Twisted, Twisted, Shooting Stars

Name

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Jake curled up on the concrete, arms around his stomach from where the older boys had punched him. His head finally stopped spinning so he could look up at the sudden pause from his bullies. He heard the familiar sound of barking along with a voice he didn't recognize.

"It nearly bit me!"

"You better watch your back, you freak!"

The unfamiliar voice laughed loudly as the other ran away. "Yeah! Run along! Coward!"

Cracking his eyes, Jake looked up to the owner of the voice. It was a boy with short reddish-brown hair wearing a ripped cloth as a makeshift cape. The boy suddenly looked back at him, his big black eyes staring widely at him.

"Sweet nebula!" The boy suddenly crouched down and, unannounced, lifted the violet bangs off his face. "You're bleeding!"

Flinching, Jake slapped the hand away and slid backward, his back hitting the brick wall of the small alleyway. "Get away from me," he hissed.

"Relax," the boy said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Jake frowned at him. "Yeah. Right."

"No, I won't. Oh!" The boy dug into the pocket of his pants and fished out a small band-aid. "Here." The boy scooted closer to him and once again, lifted his bangs, only this time he stuck the band-aid to the spot that hurt the most. "There." The boy scooted backward, smiling at his handy work. "Good as new."

Jake's fingers hovered over the band-aid, blinking at the other boy confusedly. "I..."

"No need to thank me," the boy grinned. "Thank your dog!"

Jake's eyes widened when the boy calmly put a hand on top of Artoo's head and pet the white husky. "Lucky that I heard her barking or else I wouldn't come."

Artoo's tail is wagging at him as she panted happily. The dog walked closer, licking Jake's face. "Artoo!" Jake laughed. He petted the dog and felt her head pushing up into his hand.

"Aw~ She's such a good girl," the boy laughed again, making Jake turn toward him. The boy smiled at him, offering his hand. "You need help standing up?"

"I can stand on my own," Jake muttered. He couldn't let others think that he's just a wimpy kid. Slowly, he got up from his feet. He huffed, dusting the dust from his pants. "I'm fine."

The boy hummed, looking at Jake from top to bottom as if he was judging him. "What?" he said in a pissed off tone. "You want a reward for saving me?"

The boy hummed again, but then his eyes twinkled. "A reward might be nice~"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Of course," he grumbled, sighing in annoyance. "Fine. What do you want?"

The boy grinned. "A name."

"What?"

"Your name!" the boy grinned. "Calling you 'the boy with the dog' is a bit too long, so why not just call you your real name?"

Jake blinked. Is this... Is this boy even serious? He can ask for anything (even if Jake doesn't know how he would do it), but he only wants his name? He doesn't have pointy ears or fangs, so he can't be fae. In fact, he almost seems harmless. Magic-less even.

"So?" the boy tilted his head to the side. "What's your name?"

Jake frowned. Glancing at Artoo who was busy scratching behind her ear. Even Artoo trusts him... So, it wouldn't hurt, right?

"It's Jake," he mumbled.

The boy's eyes and the smile widened. "Nice to meet you, Jake," he laughed, ruffling Jake's hair.

"Hey-" He wanted to slap the hand away but the boy had already caught his, giving it a big shake.

"My name is Jonah!" he shouted. "A name for a name. Now we're friends!"

Jake's eyes twitched. "You can't just make friends that fast!"

"Yes, I can!"

The boy laughed again and Jake just huffed. Artoo huffed happily between, her tail sweeping across the ground in lazy swipes.

Unknown to the two kids, this was just the sweet beginning...