Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Where the hell is all the worth in this world?!

The bag previously in the boy's hand lightly smacked against the pavement.

"John!"

That voice. John knew that voice. But it couldn't be. She wasn't even meant to be back yet, let alone here.

"S- Sera..?"

The pink-haired girl stood up from her seat on John's steps.

"Long time no see."

No.

Why? Why was she back now? Why was she here now?

The boy finally collapsed to his knees, entire body shaking. Just a few moments ago, he had singlehandedly beaten two Elite-tiers and a God-tier. A God-tier who was the King of Wellston, no less. Yet, as of that instant, he had never felt weaker. More powerless. More worthless.

Worry engulfed Sera's face, as she sped over to see what was going on. When she finally reached him, she fell to her knees and gripped him tightly by the shoulders, as if to prevent him from collapsing completely. He realised then that she probably thought he had fallen from the pain.

"Hey! What happened to you? You're covered in blood!"

He couldn't look at her. Not like this. Not when he was like this.

"I-"

He tried to speak—to assuage her worry, get her to look away, convince her he was still the John she knew, anything.

But he couldn't.

Because as he tried, the memories flooded back. Ventus, Meili, Arlo. He had done it again, hadn't he?

He had left two of them near-death, and the other wishing he were dead. How could he tell her that he was still the John she knew when he so clearly wasn't?

He couldn't stand it. Her concern. Not because he disliked the feeling, but because it wasn't meant for him. It was meant for her friend. Not a... a monster.

"Sera...", he began, voice scratchy and quiet. "Please don't-... don't look at me right now."

If she just hadn't seen him like this. Maybe... Maybe she would've never known what he was really like. Maybe they could've stayed friends.

Warm tears began filling then falling from his eyes. Why did it have to be this way? Why did she have to be here? How could she ever see him as her friend again, now that she's seen this?

He knew that she must hate him now. She's seen this side. How could she not?

But still, he just wanted to see her face one last time. Look into her eyes, even if all he saw was disgust staring back at him.

The process of lifting his head felt so slow, even if it had barely taken two seconds.

However, when his golden eyes finally met her indigo, what he found was nothing like what he expected. No hatred, disgust, or even disappointment. It was worry. Worry for her friend.

He could hardly believe it.

How could she still view him that way, when he was... he was like this?

"Come on. Let's get you inside."

There it was again. Worry. Concern.

She started to stand, pulling him up with her as carefully as she possibly could, before resting his arm across her shoulder, allowing him to rely on her for most of the movement.

John still stared at her, disbelief etched into his features.

Just before she could push the door open, the boy paused all movement and asked her a single question. "S- Sera... don't you... hate me?"

She stared him right in the eyes, clearly unsure of why he was even asking. "No. How could I hate you?"

John didn't even know how to respond. How he could respond. If he deserved to respond.

It had to have been around 30 minutes since they had found each other.

Luckily, he had been able to calm down fairly fast. Come back to sanity.

Initially, Sera had wanted to call Elaine to come heal John, but while he wasn't completely against the idea, he insisted it wait a little while.

In the end, she didn't fight too hard. As much as she wanted him healed now, she was curious as to what all that was outside, so a little talk would've been nice.

They both sat on opposite ends of the sofa, staring at one another. Neither knew exactly how to start the conversation, but what the girl did know was that, if she didn't, John would've been more than content just to sit here.

So, somewhat awkwardly, she asked. "So... what was all that?"

John took a deep breath in, then let it out. He wasn't delirious anymore—if he wanted to, he could've just lied. Said that he kept getting beat up by random students while she was gone, and it had just gotten to him. Hell, that wouldn't even technically be a lie. Just a half-truth.

But he just couldn't. Not anymore. Enough with the lies.

When he had seen her eyes before, something changed. Originally, he hadn't wanted anyone to know about his ability. However, the shit that had happened to him over the past month—especially today—had fucked with him. He needed someone to talk to about it. And he needed someone to tell the full story to.

He was hesitant, sure, but if he couldn't even tell Sera everything without her hating him, then his life wouldn't have had much meaning anyway.

But her eyes, they... they had almost told John something. Something like, 'I could never hate you.'

Perhaps he was still delirious. Hell, maybe he was even going insane. But he knew that, right now, he needed to tell her everything.

"I-..."

He paused, breathing in and out—relaxing himself, one final time.

"Sera, a lot happened while you were gone. And... And there was some stuff before that. Stuff that I should have just told you, but I didn't."

A look of confusion marked her face, though she could clearly tell how nervous John was, and so tried to calm the expression. "Okay. Um- why don't we just start from the beginning? How'd you get beat up so bad?"

"Well, God, where do I even begin?-"

"Ah, comforting."

"-I guess it started with... Arlo."

At the mention of Wellston's King, Seraphina's expression shifted. From concern, to a mild rage. Arlo was already unpleasant enough, but if he dared to hurt John? Oh, she'd make sure he lived just long enough to see his precious hierarchy crumble, before he fell with it.

"After you left, we started running into each other fairly often. And I mean that quite literally. My forehead hurts like hell."

"That damn brick jaw of his..." The girl seethed from the other side of the sofa.

"And, well, he was always... I dunno, nice, sort of. Well, no—not exactly nice, I guess. But he didn't treat me like I was that much lower than him. I... I thought he was like you."

"You what?!" She practically screamed. "How could you-"

"I know, I know—it was stupid. But he seemed so genuine. I dunno. Maybe I'm just not a good judge of character."

"Yeah! No shit!" The girl clearly tried to sound angry, but her ever-growing concern was all too evident.

"Well, I guess I've learned that now. After school, he said he had some errands to run. Me being me, I decided to invite myself along."

Seraphina very nearly facepalmed. "Of fucking course you did."

"Surprise, surprise—I guess I was the errand. He took me out to the Turf Wars field, where there were two others waiting. Then, he had them jump me."

"Two others? What, he wasn't enough? Goddamn Ass-lo."

"So, yeah—that's why I look so beat-up right now."

Seraphina took a second to process everything properly, before arriving at her final conclusion. She was going to make Arlo beg for death. But then a question crossed her mind.

"Wait, but why? Arlo isn't the type to play 'bully the cripple'. Sure, not for any good reasons—he probably just considers himself above it—but still."

John took another deep breath. It was time to tell her. Whatever the outcome might be, he just hoped that she wouldn't call him that word.

"Yeah, that's another thing. Sera, I've been hiding something. For ages."

Confusion crossed her features. "Hm? What?"

"So, the whole thing about me being a cripple? Yeah, um... I have an ability!"

The entire first half of the sentence was practically whispered, while the second was on the verge of a shout.

John scrunched his eyes closed, not wanting to see her reaction. While he felt that her eyes had told him something earlier, he was still scared. Very scared. Of losing her, of being alone again, but most importantly—of her hating him. And fear was not an emotion he was accustomed to. So, it hit him like a truck.

After around 10 seconds—though it felt like an eternity—Seraphina finally replied. "Huh..."

What? Was that it? 'Huh'? But that- that didn't make any sense! John had lied to her, he had betrayed her trust. How could she be so nonchalant about it!?

Curiosity overpowering his fear, John chanced opening his eyes, to find that her expression was one of... thought. Deep thought.

"Yeah," she began after a few more seconds. "I guess that explains why Arlo went after you, then. He could never tolerate someone not being in their 'rightful' place in the hierarchy. Ass."

"Wh-... What?" John couldn't say that he was exactly disappointed—this reaction was far better than being the bearer of her hate, after all—but he was most certainly confused. "Sera, I-... I betrayed you. I lied to you. And it was such a big lie, too. How- How are you just... moving on from that?"

A small giggle left the girl's lips. "Betrayed me? I mean, sure, I would've preferred if you had told me earlier. But you did still tell me—just at your own pace. Cut yourself some slack."

Tears formed in John's eyes, though very few actually fell, as he also began to laugh. Nothing maniacal: just a soft, slow chuckle.

It was that easy? This whole time?

He simultaneously felt the relief from his best friend not despising him, as well as from this imperceptible weight being lifted off his shoulders, all at once. It was blissful.

"I can't-" A small bout of laughter interrupted him, before he managed to calm himself down. "I can't believe it was that easy. Thank you, Sera, thank you."

The girl wanted to ask him what he was thanking her for, but she knew that now was probably a bad time. "Don't mention it."

After John managed to calm himself down—a surprisingly short process which actually only took him a few minutes—there was a certain tension hanging in the air. Or, more specifically, a question. One that Seraphina couldn't bring herself to not ask.

"I'm too curious—just tell me what your ability is already!"

John knew that she wouldn't judge him based on it. She wasn't like that anymore. But even still, he couldn't stop himself from being reminded of all the others who had asked that before. From Elaine, all the way back to when he truly didn't have an ability. The question had lingered throughout his life like a plague: infecting every single relationship he ever had.

Not only did she deserve an answer, but he himself wanted to provide it. However, there was still that little doubt. That insecurity.

When he tells her what it is, she'll realise that he truly is a-.... a monster. She'll hate him. Because that's all his ability does; ruin everything.

Noticing his nerves, the girl truly began to wonder. What was this ability? What could be so terrible as to make someone—especially someone as resilient as John—completely reject it and then, seemingly, fear it? Did she really want to know?

Whatever her answer to that may be, she knew one thing for certain; she needed to reassure her friend. Shifting up the sofa, she lightly pressed her hand over his. "John, whatever it is, I promise it won't change my opinion of you-"

"How can you say that?" The boy sounded pained. "You don't even know what it is. How can you know that it won't change your opinion of me?"

The girl was taken aback for a second—she had never heard him sound like that before. So... scared. Borderline terrified. And, worst of all, it wasn't even directed at her. He was scared of himself

How? How could someone so... so amazing hate themselves that much?

"Because I know you. I know John Doe. And I know just how fucking great he is." she began, a height to her voice. What could she say—she didn't exactly appreciate when people nonsensically feared those she loves. "No matter how terrible a single trait is, that is all it ever can be—a single trait. It doesn't diminish the entire person. And John Doe is too great for a single trait to even make a mark on him. You are too great."

There were no tears in the aftermath of her words. But they had most certainly struck something.

John had never thought of it like that. His ability was just one single trait of his. It didn't define his entire person. Sure, he had let it in the past, but it didn't have to. Maybe... Just maybe, his ability could actually become something good. Something that could help people.

Had this been one of the things that his dad tried to teach him through Unordinary? And, if so, had it seriously just gone straight over his head?

Gulping down the last of his fear, he turned his hand over and held Seraphina's in return. "Aura Manipulation..."

"Wait... what?"

"That's my ability—Aura Manipulation."

The brief confusion on the girl's face was replaced by shock. If that name was even slightly accurate to what the ability actually does, then the implications were... insane. Uncountable.

"That's..." She found herself at a loss for words. How exactly do you respond to that? She hadn't expected the ability to be weak—it was capable of tormenting John to such an extent, after all—but something like that? The potential was practically infinite. Hell, maybe not even 'practically'. "...Wow."

"Last I checked, I think I was around a 7.5. It's been a while since then, but I don't imagine it's increased since, because... well, you know. I haven't been using it."

Seraphina knew that she should comfort her friend. This must've been a big thing to reveal. But she was in a state of pure shock. He hadn't been using his ability for so long, and yet, he was still just below her in level? That's insane.

It's not even that she cared much about him having the capability to be stronger than her—though, it did make her a little sour to learn that all the times she saved him, he didn't actually need her. It was just something near impossible to comprehend. Even a stranger having that much potential would be a shock, but her own best friend?

She should've realised.

If she had realised earlier, then this wouldn't have been haunting him so much. Maybe he'd have been able to accept himself, and so, during her suspension, he would've already established his power and wouldn't have been beaten down so far.

Protecting him was her responsibility, and this would've been the ultimate act to accomplish that. But she had failed.

"John, I-... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

"Wh- What?" Concern and confusion marred the boy's eyesight. Why was Sera apologising? And why was she, seemingly, on the verge of tears? "What are you apologising for?"

She lifted her head to look him in the eye, and unknowingly began to squeeze his hand harder. "I should've-..." She could barely get the words out without choking on them. "I should've realised! Or- Or something! Then, you could've... you could've shared it sooner!"

Finally, she seemed to hit the limit of her tough façade and tears began streaming down her cheeks.

John's heart shattered. This was the worst possible scenario. He would've preferred for her to hate him, slap him, never want to speak to him again, over her blaming herself.

In one single movement, he let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "No. Sera, I promise you, none of this was your fault. How would you have even realised—you can't sense abilities. Feeling shitty for not being able to do the impossible is no way to live."

The girl tried to argue back, state some reason as to why she should've, but she couldn't. She could barely form coherent thoughts right now, let alone sentences. And so, she contented herself with returning the embrace and crying softly into John's shoulder.

Chapter Text

The pink-haired girl was the first to wake.

After around a minute of groggy weariness clouding everything, she finally realised that it was now dark out.

And she was in a house—John's house, she quickly deduced.

And she was laying on someone. Someone who was, even in sleep, gently holding her close to his chest.

It was then that everything finally came flooding back.

Leaving her parents', arriving at John's, finding him beaten, taking him inside, and-... and their talk.

John has an ability.

The words sounded so foreign to her, as if 'John' and 'ability' shouldn't be used in the same sentence. She appreciated that he certainly had his reasons for hiding it, and further appreciated him telling her about it himself, but no matter what, it was going to take some getting used to.

Aura Manipulation.

She realised that, technically, he hadn't actually specified what exactly it did. But if the name and level were anything to go by, it was something else entirely.

A 7.5 after two years of inactivity was insane.

And then came the guilt.

John had tried his best to assure her that none of this was her fault and, to an extent, he had succeeded. It wasn't overwhelming anymore. But the thought still lingered. Because how could she have not realised?

He was right beside her this whole time, and she just... didn't see it?

However, as quickly as the thoughts arrived, they dissipated. John would hate to see her blaming herself—she knew that. And how would she feel if he blamed himself for anything similar?

'Feeling shitty for not being able to do the impossible is no way to live.'

She just needed to remember his words.

Finally arriving back in the moment, thoughts now gathered and actually sort of awake, she tried remembering how exactly she had fallen asleep. But, try as she might, everything was a blur.

The last thing she remembered was John hugging her and trying to calm her down, then... blank.

But if that was the last thing she remembered, would that mean that the person she was currently laying on top of was...

Face heating ever so slightly, she rested her gaze on the boy's face.

He was still fast asleep, even despite her slight movements. Fresh bruising lined his cheekbones, and dried blood stuck to his forehead—most cuts, however, seemed to have scabbed over. The rest of his body was mostly fine, bar his arms—one of which bore deep scratch marks that went all the way down to the bone, and then the other which had been practically shattered.

Arlo.

She no longer paid much attention to the rankings, so discerning who had caused the other injuries was tricky, but with how bad his shattered arm was, it was easily identifiable as the rebound of Arlo's barrier. She had experienced it herself a fair few times in the past, so she may as well have been an expert.

When she was done with him, making John claim his rightful place in the hierarchy would be the least of Arlo's worries.

Though, thinking further—and slightly less heatedly—Arlo most likely got destroyed by John already. It would explain why John was so intent on telling her of his ability all of a sudden, as well as why he was in such a bad state, mentally, when he got back. To have a persona that you carefully built up over the course of two years be destroyed by someone that you were just starting to trust?

That would hit anyone as hard as a truck—even him.

Actually, especially him. John had this tendency to attach himself to anyone who showed him even the slightest hint of kindness. The girl couldn't even begin to imagine how badly this affected him.

She would've loved to see Arlo's face at the exact moment he realised that this wasn't a fight he could win, but absolutely not if it meant that John had to endure something like that.

But, well, there was no stopping it now. She'd just have to be there for John in the aftermath, and try to make the best out of it.

'Making the best out of it' probably included eviscerating anyone who ever dared to lay a finger on him while she was gone, right?

And, looking on the bright side, she knew about his ability now. With a bit of work, maybe she could get John to stop hating it so much? Maybe she could help him finally accept himself?

No—not maybe. She would. If it were the last thing she ever did.

A groan left the boy's lips and his closed eyes scrunched up tight. He was waking up.

As soon as the slightest hint of consciousness lit his face, a hiss of pain was released through gritted teeth. Now, all the adrenaline from the fight and revealing his ability to Seraphina was completely missing, so his shattered arm was causing him just a tiny bit of discomfort.

He may've been used to broken bones, but he was also used to having them healed fairly quickly at the doc's office. He hadn't had to sit with one for this long in ages.

"Hey, you okay?"

At first, he didn't recognise the voice through the haze of pain and sleep, but he did eventually connect it to Sera, which then caused all the memories from earlier to resurface.

After a few seconds, the pain waned enough for him to divert attention to actually responding. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Good thing you didn't, then. I've been awake for a few minutes now."

Slowly, he managed to begin processing more of his senses beyond the pain, piecing together that they'd fallen asleep during his comfort of her, which explained why she was now curled atop him. Not that he was exactly desperate for an explanation—this was quite comfortable, after all.

"What's the time?" He managed to force out, mentally noting that it was now dark out.

"Hmm, wish I could tell you, but a certain someone's had me locked to his chest for hours."

Her tone was sarcastically annoyed, but in truth, she really didn't want him to let go. This was the most comfortable she had probably ever felt.

A small, still slightly tired smirk lifted the boy's lips. "Wow. Ace of Wellston, yet trapped by a sleeping boy's broken arms. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't want me to let you go."

"Hush."

After a small chuckle, he slowly lifted his arms, much to Seraphina's dismay. The pain was immeasurable, but also nothing new.

Once completed, the girl sat up, before standing to stretch. Then, grabbing her phone off the table, she relayed, "4:45. Probably be getting bright soon."

"Ugh... How am I meant to change into a fresh uniform with two broken arms? Damn, I'm screwed."

"Well, why do you have to?" She pulled a chair from the kitchen table to the side of the sofa, before relaxing into it, still quite tired.

"...Did you seriously just ask why I need to change out of my bloodied uniform before going to school?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "I more so meant, why do you have to go to school?"

"I dunno. I think it's just one of those rules that we have to follow. Ya know, the government ones."

Sera oftentimes thought that John's sarcasm would get him killed one day. Probably by her. "Just skip today. I don't think you've been absent even once since you first started attending. I guarantee you, nobody's gonna care."

"Sure, genius, but if I don't go, then I can't see doc about my injuries. I don't have much choice."

"I'll call Elaine over after school. Or, if it's that bad, we can just go to the hospital." The girl could see that she was starting to convince him, but there was still a little hint of refusal in his eyes. "...Fine. If you skip, boba's on me."

"And you have yourself a deal!" The boy tried to cross his arms in satisfaction, but groaned when the movement reminded him of his injuries.

A smile fluttered across Sera's face in response, though she just about managed to contain her laugh.

"Are you mocking me?"

"John, just because you can't eat right now, doesn't mean I won't."

It had been roughly half an hour since the two had first woken from their sleep, though not much had actually occurred. Both sat at the kitchen table, Seraphina finishing up a bowl of cereal, while John starved, incapable of so much as lifting a spoon without great pain and effort.

The boy sighed and leaned his head back, clearly starting to get annoyed by his lack of arm mobility. "God, I should've just gone to the doc's. Why did I agree to that deal? You already buy for us most of the time!"

"Beats me." She finished up the final bite before continuing. "You can be stupid a lot of the time. Or maybe you are just stupid. I don't know at this point."

"Honestly? Neither do I."

Standing, Seraphina went over to the counter and placed her bowl by the sink, before walking back around to sit on the sofa once again. Then, patting the spot next to her, she directed, "Come. Sit."

"Wow. Thank you for giving me permission to.... sit on my own couch?"

Despite his comment, the boy did eventually relent, no longer able to deny himself the dramatically-increased comfort. After sitting, he oriented himself so that he was laying down again: head on one arm, legs atop Seraphina's, then off the other arm.

Silence sat between the two for a fair few seconds, but it wasn't the uncomfortable, heavy kind. Instead, it felt light. As if weight was being actively lifted off your shoulders, instead of more being added.

However, with what the girl planned to ask, she wasn't sure how long that would last.

She knew that John probably didn't want to talk about it right now, but it was the perfect opportunity. And, before she made any more plans on how to help him moving forward, she needed more details.

Plus, with how utterly destroyed his body was right now, who knew how long he'd be awake?

"John, I know you probably don't want to talk about it right now-"

"No, it's-... it's okay."

Seraphina's eyes widened. "What, you actually- you want to?"

"Well, no. Not exactly. But, at the very least, you deserve more answers. So... So, okay. Ask any question you want."

He was terrified. Perhaps not quite as much as before, but still terrified. Talking about his ability was probably one of the only things that could do that to him.

The idea was still ever present in his mind—once he reveals everything to her, she'll see him for what he is: a monster. Because that's what his ability turns him into, isn't it?

But then... Sera's words from the day before. 'No matter how terrible a single trait is, that is all it ever can be—a single trait. It doesn't diminish the entire person.'

Maybe—just maybe, could he be more? Could he possibly be the one in control of his ability, and not the other way around?

He truly hoped so.

"Okay, um- you don't have to answer something if you don't want to. Just putting that out there." The girl wanted, more than anything else, for John to be comfortable being his full, true self around her. If achieving that meant he had to hold some things off for now, then so be it. She was certain he'd tell her of them later, by his own volition. "So, what does Aura Manipulation actually do?"

Of course, she had her ideas, but for all she knew, they could've been completely wrong. Best to be absolutely sure.

After a second, the boy responded. "Well, uh- how do I put this? Broadly, it lets me manipulate the flow of aura through my aura channels."

Taking that explanation into account, Seraphina already had a few ideas for what something like that could accomplish; body enhancement, healing or regeneration, perhaps even energy production and dispersion, similar to Blyke.

"What I mainly use this for," John continued. "is copying and amplifying other people's abilities."

...

What?

Thinking further, the girl realised that something like that would theoretically be possible if one could manipulate their flow of aura, like what Aura Manipulation offers, but it wasn't quite that simple. In order to achieve that, the ability user would have to have near unbelievable knowledge on aura flow and how exactly it affects abilities, all the way down to the most minute, unimportant pattern.

And that was just to copy abilities—let alone amplify them.

Unlike seemingly everyone else in all of Wellston, including the teachers, Seraphina always felt that John was smart. All she needed to do was look at how proficient he was in the certain things he actually dedicated himself to, such as fighting.

But this was something else entirely.

Perhaps his intelligence had never quite matched hers in any other topic—bar hand-to-hand combat, of course—however, it was very clear to her that this was something that he truly did outclass her in, because he wasn't merely a genius at it. He was unheard of.

After a few seconds of silence, she finally knocked herself out of her own thoughts.

"...Wow. I don't comment much on abilities, but that's-"

John could already imagine the next word in that sentence. Terrifying, leechlike, destructive, monstrous.

"-pretty cool. You must've worked hard on it in the past—to reach that level of mastery."

A small breath of relief left the boy's lips. People regarding his ability as anything other than a curse was still new territory. It'd take some adjusting. "Yeah, uh, I guess. It was-... It was important to me."

"But then..." Seraphina thought her question over once more. Maybe it was a little too far, too fast. But no—even if John couldn't answer the question now, she needed him to know that she'd be more than happy to talk about it once he was ready, so asking it was the best course of action. "But then, why'd you stop?"

His breath caught and images flashed into his mind.

Half his class rushing at him, then all splayed out on the floor, bloodied and broken.

Adrion trying to warn him of Claire's betrayal, and John... not believing him, proceeding to beat his last friend senseless.

And Claire...

But no. At the very least, she deserved what she got, right? She was just using him from the very beginning! Every single student hospitalised in that ambush was because of her! If she just didn't-

Monster.

At the end of it all, there stood but one person before him: a man with red hair and icy-blue eyes.

No. Not him. Anyone else. Any other memory, he could deal with. He had seen them all a thousand times before, anyway. But not-... not this one.

Please, just-... stop. Just stop.

Noticing his spiral, Seraphina instantly knew that she probably should've kept that one to herself. Sure, John needed to know that she'd be here when he was ready, but... maybe a more tactful approach would've been best?

She moved out from under his legs and stepped off the sofa, walking over to where his head was. Then, kneeling down to be at eye level, she lightly slid one of her hands into his own. "Hey, hey. It's okay. You're not... wherever you were. You're here. With me—Sera."

John could vaguely make out the voice, but it wasn't until she mentioned her name that anything properly stuck. Once she did, however, he was drawn ever so slightly closer to the present. "S- Sera..?"

Then, he felt a warm presence against his cheek. Her hand, he quickly realised—as she had taken her other one and begun to lightly hold his face. "Yes, I'm here. We're at your place right now, skipping school."

After a few more seconds, the image of him finally began to fade away, and John was greeted by a view of his ceiling. Turning his head ever so slightly to the right, he saw her.

And, as if out of nowhere, tears welled up in his eyes and began to drift down his cheeks.

Sera seeing him like this was the last thing he wanted. Before yesterday, he had never broken down in front of her before. But now, he had done it twice in less than 24 hours.

It just felt so... pathetic. What if he made her worry?

His problems didn't matter, so she shouldn't have to care for them. But she would. He knew that. And it would be a waste of her energy, when her life was already so full.

When he initially decided to tell her about his ability, he had already known that. So why had he?

The answer to that one was quite simple—she deserved better than a lie. But also, just maybe, had he actually wanted someone to share his problems with?

Because if he had, then... he couldn't believe his own selfishness.

Now that John had somewhat calmed down, Sera had to admit, she definitely didn't expect that. Obviously, there had to be some reason as to why he never used his ability—probably something traumatic—but she hadn't thought it would be something severe enough to send him into a full on attack.

Whatever, or whoever, the reason was, she would make absolute certain that they never hurt him again.

"Sorry, about-... about that." John started, still trembling just slightly. "I didn't- I-... I didn't mean to worry you."

Sera would've laughed at the absurdity of the apology, had it not been said by perhaps the one person she still cared for. Because how? How could someone feel the need to apologise for something like that? How could someone be that... self-loathing?

"No, I'm sorry. I knew that question might be a bit too far, but I decided to ask it anyway. I shouldn't've. I'm so sorry." After a few more seconds, she finally picked up on the end of his sentence, too. "And don't you worry about me worrying. I'm not gonna stop, because I care for you. I always will."

The boy turned his head away from her, and his eyes narrowed, as if in utter hatred. Hatred that could only be directed at one person; himself. "But... this must be such a... burden—having to deal with me- my problems."

It may have only been the slightest slip-up, but it definitely didn't go unnoticed.

Is that really what you see yourself as, John? A burden? But... I don't understand—how?

The girl sighed out a deep breath. This topic definitely wouldn't be left to fester, but she knew that it was probably a bit much to talk about right now. As of this moment, she just needed to provide momentary solace. Actually fixing some things could come a little later, when he was in more of a state to do so. "You have never been and could never be a burden on me—I promise you."

His expression hadn't changed. Her words hadn't gotten through. So, she would just try again. And she'd keep trying until she succeeded. "Would you consider me to be a burden on you?"

"Wh- What? No! Never! You're..." the boy's voice quieted to a near whisper, and his gaze averted. "You're everything."

Just as Sera was about to continue with her point, she stopped before she could get a word out, processing what the boy had just said. A small blush began to heat her face.

"Why would you even ask that?"

Knocked out of her shock, the girl cleared her throat, before finally finishing her point. "Because that's exactly the same with you—you could never be a burden to me. Your problems are my problems. Your sadness is my sadness. Your happiness is my happiness. Nothing—and I mean nothing—could ever change that."

Finally, it seemed that she had actually gotten to him. His hand stopped shaking nearly entirely in her own, and he actually squeezed back, even despite it being broken. His eyes no longer looked so frantic, either—no, they seemed almost calm now.

Oh. This is why I told her, isn't it?

Because, as long as she knows, it will become better. It always does.

There was a solid half-a-minute of pure silence after that. Neither knew exactly where to go from there—Sera not exactly feeling right asking anymore questions, John now as mentally drained as he was physically.

But, finally, the silence was broken. By a question.

"Sera, do you think-..." The boy paused for a second, as if evaluating whether he even wanted an answer. "...do you think I'll ever... you know... be able to use my ability again? No hiding, no second-guesses, nothing?"

The girl was silent for a little while, thinking the question over, before arriving at her conclusion, "Maybe. I think it depends on if you really want to. Because, if not, then... well, there's only so much that a person who doesn't want help can be helped."

The boy sighed at that, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Sure, he had used his ability on Arlo and his lackeys, and had revealed it to Sera, but that didn't mean that he wanted to use it, right? His ability was... too powerful. At least, for someone like him. He was undeserving. Unworthy.

'All late-bloomers, like you, are doomed to fail.'

That's what he was. A late-bloomer.

"Do you..." Sera breathed in and out, as if it was her turn to not want to hear an answer. "Do you want to use your ability again?"

She knew that the fact John was even asking probably signalled a massive step forward, which was extremely impressive, especially given the fact it had only been a day. But even so, she really hoped he wouldn't say no. Because she could see it written on his face—deep down, he did. He really wanted to use it again, as any ability-user would. It's a part of him, after all.

But, if he denied it, he would be shoving that part away. And seeing John do that to a part of himself—something, someone so amazing—would be heartbreaking.

Images flashed in John's vision: first of the ambush at New Bostin, then Adrion—sprawled out on the floor, beaten to hell and back. The work of a monster. As Claire appeared before him, so too did the word begin echoing through his head. That's what he was whenever he used his ability. Finally, he saw him. Keon. A reminder of hell.

The answer was easy. Of course he didn't want to use his ability. The only time he had recently was out of necessity. And all he needed to do to remember why he stopped using it was look at what he had done—two of them beaten half to death, the other's entire sense of self broken. Nothing good ever came from his ability. Nothing good ever came from him-

But then, before he could answer her question with a resounding 'no', a new face flashed into his view. One that singlehandedly managed to shield him from the others.

Sera's face.

And she... she didn't want him to reject it. For whatever reason, she still believed in him. She had faith—trust that he could do better.

And John... well, how could he ever bring himself to betray that trust, that faith, that belief?

The boy was exhausted. Why was this decision so tiring? It should be easy—he doesn't want to. He doesn't! His ability was a curse on someone like him-

'No matter how terrible a single trait is, that's all it ever can be—a single trait. It doesn't diminish the entire person.'

...

"I think..." He hesitated, but refused to let himself back down. Sera needed to hear this. "I think that I'm very... conflicted. I honestly don't really know. But... I don't think that I'm exactly... opposed to the idea. I'm just- I'm so confus-"

"That's okay." John looked over to find that Sera was... smiling. A large, happy smile. "This isn't gonna be a quick process. But I think you can do it. I really, truly do."

John didn't know exactly when he fell asleep after that, but it couldn't have been too long a time. His body was still completely wrecked, after all, so his natural healing process would probably be making him quite tired. Then, pair that with the fact that he had just had a mental breakdown and was now emotionally drained as well, and it wasn't exactly difficult to figure out that he probably drifted off fairly fast.

What he certainly didn't appreciate was being awoken by the goddamn North Pole seemingly spawning on his neck.

"HOOOLY SHIT! WHAT THE-"

Shooting up into a sitting position, he turned to realise that it was just Sera with a glass of ice water. Unfortunately, he couldn't revel in the discovery for too long, as a blinding pain shot through both of his arms—a reminder of his physical condition. "Ah, fuck!

After a second more of waking his brain up, the boy's eyes finally focused on her face. "Hey, I thought you'd have realised by now that I'm injured—considering that you've spent the past day with me!"

"Oh yeah, I have." Seeing his pained reaction, she relented. "Calm down already—Elaine's on her way here."

"Oh great. Another asshole I have to deal with."

The girl held a hand to her heart in mock offense. "How could you say that? Would an asshole get you a glass of water?"

She held it out to him, already half drained.

"Wow, you truly are generous. How could I ever repay you for this?" In spite of his sarcasm, the boy did still snatch the glass away, before promptly drinking the rest.

"Hmm, well you could go to the mall with me more often. That might be a good start-"

"So, Elaine's on her way, huh? I slept through the entire school day?" John interrupted, wanting to get as far away from the topic of the mall as possible. He could not let Sera get any ideas.

The girl noticed the obvious shift, but decided not to press further. She had already tortured him enough through her method of waking him up: getting him on another mall trip could wait a few more days, she supposed. "Yeah. You must've been tired. Is my company really that boring to you?"

"Hm, possibly. Though it may have also had just a little bit to do with the fact that my body is in a state not too far off a corpse's."

"Eh, maybe."

After a few seconds of silence, Sera sat herself on the spot directly next to John. Knowing what she was about to ask, she pre-emptively grabbed a hold of his hand—though she made sure that she didn't hold it tightly enough to cause any pain. "So... how are you feeling?"

"Well, my arms are shattered, my head aches like there's no tomorrow, and I very well may have hypothermia now. What do you think?"

"No, no, I mean more-" she gestured to her head. "-up here."

"Oh..." John finally properly understood what she meant, but when he went to answer, he found himself at a loss for words. How did he feel? When was the last time he had even asked himself that question?

No. That wasn't the important thing right now. He needed Sera not to worry-

'And don't you worry about me worrying. I'm not gonna stop, because I care for you. I always will.'

...But surely he couldn't, right? Burdening Sera with his problems, with himself-

'...you could never be a burden to me. Your problems are my problems. Your sadness is my sadness. Your happiness is my happiness. Nothing—and I mean nothing—could ever change that.'

Fuck... He couldn't hide from her anymore, could he?

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm still very... confused. It just feels like there's this static over everything..." He then looked at the girl—properly looked. And a small, genuine smile found its way onto his face. "But right now, I think... I think I'm okay. Happy, even."

At the look on John's face, as well as from the sincerity in his words, Sera's face donned a matching smile. She felt as if a massive weight had just been lifted off her shoulders, because this confirmed something for her—she alone was enough to help him. It isn't as if she would've been opposed to roping in others, had they been necessary, but this... it felt better. As if there was a slight fuzziness dancing around her stomach. "That's good. I promise John: I will help you reach a place where you can feel like this all the time. Even when using your ability."

This time, it was the boy's turn to feel that fuzziness, as well as a slight heat in his cheeks. She was so... convinced. Convinced that he could be something more. "Thanks. Yeah, I-... I hope so."

There was a certain seclusion to the room now—as if nothing existed beyond it, and they were the only people left in the world. A closeness.

Sera slowly laid her head onto John's shoulder, curling as close to him as she could get. In response, the boy let his head rest atop her own.

"I don't hope so..." the girl started, certainty in her eyes. "I know so."

Ding dong! Ding dong!

It was the doorbell—Elaine, the two quickly put together.

With a sigh and great frustration, Sera just about managed to pry herself away from the embrace, making her way to the door. And, pulling it open, there she stood: the cyan-haired healer.

"Sorry it took so long. This place is a ways away from school."

"It's fine," the magenta-haired girl started, slight annoyance lacing her voice—though she supposed she couldn't exactly blame Elaine for interrupting her and John, it was still annoying. "come in."

Before the girl entered, though, her face adopted an expression of sorrow, and she began to fidget with her fingers. "U- Uhm, Seraphina! I just wanted to..." She paused, trying to figure out her words. "A- About the whole 'Unordinary' thing... I'm so sorry! I had no idea things would get so bad! I really wasn't trying to get you into any trouble! I- I just didn't know what to do."

Sera internally sighed. She appreciated that Elaine just wanted to set things right, but now really wasn't the time. Now was the time to heal John. "There's no need to apologise."

"H- Huh?"

"You didn't do anything wrong. So don't stress over it."

"Ah, okay!"

Finally entering the house, the healer had a slight pep to her step—clearly elated from the well-received apology. Sera supposed that was probably good, considering her relationship with the person she'd be healing.

"So, what'd you call me here for-?" As soon as her eyes fell upon John, she stepped back, slightly aghast. "WHAT'S HE DOING HERE?!"

"Bitch, I live here."

"Yeah, he..." Sera looked John over, deciding to keep his secret from Elaine for now. "...uh, he pissed off the wrong people. Could you just heal him up real quick?"

Huffing out a heavy breath, Elaine couldn't bring herself to utter another word. However, against her greatest wishes, she went over to the boy and activated her ability—eyes glowing a deep emerald.

Seeing that the healer was complying, Sera stepped away into the bedroom to finally begin unpacking her stuff, even despite John's clear begging for her to, 'not leave me alone with this bitch', conveyed through his eyes.

As the door shut behind the girl, Elaine finally voiced her grievances, believing that Sera couldn't hear them. "Ugh, what a loser!"

John's eyes narrowed and he was overcome with the urge to throw her the fuck out of his house. But, alas, he knew that Sera wouldn't appreciate it if he refused healing, so he just barely managed to contain himself. She was healing him, after all—so at least she wasn't ignoring Sera's request, for all that's worth.

"You are so lucky you're friends with Seraphina. Otherwise I'd never waste my precious energy on you!"

Her hands hovered over his right arm and then began to glow the same emerald as her eyes. Instantly, he felt revitalised in a way that sleep had never provided—this instant burst of energy and adrenaline. She had barely started, and yet he already felt as if he could move the limb without much pain and effort.

Obviously, he had known that Elaine was an Elite-tier, so he probably should've predicted that her healing would be quite powerful. But with the way she acts, he had just never allowed himself to imagine her with even a single redeeming quality.

Then, a single question entered his mind: What could I do with an ability like this?

"Always getting into fights you can't win..!" She continued, apparently still not finished with her complaints. "Get a clue already!"

Because of his question, John had subconsciously began to analyse her aura flow, trying to dissect the exact pattern that it went in, so as to get the best use from it, should he ever copy it. It was then that he noticed something—her aura was ever so slightly weaker than usual. As if she had healed someone fairly recently. Within the past 24 hours, perhaps?

He couldn't quite pinpoint exactly when, but it also didn't matter too much to him, brushing it off initially. That was until he remembered—Elaine and Arlo are fairly close, all things considered, aren't they?

Had she... healed Arlo?

Was it a stretch? Definitely. But was he willing to risk it? Not if he had a say.

Once she was done on John's right arm, Elaine reached out her hand. "Let me see your other arm."

This was it—the arm he had shattered on Arlo's barrier. If she did heal that fucker and hadn't already pieced together that it was John who had beaten him, then she definitely would here. "No, it's fine. I'll heal it up at the doc's tomorrow."

A look of incredulity crossed the girl's face. "You're kidding, right? I'm not gonna leave the job that Seraphina gave me half finished!"

She reached further, causing John to start leaning back while shouting, "No, really. Stop!"

It was then that the girl practically jumped on him, grabbing his other arm with enough force to break it, had it not already been broken. "WILL YOU STAY STILL ALREADY! I WANNA GO HOME!"

"OUCH!"

He no longer fought back. If she was going to find out, then she was going to find out. Arlo would definitely make her keep quiet about it, as long as he wanted to keep his throne, and Sera would tell her to do whatever John wanted. Even if she did discover his secret, that would be where it ended.

She healed him in silence for a good few seconds, causing John to question whether or not his intuition had actually let him down this time. Until her eyes widened, and she seemed to develop a marathon's worth of sweat on her face in a single second.

She had realised. And she also really needed to get a better poker face.

The next second, she stared him in the eyes, before near-silently muttering out, "I- I need to... use the, uh, the bathroom." She started to stand, and walk slowly away from the sofa. "I- I'll be right- back... I- I promise."

She then ducked inside the bedroom Sera had entered. How she thought 'the bathroom' was a believable excuse was beyond him.

The boy sighed, before positioning himself in the middle of the sofa and activating his ability, eyes glowing a deep gold. Then, on the same instant, he copied Elaine's Healing. Or, should he say, his healing. An amped version shouldn't exactly be considered equal to the original, after all.

His Healing was closer to High-tier now, though still technically just Elite-tier, while Elaine's was barely Elite-tier.

All of his wounds released the same golden glow, before instantly mending themselves. The only evidence he had ever even been injured was the blood on his shirt.

"S- Seraphina!"

Elaine's voice caught the magenta-haired girl's attention, drawing her away from her current chore of putting all of her clothes away. "Hm? What is it, Elaine?"

"U- Um, well..." Her eyes were wide and scattered, and she was trembling so much, her legs way very well have been about to give out. "I- It's about the cri-... J- John."

Noticing that she stuttered the name out as if it were a curse, Sera wondered if the girl had discovered John's ability. But she quickly shut that thought down, as she knew he wouldn't tell her about it willingly, and she didn't know how else Elaine would've discovered it. "Mhm?"

Gulping down some of her fear, the cyan-haired girl let out another sentence, "I- I think he... he has an ability!"

Oh... So, she had found out. Huh. That's curious.

Then, the girl remembered that John had already fought—and very likely beaten—Arlo. It's very possible that he had called her out to heal him, and then she had simply connected the dots when looking at John's injuries. Sera had never taken Elaine to be the type of person who could 'connect the dots', but hey, she always did have a weird fascination with Wellston's King.

Deciding to try and confirm her theory, Sera played pretend. "What? Why would you think that?"

Her acting wasn't nearly as good as John's—Hell, it wasn't even that good in general—but it seemed to be enough to convince Elaine. "Well, I was called out by Arlo yesterday to the Turf Wars field. I thought that he had, maybe, challenged someone and gone too far again, or something. But when I get there, I find Ventus and Meili half dead, and him heavily injured. And the entire time that I was healing them, he refused to tell me what happened! Then, I come here and find that the cri-... John has matching injuries!"

Bullseye! I was right yet again!

Keeping up the act, Sera threw on her best 'surprised' face. "Oh! Oh, no." She then converted to her best 'angry' face. "We should go out there and confront him!"

"Wh- What? But he... he beat Arlo! What if he gets- mad, or- or something!"

"Elaine, I can also beat Arlo. I promise, he won't hurt you."

Shaking slightly less, the girl lightly nodded, before making her way behind Seraphina, as the Ace of Wellston prepared to burst open the door.

The door slowly opening, Sera stepped out, Elaine in tow. Though, when she spoke, her words were not what the healer had expected. "Hey, so, she knows about your ability."

"Yeah, I figured." The boy was sat back in the sofa cushions, not even a slight rigidity coursing through him at those words.

"Wh-... What?"

Sera looked back at her dormmate, a sly smirk on her lips. "Sorry, but I already knew. He told me."

"...O- Oh." Elaine began to piece together what this was—a set-up. She had been lured here, and now the two most powerful students in the region were about to murder her. Closing her eyes, she accepted her fate, though a tremble still ran through her body, belying her mind's inner peace.

Seeing this, Sera thought to step in. Sure, she was aware that Elaine wasn't the greatest person, but she still somewhat thought of her as a friend. They were dormmates: it was a bit difficult not to. "Don't worry so much. He isn't gonna hurt you."

The healer chanced opening an eye, landing upon John's form. Even just sitting there, he looked intimidating—face morphing into one holding pure anger whenever his eyesight met hers. How she had ever thought to speak down on him, she no longer knew. "H- He... isn't?"

"Yeah—I'm not?" Sera threw him a single look, and the boy sighed, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. "Fine... I guess I won't."

This clearly didn't help Elaine calm down much, if at all. But at least Sera could tell herself that she tried. "Elaine, if you wanna leave, then leave. -"

"Yes, please do."

"-We're not gonna stop you."

Looking between the two God-tiers, she lightly nodded. Though, just as she approached the front door, Sera left her with something, "Though, do make sure of one thing—do not tell anyone."

Elaine stuttered out a, "Y- Yes, okay," before pulling open the front door and rushing out, near-slamming it behind her.

After a few seconds of silence, Sera gasped. "Oh shit, I probably should've asked first—you do want her to not tell anyone, right?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. Don't worry about that part."

Chapter Text

The halls of Wellston were about as cramped as is usual during passing period: Mid-tiers made their way through without any fear, while Low-tiers clung to the sides of corridors, not wanting to give anyone an excuse to send them to the infirmary. Not that an excuse was actually necessary most of the time.

John walked among the Mid-tiers—the only perceived Low-tier to ever do so. This was not unusual for him, though, as he never did bend to the hierarchy's bullshit ideals. However, he did hold his head ever so slightly higher, his chest may've been puffed a bit broader, and his steps more confidently placed. As much as he hated to admit it, the more recent use of his ability was definitely the cause behind this.

It acted as a reminder of sorts. A reminder that he was something.

It's not as if he ever feared the danger that the other students presented—even back before he discovered his ability, when he truly was a cripple—it's simply that he was more confident in his lack of fear now.

However, others appeared to have caught onto this confidence boost. And they despised it.

Just a few steps shy of his next class, John sensed it—an ability activated behind him.

Dodging to the right and then turning, he saw a boy with light-blue hair punching through the air where he used to be.

But just before he could launch a knee into blue-hair's stomach, green projectiles shot in the space between them, preventing the counterattack.

"Well, look who's getting a big head!" Blue-hair shouted at him, a maniacal grin plastering his face.

"Seriously—where'd your pathetic expression go, Johnny? I thought you'd finally started learning your place!" A green-haired boy down the corridor finished. The one who had shot the projectiles, John instantly put together.

Narrowing his eyes, he decided to analyse the aura he could see from them through his passive. Usually, he tried not to do this—it always felt too adjacent to actually using his ability. But now... well, a certain girl had made him realise that it might not be so bad.

He wasn't nearly as precise as an actual ability gauge, but through just a second of analysis, he could discern that they were both Mid-tiers. But not just any Mid-tiers—no, they were quite close to Elite-tiers.

Seeing that, he gulped a little. Defeating them without his ability wouldn't necessarily be impossible, but it certainly wouldn't be easy. Especially since one was ranged.

But he'd be damned if he didn't try.

Closing the distance between himself and blue-hair, John drew back a fist, before launching it towards blue-hair's face. However, before it could connect, the boy had already dodged beneath it and appeared at John's side, smashing a fist into his hip.

Crap! Strength and speed, huh? Guess I should've expected that—he is almost Elite-tier. Though, since he is still just Mid-tier, I doubt he has much durability!

Powering through the pain in his side, John threw a fist into blue-hair's face with a speed that the other boy clearly didn't predict.

A loud squelch sounded as the blow connected, and John felt blue-hair's nose crack. Alongside this squelch, the boy himself released a shrill shout of pain.

But just as John prepared to follow up with a knee to the stomach, he was stabbed multiple times in the back by sharp, searing needles.

They quickly dissipated into nothing, but left behind burnt stab wounds.

Before he could pull himself back together, John was hit in the abdomen by blue-hair's fist, sending him tumbling back against a wall.

The blow was nothing compared to others he had endured even just recently, but it was certainly powerful. A few of his ribs were most definitely broken from the impact, and he found himself without much leftover strength to push himself back up.

Blue-hair and green-hair quickly made their way before him, standing with such overpouring confidence that you'd have thought they'd just taken down Arlo him-fucking-self. Not the school cripple. And one of them had still gotten damaged doing so—the blood trickling down blue-hair's nose evidence of that.

"Look at this guy! So pathetic!" Green-hair shouted down at him, a smug smirk lifting his lips.

"A cripple like you should learn not to fight back! You just broke my nose!" Blue-hair started, disdain coating his words. "What do you have to say?"

Anger seeped into John's mind. Anger at the two standing above him for instigating a fight. Anger at this school for not reprimanding them for this behaviour. Anger at this world for establishing the hierarchy in the first place. And anger at himself for not being brave enough to use his ability to stop them.

But then he remembered Sera, and he began to calm once more. Once the day was over, she'd be waiting for him. And he didn't have to hide anything from her anymore. He just needed to remember Sera.

"...You're both pretty terrible at this," a grin found its way onto his face, belying the pain shooting through his body. "Just fuck off already."

Instantly, rage lit both of the boys' faces. Blue-hair pulled John up by his collar and stared daggers into his eyes. "What did you just say?!"

"I said fuck off," the raven-haired boy started, grin growing wider. "Or do you need me to teach you basic English, too?"

Blue-hair's grip tightened and unadulterated fury clung to his features. "HOW DARE YOU!?"

The boy's eyes began glowing once more and he drew back a fist, aiming straight for John's face. However, the blow never connected.

"Alright children! Break it up."

John fell to the floor once more as blue-hair's grip faltered. A loud bash sound rang out, and both of John's assailants released slight grunts of pain.

"Ugh, who the hell--!?" Blue-hair held his tongue, as his eyes landed upon the form of one particular orange-and-brown-haired boy. "I- Isen?!"

"Don't you guys have class or something?" The elite asked, a slight annoyance to his tone. "Get going!"

The two instantly dashed away, though one did chance back a, "But you have class too, man!", once they were too far down the corridor for Isen to care.

John hadn't paid much attention to the scene—all he had done was trade two assholes for a different, stronger asshole, after all. Though, as he began to stand, he found himself unable to ignore it any longer.

Isen offered a hand to help the boy up. "Hey, man... You alright-?"

His hand was promptly swatted away and, once John was back on his feet, the Elite-tier was met with a death glare. "Don't touch me."

John had tried as hard as he could to not let his anger get the best of him. If Isen had just been some random guy that had bullied him once, he probably would've succeeded. But it was the fact that the reporter had feigned interest in the struggles of Low-tiers—struggles that he should actually be interested in—just to gather information on him that made his anger uncontrollable.

John didn't care much for Isen breaking his hand: it was the breaking of his trust that angered him most.

Though he did just about manage to prevent himself from socking the boy in the jaw, instead opting to just turn away and begin his walk to the infirmary. Doc was not going to be pleased.

Agh, damnit! How are these even lower than last time?! Sera's gonna be so disappointed in me when I get back!

John was scanning over his grades while walking the halls—other students mostly ignoring him because the final period had just finished, meaning most were focused on getting back to their dorms and not on beating the cripple. Small victories.

While caught up in his imagination of what a disappointed Sera would look like—probably just one who ignores him until he next buys her boba—the boy had neglected to notice Wellston's King approaching from the opposite end.

And, as if in a cold reminder of how their fake friendship had begun, John accidentally barged into the blond boy's shoulder.

At first, the raven-haired boy inwardly sighed. He wasn't sure if he would be able to resist the temptation to punch Arlo into next week. However, he quickly realised that this may act as a good... test, of sorts.

By seeing how Arlo treated him here, John would be able to gauge just how much fear—and therefore, control—he had earned from the King through his little display a few days ago.

A subtle smirk lifted his features.

Arlo did not share this expression. At first, his eyes held slight annoyance—most likely before he realised just who had bumped into him. But once he did, they held unmistakeable and absolute disdain.

Though, while it may not have appeared so to others, John could tell that there was more. Beneath that utter hatred, there lay an ocean of fear and despair—one that went so deep, even Arlo may not be able to see the bottom.

John enjoyed knowing that he had tortured his torturer so, and yet he also felt a slight... disappointment.

His ability did not inherently make him a-... a monster. Sera had all but said that herself. But Arlo had actually seen his ability in use—and this was how he regarded him now: with unbreakable fear and sorrow.

Of course, the more logical side of his brain knew Arlo only saw Aura Manipulation as such because he had been utterly destroyed by it. But the emotional side didn't seem to quite recognise that.

From behind, the collar of John's shirt was pulled on, as a boy shouted, "What?! You again?!"

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, John recognised that the voice belonged to... what was it? Holder? Hilden? Holden!

John had only ever known him as 'Arlo's fanboy', but the very few times he had come up in conversations with Sera, she had always insisted that he wasn't actually that bad. Though, in John's eyes, that still remained to be seen. Especially since they kept meeting like this.

"Didn't you learn your lesson from last time?!" Holden's voice grew slightly exasperated, yet his grip tightened. "Looks like I'm gonna have to-"

"Don't." Arlo grabbed the blue-haired boy's wrist with, seemingly, a fair bit of force, causing him to let go of John's collar.

"A- Arlo? What are you-?"

The King's grip tightened, and a definitive crack sounded from Holden's wrist. "Aren't you done yet? You're one of the strongest here, right? You're powerful, aren't you? Then why not do something productive?"

John could tell those words weren't just directed at the blue-haired boy.

"Instead of wasting time flexing in front of this useless human?" Arlo finished, frustration evident in his tone.

A scowl landed upon John's features at that last part. How sore of a loser was this guy?

Whatever—he didn't want to deal with this bullshit right now. He just wanted to go home and see Sera.

At the very least, Arlo seemed to be scared enough to comply, although begrudgingly. That was enough. And John did not want to have to spend another second looking at his goddamn mug.

And so, he walked away from the confrontation—completely unscathed. 

Sera had hoped that John would skip today, as he had yesterday. If nothing else, she would've appreciated the company. But he had insisted on going—probably still freaked out at the prospect of a mild talking to.

And so, she was forced to spend the past seven or so hours just sort of lazing around; watching TV, playing some games, searching for more games to show John, and completing any leftover homework for when she goes back. Was she dying of boredom? Absolutely. Was it still infinite leagues above being stuck at her parents'? Undoubtedly.

At least here she had the privilege to feel bored, instead of being constantly swamped with work and expectations. Plus, she actually had something to look forward to—John coming back.

And so, when the front door finally began to creak open, she sprang up, masking her overwhelming excitement under indifference. She could not, under any circumstance, let John know that his arrival was the highlight of her day. He'd get too cocky.

"You're home early-"

"John!"

A frown fell upon the girl's face. The man that had just stepped through the door was, most definitely, not John. Though he did share a striking resemblance: being a near spitting image, even down to the gelled helmet, just with a few more wrinkles and being ever so slightly taller.

"Wait, you're not John!" The man shouted, a few nervous sweat beads forming on his scalp.

"Neither are you..."

The man began to scratch his head in confusion, embarrassment evident in his flushed cheeks, as Sera began inspecting him closer, trying to piece together why he appeared so familiar-

"Oh! You're John's dad!"

It was then that the man's embarrassment faded and realisation overtook his expression in its stead. "Ah! Purple hair—you must be Seraphina!" He shot out his palm for a handshake, the girl standing and approaching to accept the expression. "It's great to finally meet you!"

"Likewise, Mister-"

"Please, just call me William!"

It was then that an idea came to Sera's mind—one that she could not bring herself to pass up. Alone with her best friend's dad? This was the perfect opportunity to embarrass John as much as she could.

"John talks about you quite a bit." She started, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"He does?" William released a light chuckle. "Well, that's kind of embarrassing. Where is he anyway?"

"Oh, school just let out, so he's probably on his way back now."

Before the man even voiced his next question, Sera realised that she probably shouldn't have said that, being able to ascertain what he was about to ask.

"Huh? How'd you get here so soon then?"

Well, guess there's no point in lying. He might even feel flattered that I got suspended for reading his book.

"I'm suspended."

"Suspende-" He coughed out, arms crossing in disappointment and worry. "How did you pull that off?!"

"I got caught reading a certain book. You probably know of it." The girl started, a levity to her tone. "It's called 'Unordinary'."

The man's posture went rigid in shock, and his expression lightened to more of an apologetic frown. "Uh... I- Is that so..? My bad."

Seeing William adopt such a sternness at the topic, Sera tried to relieve him of any guilt she may have unintentionally caused. "It's okay though. My suspension ends this Friday at 4PM. I'll move back to the dorms by then."

In response, the man's face only seemed to carry more shock, and Sera realised that he now probably thought she had been staying at John's place for the entire duration of her suspension.

Clearing his throat, William attempted to continue the conversation, "I didn't realise you two were so close. He wouldn't give that book away easily. Sorry it got you into trouble."

"Nah, it's my fault I got caught."

"But, to be honest," he started, "I'm surprised Wellston didn't end up kicking you out because of it."

For a second, the girl also wondered why they hadn't—if that's what William assumed would happen, then surely that was procedure. But then, she arrived at the conclusion that always seemed to ring true. One she both loved and hated.

Her power.

"They would never get rid of me."

The man was silent for a second, before sighing. "I guess John really wasn't kidding when he said you were very powerful. He doesn't give out compliments often."

The girl's face heated slightly.

"So, out of curiosity, of the two of you, who is stronger?"

Sera thought the question over for a second, unsure of how exactly to answer it. She was stronger for now, but John had more potential. Should she explain all of that? But this seemed more like a quick, throwaway question.

But then, her thought process was interrupted by a question of her own—had John not told William that he was pretending to be a cripple?

Ever since he had revealed it to her, they had barely spent a second apart, so it's not like he would've had time to message William and tell him that she knew about his ability. And, if he hadn't done that, the only logical conclusion was that William didn't know that John was playing cripple. Otherwise, the man would've just nonsensically revealed the secret to someone that he believes doesn't know about it.

If so, then... the secret really must've been eating John up from inside, huh? Not even being able to speak to his own dad about it.

John... Please, rely on others more. Rely-... Rely on me more.

"Um... William, I-... I don't exactly know how to say this, but once John comes back... I think you should talk to him about his ability."

The man's face donned a confused eyebrow lift. "Why?"

"I just-... I think he needs that right now."

He was clearly still perplexed and concerned as to why, but seeing the girl's expression near mirroring his own, decided not to press further. "...Okay. I'll do that."

It was then that the front door flew open once more, and a certain raven-haired boy stepped through.

"Hey Sera, I'm bac-" John stopped in his tracks, eyes widening slightly. "What the f-"

"John!" William's tone was, somehow, even warmer than before. "Welcome home!"

"D- Dad! What are you doing here?!"