SGE His Darkened Heart (A Japaric Fanfiction)

CHAPTER 7 Lying Love

"Oh my Sweet dear Japeth. Do you have any idea what you do to me?"
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—ARIC'S POV—

The days passed, gradually turning into weeks, but Aric didn't pay much heed to the time passing him by. But if Aric could guess how long he'd stayed in Arbed House by far, it's probably be around three to four weeks—almost an entire month. He spent his time with Japeth passing secret notes during class, sitting on the steps at lunch talking, and causing mischief like the two of them had done on Aric's very first day.

Aric and Japeth had fallen into a steady routine of being especially bitter towards Rhian and Kei—who both continued to fantasize about Camelot—as well as played cruel pranks on the other students in Arbed. First, Aric had come up with the devious plan to skin a bunch of animals and stick their pelts to the school entrance, (Dean Burnhilde had been furious and tried to separate Aric and Japeth for that entire week but failed), and than Japeth and Aric had set off to dump worms in all of Burnhilde's specially made tea she'd passed out to all the students (Jach had barfed and Rhian had turned a weird greenish color like he was also sick while Mika and Hemwa had straight up passed out when they saw the slimy friends in their drinks). Aric had never laughed so hard in his life than those past few weeks he hung around with Japeth.

Additionally, as the time passed, Aric and Japeth only grew closer. It came to a point that their friendship almost felt unbreakable, for not even Rhian's continuous glares could faze them and break them apart. Aric learned so much more about Japeth he'd never known before, like how Japeth's favorite color was green while Aric's preferred color was black. Japeth also told Aric some stories from him and Rhian's childhood and how a young Japeth used to get startled all the time by their mother, Evelyn Sader's butterflies—butterflies! ("They were as quiet as a mouse," Japeth had laughed, recalling his childhood memory of Evelyn's blue butterflies. "Maybe even an army of mice! I knew not to be fooled by their delicate wings. They were apart of my mother after all, just as my scims are apart of me...")

Aric had teased Japeth for that remark and claimed he'd never met a boy before who'd been wary of butterflies. Butterflies were meant to be delicate and innocent, but apparently, Evelyn Sader's butterflies were definitely not normal butterflies. Still, Aric swore he would hold that joke over Japeth's head for weeks to come.

But overall, despite the revelation that Japeth used to be scared of butterflies, Aric could tell Japeth was indeed a wonderful guy to hang around with. Him and Aric had so many things in common like how they were both abandoned by their mothers and how, like Aric hated his mother for her absence, Japeth hated his brother, Rhian.

For so long Aric had wallowed in his hatred, hating his mother, Lady Lesso, for leaving him like she did. For so long he'd been plagued by the thought of someday reuniting with her and showing her how much pain she put him through. But in the present moment, Aric found there was no more anger in his heart for his long lost mother. Instead, Aric's hatred was replaced by a feeling he never thought he'd ever feel again; Love.

Aric felt that he was loved, and it was Japeth who helped him feel that. Maybe it was the first day the two of them had met that sparked this odd attraction between them, or maybe it was the night they snuck out together to Japeth's old house which made their friendship grow. Perhaps it could've been a few weeks ago at the dance even; the way Aric had launched himself at Japeth, throwing punches, only to feel pride that Japeth had managed to elude his attacks every time.

Since than, Aric held a sense of admiration for Japeth, who'd shown him his strength during that time. Despite Japeth stumbling a few times, he held himself strong like a true man in the heat of battle. Aric also came to admire Japeth's scims who all seemed to take equal interest in him too, gurgling excitedly at the sight of him (Japeth and Aric feigned sick a few times during classes and boarded themselves up in Japeth and Rhian's vacant room).