The Imposter

Percy could have easily grown irritated by Marcus' unsubtle flirtation, but he was well aware that it was only intended to wind him up, rather than being a genuine attempt to win Rene's affections. It did annoy him, granted, but he was easily able to roll his eyes at it - mostly because he did trust Rene, and couldn't imagine him going with anyone else after making things official with him. He had no idea that he'd shared a kiss with Brennan, however. If he did, he'd be less inclined to trust him.

The affection did annoy Sylvan, though. He had had to deal with his boyfriend making unsubtle remarks about Rene, about how much he cared for him, and it would take an idiot not to notice that affection. Somehow, he managed to ignore it and continue with his relationship like everything was fine and dandy. However, having more of that affection piled onto his best friend by Marcus was another blow. Hell, if his own boyfriend preferred Rene (which the drider fully well believed at this point), then he expected everyone else to do so too. It was inevitable at this point that he be overlooked in favour of Rene, having dealt with that during all the time he'd known the other monster. This experience, therefore, really wasn't unique.

"...Rene could probably tutor you, he's really smart," he piped up after a moment, forcing a grin. "He gets the best grades in our year, practically. Don't be modest, Rene, you're super intelligent and you need to own that, I think. You work your butt off for those grades, you deserve to show off a little."
 
"You're brilliant too, Sylvan!" Rene immediately praised. "Your grades in maths are amazing, and you learned English far quicker than I did. YA revnuyu, naskol'ko ty umna, Sylvan," he cooed only really quieting down once in the room with their centaur professor, that of whom was impatiently waiting for other students to file in before the bell.

"I knew practically no English when I first came here but I did know some German since my pro babushka had lived there before moving to Russia to raise my mother. He surpasses me completely," he continued to praise in a whisper before shooting a grin towards the drudge in encouragement.

"Ah, yes, well... that's impressive," admitted Marcus as he took a seat carefully. "I could barely remember a proper phrase of French from school. I'm glad that English is the main language or I'd be properly fucked, aye? That being said, I'm pretty amazing at P.E. I suppose that isn't good on an intellectual base but I could probably suplex all of you."
 
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"...I'm not going to deny that, I'd just rather be prided for other things than my Maths skills. How about the fact I have a flawless complexion and I don't even wear foundation? I think finding a perfect skincare routine is talent, Rene. Any idiot can be good at Maths with a calculator," he pointed out with a playful roll of his eyes, tapping away on his phone as he stopped in front of the class, regardless how angry it made his teachers. Because he had to sit at the back of the class to have enough room to sit down comfortably, he would often wait out the minutes at the front to be able to talk to his friends... even if it often irked his teachers. However, chastising him for it would only cause an argument and if there was one thing about Sylvan, it was his ability to win arguments, whoever he was up against.

"I wish Brennan was in class with us, he could sit by me and I wouldn't be alone at the back. Do you know how horrible it is back there? I'm stuck next to the weirdos," he groaned dramatically, his false nails tapping on the screen of his phone absently as he watched a few centaurs head to the back, grimacing to himself at how boring their company was to him. "...I shouldn't be forced to sit next to people who make me want to tear out my own eardrums, Rene, it's not fair."
 
"Well, I can explain to my papa about that," he offered with a smile as he tugged out his textbooks. If there was anything that could take Rene's attention toward his usual petty life, it was school. "You share almost all your classes with Brennan, okay? Relax~! Just enjoy yourself and learn something." He insisted, completely ignoring Marcus' clear confusion at the scene.

"Ah... yeah... This is great," Marcus murmured, deciding to wander to Sylvan's side. It wasn't very subtle, his growing hatred towards Percival, but that didn't mean he didn't like having friends. "I think it's fucked up. You deserve to sit wherever - sure, you're super tall and big but who cares? You should sit wherever you want," he murmured with a smile as he held his head in his hand.
 
"People wouldn't be able to see past me, it makes sense for me to sit at the back with the other super tall and big students. Doesn't mean I like it that much. Rene's such a teacher's pet that he sits right in the front to get as much attention as he can, and he's the only real friend I have. It's fine, I'm not whining about it. I don't whine," he huffed, absently glaring at Rene and Percy. It wasn't fair to him that he had to sit without decent company while they giggled to themselves at the front. Sure, he understood it was logical for him to be where he was, and he also knew he could make things easier by making friends with the centaurs that often sat with him... but he didn't want to be understanding about it.

"...You didn't need to sit by me. I've been told that I'm narcissistic, annoying and self-absorbed, I'm hardly ideal company to most people. I think I'm wonderful, but Rene's the only friend I've made so maybe I'm just delusional," he drawled tiredly, tapping his nails against his phone with an absent smile at how he had decorated it. He made no apologies for who he was, or how he chose to present himself. He was almost certain he was far too much for most people, but it made him happy, being how he was now, so he wasn't going to tone himself down just to make other people comfortable.

"Rene's lovely, I know you've recognised that. It's hard to dislike him. That merman boyfriend of his, though. I'm not a fan. I'm sure you and him go way back and have been friends for years, but I... god, I don't like him much. I think he's judgemental and boring and... I find him weird," the drider tutted, resting his chin in his hand while the other twirled his pen around. "...But I think you're nice, if that helps."
 
"Percy? Yeah, I wasn't expecting him to be here," the werewolf murmured under his breath as he watched the two while more students poured in. "He's always been a weakling who will do whatever his pa asks him to, you know? To hear he's 'allegedly' a merman is just... a load of shite. I don't know what he's told you but I could probably prove him wrong without a problem."

As Marcus spoke, it was clear that what started out as curiosity from the monster was slowly manifesting into genuine feelings, as was evident from his bright blush and the fact that his eyes were glued to the man and his every word, so much so that he had to be taken out of his quiet adoration by their teacher."

"Your friend just seems so naive, it's lame. He should be tougher than that. I never needed to be with someone to make me happy, I'm fine being alone," Marcus continued before letting out a yawn.
 
"Good for you. I don't need someone to be with to make me happy either, but I enjoy relationships. I enjoy being in love with someone and finding a person to cuddle with. I don't think that's a negative quality, to find happiness with someone. If Rene has that with Percival, I'm happy for them, even if I think his boyfriend's a loser," he drawled, casting another scathing glance towards the pair at the front of the class, his frown deepening. He did insult Percy a lot, he couldn't deny that, but he was also the first person to defend the relationship. The fact his own relationship was constantly criticised by those closest to him wasn't the nicest feeling in the world, even if there were valid points to be made about Brennan's behaviour towards him.

"...You don't think he's a merman?" He blurted suddenly once the words seemed to be acknowledged, his eyes widening a little... before a smirk appeared at the news. Any form of gossip immediately transfixed him, and uncovering potential lies was always juicy. Especially when it concerned someone he didn't particularly like. "...He said he doesn't like swimming, so you might be onto something. I always thought there was something weird about him, you know. I told Rene that the moment Percy arrived."
 
"Well, I don't know how much the whole mermaid thing works but I'm certain I remember him getting wet before," he murmured quietly so no one else could hear. Eyeing the couple once more, he stiffened a tad when he saw Rene glance back, that of whom wriggled his brows at the sight of the two getting along so well.

"Look, just... be wary," Marcus finished with a frown as he tugged out some supplies. While he wasn't the best student in the world, he cared enough to work and prove that this was the school made for him.
 
"Of course I'm wary, I don't trust him. You've only confirmed what I already suspected. I don't like him, I don't think I'll ever like him, so I'm obviously going to be wary," the other smiled back in response, making a slow effort to pull out his own equipment. His education wasn't necessarily vital to him, though he made an effort when it came to exams because he wanted to stay at the school, rather than be home-schooled like the rest of his siblings were. He was the only one in his family who chose to go to the school, after all, and while he wasn't naturally academically gifted, he did put a huge effort into getting good grades, knowing full well his mother wouldn't be happy if he began failing his classes.

His mother was the only person he felt inclined to impress, and the person he went to first if there was any trouble, with Rene being a close second. So when Brennan decided that he wanted to break up with him, Sylvan's first instinct wasn't just to call up his mother, but demand his teachers that he be allowed to make the trek to his home to see her in person. After seeking comfort from her (and insisting that he didn't need her storming into the school to confront Brennan herself), his next option was to talk to Rene so, after hours of disappearing from the building, he arrived for dinner in the hall, only to grow teary-eyed the moment he sat down. The signs that he was upset were already there before the tears arrived; the fact he was make-up free was a huge sign something was wrong, given he never let himself head out of his bedroom without spending a good hour preparing himself.

"...Brennan broke up with me," he mumbled after a moment, peeking up from his hands with a weak grimace. "He said... he said he likes someone else and that he's kissed them and he wants to be with them instead and... and I don't know what I d-did wrong. G-God, I'm an idiot. You said he wasn't good for me, I... I should have listened."
 
Despite being gooey-eyed over Percival, Rene didn't need to grovel at the human's side every second of the day. In fact, there were very rare times that he simply enjoyed being alone and he was enjoying that. That being said, the lack of Sylvan's presence and Brennan still casually being around wasn't a good sign. While he kept calm on the outside Rene was panicking internally. He sighed in relief at the sight of the drider as he absently sipped his drink. Moving to affectionately comfort the other by wiping away the tears with his napkin, he offered a frown.

"I know I was right," he began, though kept a sympathetic tone. "You always fall for bad boys and they always hurt you. Look, you and I can just have a night together, okay? We can use that, ah... what is it called? Face masks? We can do that and paint our nails and just have it you and me," he offered, all the while hiding back his growing anxiety of Brennan clearly referring to Rene.

"We can pop some of the popcorn my mother sent over and watch some silly romantic comedy, no one else. Oh, better yet we can build one of those blanket forts! You deserve a proper pampering," he purred comfortingly.
 
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"My mother said she would come here and rip his head off. Is it bad that I was contemplating allowing her to do that? It would make me chuckle a-and it'd make me feel better, not to see him snogging the face off the guy he's supposedly in love with. I-I... god, I'm not Percy's biggest fan, but he's sweet and kind and he really likes you. Why can't I have that?" He groaned, resting his head in his hands again, his lips pouting further at the reminder that he would have to spend weeks dealing with Brennan, fully anticipating the sight of him walking around with a new guy on his arm. That didn't seem likely, given the person he liked was Rene, but Sylvan wasn't to know that.

"I'm too big for blanket forts, Rene. But... some pampering sounds nice. Just us, though. Not Percy or... anyone else. I would invite that new boy, he seems lovely, but I want tonight to be just me and you. I'll eat my weight in ice cream, shove on a face mask and rant about Brennan, and I'll be over it, right? He's... not that special, he's sort of a dick actually."
 
"I know. I was right, like always," he boasted subtly before pushing off from the seat to toss out his food. Sure, he care greatly for his best friend but like hell was he not going to rub the fact that he was right in the drider's face, especially since his lip was still healing. Motioning the other to follow, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his large hoodie.

"You're not too big for a blanket fort, don't be daft. If you want to be a buzzkill, though, then no fort," he teased affectionately as he wandered out of the cafeteria down to his dorm. "Look, Brennan was an asshole. You're way better than him in, like, every way, yeah? He was just some edgy asshole."
 
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"But he was handsome and rich and really funny. That's, like, the best combination. I thought we would be together for... years, Rene-- Look, I... I want to go and take a bath first. I'll come over in half an hour. Get the fort ready," he smiled quietly, paying little mind to the other's attempts to rub it in. Either that, or he didn't notice it, being too focused on the fact he had just gone through a break-up and had to take in the knowledge that his boyfriend had cheated on him by kissing someone else. Hell, even if he did notice it, it really wasn't something he was prepared to pick an argument over. Instead, a good bath was needed, as was a night with his best friend just relaxing and putting his upset aside.

What he didn't expect was to wander into Rene's room a solid thirty minutes later to see Brennan stood by the window, clearly in the middle of an angry rant. He had only entered five minutes before Sylvan's arrival, arriving to tell Rene how he intended on getting back with him after the breakup with Sylvan. He didn't anticipate any resistance, assuming that, after the kiss, his romantic feelings were mutual.

"What's going on, why's he here?" The drider demanded sternly, forcing himself to look collected and serious, even if the vampire's presence only made him emotional. "...G-Go away, Brennan. We don't want you here--"

"I need to talk to him, shut up Sylvan-- Are you just going to ignore me, then? You're not even going to give me an answer?" He muttered, glancing back at Rene with a frown. "...That's fucking immature of you, Rene."
 
"Sylvan, Just... go back to your room and get some more blankets," he ordered, his arms folded with sharp eyes locked onto the vampire in his own anger. "Fucking - I told you, Brennan. What you're doing to Sylvan is fucking horrendous - you hurt him and you don't even care? That's childish," he countered all the while trying to keep his voice calm.

He was taught by his father that, to stand your ground, you had to be the calmer and more levelheaded of the two during and arguement. Despite his thin stature, Rene could definitely emit dominant energy when he focused on it - after all, the idea was instilled in his mind the moment he could speak. "If you don't want to get in trouble, I'd suggest you leave. We can have a proper conversation like adults later or you could storm off in a huff. Right now is time for me and Sylvan."
 
"What I'm doing to Sylvan? Are you fucking serious? Don't you think kissing me was a horrid thing to do to him too? You didn't have to do that, did you? I was pushy, but I'd have backed off if you seemed serious. You wanted that kiss as much as I did, and now you're playing the supportive friend role? Fuck off, that's hypocritical and laughably pathetic, Rene," he hissed angrily, his own arms folded with an incredulous smile on his face. He had absolutely no intention revealing this to Sylvan, surprisingly. He might come off as an asshole a lot of the time, but he wouldn't dream of bringing more hurt to someone he admired and respected. However, Rene's words did anger him greatly, especially when he saw the hypocrisy in the other's actions, so he didn't think twice about blurting the truth out, regardless of the ultimate repercussions.

"You hurt him too, and you don't seem to care about it. Maybe you're just as bad as I am in all this, thought about that? Maybe I'm not the bad guy-- maybe I'm mostly at fault, but not solely, I'm not accepting that--"

"You kissed him-- You're the guy he loves? You... You kissed?" Sylvan finally whispered, his expression surprisingly neutral as he took in the scene in front of him, his eyes flickering between the two calmly. "...And you weren't going to own up and tell me any of this, were you? You were... going to comfort me, all while knowing what you did with my boyfriend, R-Rene-- Percy war dir nicht genug, oder? Sie müssen nur Brennan haben. Du bist ... du bist ein schrecklicher Freund, ich hoffe du weißt das-- H-Honestly, you're such a bitch, I hate you-- I fucking hate both of you."
 
Gasping in horror at Brennan's admission, Rene grew quiet. He wanted Sylvan's reaction first and he knew the last thing that would help would be to interrupt. When the drider seemed to finish, he nervously shook his head while his confidence seemed to vanish.

"He wouldn't leave me alone, Sylvan. I... I have no intentions of being with Brennan, I have Percy. I just wanted him to leave me be, okay? I shouldn't of done it but... but that's why I know he's such a dick. Fuck - Brennan, leave. You've caused enough trouble as is - I would have rather explained in a calm environment rather than you storming in."
 
"I'm not the bad guy in this-- you still like me, that's why you kissed me. You didn't do it to get me to piss off, don't... stop trying to make me out like I'm an asshole. You liked kissing me--"

"You weren't going to tell me," began Sylvan calmly, ignoring Brennan's angry outburst relatively easily. Blocking him out, surprisingly, wasn't that difficult. Remaining calm wasn't that hard to do either - he had learnt from his mother and countless older siblings how to put on an act, even if he wanted to break into tears on the inside. "You weren't going to do that, Rene, don't pretend that you'd have sat me down and told me. The least you can do is explain to Percy. I don't like him that much but I think he deserves the truth, don't you? That's all I want you to do. I don't want to talk to you or hang out or... or be friends with you anymore. I would never... e-ever kiss your boyfriend, no matter the circumstance."
 
"This is mad - I don't like Brennan, why is that so hard to believe?!" He replied in disbelief as he pushed off his bed. "He came onto me and I just wanted him to leave. He said if I kissed him everything would go back to normal. I thought I made it very clear to Brennan that I had no intentions on going further. I like Percival and... I'm sorry." He tried his best to explain with a growingcfrown. Despite his respect and admiration he often received by other students, Sylvan was always the only one who ever seemed to respect him for him rather than the son of one of the most powerful couples in all of the monster world.

"I'll come with you and talk to Percy myself," he offered with a wary smile. "I'm... I'm sorry, can't we all just talk this over together? I was honest with you, shouldn't that count for something?" He whimpered, his tail between his legs with a sniffle.
 
"It should, but it doesn't. If you think I'm going to be friends with you after this, you're an idiot. You're... literally my only friend in this place. I hate it here sometimes because you're so popular and I'm pretty much always in your shadow-- but god, I'd rather be alone than b-be your friend now. I don't care what you do. Tell Percy, don't tell him: whatever. I... I'm going to go and find someone else to have fun with. I can make new friends who won't, you know, kiss my fucking boyfriend behind my back and pretend everything's fine to my face," he scowled, his fists clenched at his sides as he took in the sight of the apologetic Rene. It was true that he was the only friend he had; a fact that immediately angered him. He liked to think he was sociable and approachable, but he only now realised that he hadn't made it count. The only other person he really saw as a friend was Marcus, and, having just met him, it didn't seem wise to turn up at his dorm to rant - he didn't want to impose on him after knowing him a few hours in total.

However, he didn't have the luxury of choice; he didn't have a group of friends to choose from, which more or less left Marcus as the sole option. Besides, even if he had only known him a few hours, he had an immediate connection to him. Hell, he was the only one who really seemed to support how Marcus chose to style and present himself, so it wasn't like Marcus was bowled over with friend requests either.

It didn't take too long to find Marcus' dorm room, and, in desperation to get inside to avoid Rene following him, he impatiently entered just seconds after knocking the door. The room was smaller than his own and it wasn't styled as nicely as his own (with the drider having demanded to be given a room that was styled to his taste) but he gave a hum of approval before offering up a quiet smile to the other.

"I want to hang out here for a bit. My best friend is an asshole who kissed my boyfriend, so I'm not really... in a great place right now. Apparently I have no friends, so here I am. I barely know you but you're the only person I can hang out with. That's sad, really. I don't even know your surname and yet you're the nearest I have to a friend-- Can I stay here for a while, then? I just don't want to be alone right now."
 
The day and a half since joining the academy had gone faster than he expected. He was ready to be able to attend school away from the human's who had made fun of him or saw him strange as he hid his lycanism and could finally be one with the people he felt closest to. To immediately be met with a former class mate and subsequently have to deal with the whole thing over again, it was taking Marcus a bit longer than he'd hope to get used to his new life.

He was neatly folding his clothes on his bed when the drider pushed himself in, which only startled him. He was a monster as well but that didn't mean he interacted with others very often, especially not more unconventional like Sylvan.

"Oh, um... I mean, I guess? Not like I have much of a choice," he replied with an awkward laugh. "Uh... I'm not really good with, like, talking about feelings but I'm here if you'd like to talk...?" He offered before motioning him to the rest of the small dorm
 
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