence?’ Jayden joked half-heartedly.
‘Even then it should be the very last resort.’ Samuel didn’t back down. ‘Promise me.’
Jayden sighed and rolled his eyes but he agreed. ‘Fine, I promise. Now please stop crying.’
Samuel nodded and allowed him to dry his tears. Their conversation that night stuck with him and he ended up feeling closer to Jayden than he had ever been before.
The next day, he was with Azrael in the library when he suddenly came to a realization.
‘I don’t think you’re a bad person.’
Azrael looked up in surprise, curious as to where this thought was coming from. ‘Oh?’
‘Don’t get me wrong, you’re not a good person either,’ Samuel clarified. ‘But you’re not as bad as you would have people believe.’
Azrael’s interest was sufficiently aroused now. He leaned back and folded his arms with an amused expression on his face. ‘And why do you think that?’
‘Yesterday, you could have tried to come between us, but you didn’t.’
‘I told you I had no interest in doing that.’
‘Exactly. The fact that you had no interest proves you are not hopeless.’
Azrael stared at him. ‘That logic is severely unsound.’
Samuel however was starting to warm up to his idea. ‘You just need to be taught how to be good. I can help you realize that caring about people is amazing and…’ he trailed off. ‘You think I’m stupid, don’t you?’
‘It goes without saying.’
‘Just hear me out, please,’ Samuel insisted, refusing to give up.
‘Very well, I will humour you.’ Azrael uncrossed his arms and placed them on the table. ‘Tell me what you are thinking.’
Samuel was pleased by this. ‘Okay, you agree with me that you and Jayden are alike. My theory is if Jayden was able to learn how to care about people what’s to say you can’t.’
Azrael shook his head. ‘That’s where you are wrong. He always had that ability, it was his misfortune with his parents that made him turn it off. I, on the other hand, was born without it. I have never established a human connection with anyone.’
Samuel was surprised. ‘Really? Not even your parents?’
Azrael shook his head.
‘But surely they would have realised that and gotten you help. Aren’t there professionals who deal with that?’
‘By the time I was old enough to show it, I had already grown smart enough to learn how to disguise it.’
Samuel refused to give up. ‘You have a younger brother, don’t you? Aren’t you close with him?’
Azrael’s lips curled in disgust. ‘Certainly not.’
Samuel frowned in puzzlement. ‘Don’t you like him?’
Azrael sniffed. ‘No, I do not.’
‘Why don’t you like him? What did he do to you?’
‘He has committed the unpardonable sin of being boring.’
Samuel stared at him. ‘There’s nothing wrong with being boring.’
‘On the contrary, it’s an unforgivable offence and quite frankly I ought to get rid of him for that.’
‘Aha! You don’t get rid of him because he is your brother. That shows you value familial ties.’
Azrael lips quirked up. ‘I keep him around because he may be useful one day. Blood always has a way of doing that.’
‘Oh,’ Samuel’s shoulders sagged with disappointment. ‘What about friends? Do you have friends?’
‘Of course, I do. Lots.’
Samuel gave him a droll look. ‘I mean proper friends. Ones who know the true you but still stick with you through thick and thin.’
‘Then no. But what do I need those kinds for? The ones I have are happy enough to do what I want.’
Samuel was too tired to explain. ‘You wouldn’t understand,’ he said instead. ‘We need to get you a proper friend.’
Azrael was highly entertained by this conversation. ‘And where are we going to find such an indefatigable figure?’
Samuel ignored the mocking tone in his voice as he thought about it. ‘Jayden would be the best option,’ he thought out loud. ‘You two are so perfectly matched it’s surprising you are not best friends in the first place.’
Azrael bit back a chortle. ‘Are you going to play matchmaker now?’
Samuel scoffed at the incredulity of the idea. ‘He would never agree to that. He can’t stand you and for good reason. It’s a shame because I have a feeling in another world you two would be the best of friends.’
Azrael chuckled at that. ‘I doubt we would be a good influence on each other.’
‘You’re probably right.’ Samuel straightened up and looked directly at him. ‘I have decided, I am going to be your friend.’
Azrael’s raised a derisive eyebrow. ‘You?’
‘Yes me. Do you have a better person in mind?’ Samuel stretched out his hand. ‘Think of this as an experiment. Who knows, it might actually work.’
Azrael studied his outstretched hand contemplatively. ‘Is this your pathological altruism rearing its head once more?’
Samuel stared dumbly at him. ‘My what?’
‘Pathological altruism. I suppose you can describe it as a sort of saviour complex.’
‘I don’t have a saviour complex,’ Samuel shot back defensively.
‘Really?’ Azrael asked amusedly. ‘I am trying to kill you and here you are offering me friendship in order to “help” me.’
‘I…’ Samuel had an internal battle in his mind as he processed this new information. ‘Who said this was only for your sake? I am helping myself as well. If I succeed in being your friend you would no longer want to kill me.’
Azrael’s eyes danced with laughter. ‘Won’t I?’
Samuel blinked as he thought about it. He started to grow unsure about the whole thing.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said, shaking away his doubts. ‘Whether you do or not, I’m still going to try. So here.’ He stretched out his hand again. ‘Friends?’
Azrael frowned thoughtfully. ‘You said friends stick with each other through thick and thin.’
‘Yes.’
‘Does that mean I can do anything and you would never leave me?’
Samuel frowned. ‘There are boundaries in every relationship. You can’t just do anything and I’ll automatically be okay with it.’
Azrael huffed impatiently. ‘Then what’s the whole point of it?’
Samuel rolled his eyes. ‘I see we have a lot of work to do. Just shake my hand so we can get this over with.’
Azrael considered it for a moment and shrugged. He reached over and clasped Samuel’s hand in his own. ‘Very well, then. I look forward to the results of this experiment.’
~
Being Azrael’s friend was much easier than Samuel had expected. For starters, he was an extremely easy person to get along with when he wasn’t in one of his many moods.
He was also a surprisingly patient person and whenever Samuel asked him for help with his schoolwork he would drop everything and take his time to go over every concept with him. He never got frustrated no matter how many times Samuel had asked him to go over the same thing and even after Samuel had given up he never stopped until he was satisfied Samuel understood everything.
That was one of the places he differed from Jayden. Jayden could never suffer fools, so his patience immediately ran out whenever he tried to help. For the sake of their relationship, Samuel had stopped asking.
Azrael’s strange dedication to Samuel’s studies could be chalked up to the ardent passion he had for knowledge. It was one of the many things Samuel had come to realize and grown to appreciate about him.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses, however. Azrael possessed a nasty sadistic streak and provoking Samuel had become his new favourite pastime. He did it to mainly test the bounds of their new relationship. He also seemed to enjoy it whenever Samuel’s patience broke, and he erupted into a rage. For the sake of his sanity, Samuel had tried to ignore him, but he discovered to his dismay that Azrael’s antics just grew crueller and more savage until his anger overtook him.
He soon developed a strategy of faking anger over the smallest thing to prevent a more outrageous situation and he discovered to his surprise that it largely worked. He had a feeling that Azrael knew what he was doing, but he seemed pleased enough to get any reaction out of him that he was willing to turn a blind eye.
Their days thus settled into this strange new companionship and they passed through them easily enough. Despite this idyllic setting, there was a dark cloud slowly upon them in the distance. Azrael made no indication of it and Jayden never mentioned it, but Samuel felt its presence keenly.
Their time had started to run out.
Author’s Note: I had writer’s block so this chapter didn’t turn out the way I wanted. It was taking too long however, and though I am loathe to submit a subpar chapter to my discerning readers, I am left with little choice as I doubt this block would end anytime soon. I would come back to polish it in when I have regained my creative juices so in the meantime I humbly crave your indulgences.
Much thanks in advance.
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