Four Swords Modern Au

Partners in Crime

Shadow flung his heavy backpack into the passenger seat of his car and quickly backed out the driveway. He could hear Ezlo call something out to him from the front door. But Shadow was running wayyy too late to listen to the old codger ramble on about him missing breakfast or something stupid.
Shadow had been living with Ezlo for the past four years since CPS had taken him away from his dad when he was twelve. Ezlo was kinda like Shadow's grandpa but not really. The old man had raised Shadow's dad, Vaati, but they weren't related at all. Shadow hadn't ever even met Ezlo before he found out that he was the only person willing to take him in. He'd maybe heard about him once in passing from his dad. Ezlo was crotchety and old but at least he never hit him so Shadow figured that he really couldn't complain.
He skidded to a halt in the school parking lot and made a mad dash for the stairs. Why did first period have to be upstairs? Better question, why did first period have to be chemistry?! Shadow practically threw himself through the classroom door as the final bell chimed over the loudspeakers. Normally, he couldn't care less about getting to class on time but he didn't want to get caught in the tardy sweep the school was conducting today.
    Shadow slid calmly into his seat and tried to steady his ragged breathing. Man, he had forgotten how much he despised running. The teacher gave him a look of pure hatred but technically couldn't count him late. Shadow had won the battle this time. He gave Mr. D his signature eat-shit-and-die smirk.
Mr. D looked him coolly in the face. "Cutting it a little close today aren't we Shadow?"
Shadow was pretty sure that comment was supposed to scare him. Too bad for Mr. D that it didn't work. "Yeah, sorry for being late." He feigned a genuine guilty expression, "I guess I got caught up enjoying my last couple minutes of not being here."
The corners of Mr. D's mouth twitched a little and most of the class sat with bated breath. No one else would have dared risk a comment like that in this particular class, it was AP Chemistry and filled with annoyingly straight-laced overachievers who had panic attacks over anything that wasn't an A+.
So, it really surprised Shadow when he actually saw the guy who sat next to him try and fail to suppress a chuckle. The young man was pretty short and had longish blond hair with really cool blue-purple eyes, his name was Vio Shadow recalled. He'd never really paid much attention to Vio before because he was your basic, run-of-the-mill perfectionist with over a 4.0 gpa and a rich family. It was shocking that he'd laughed at Shadow's comment at all especially considering Shadow didn't think he'd even seen him smile before. Vio looked different when he smiled, Shadow thought, he was actually pretty damn cute when he didn't look so serious.
   However, Mr. D didn't seem to find Shadow's remark very amusing or Vio's grin adorable. They were both promptly ushered out of the class and ordered to the discipline office for "disrupting the learning environment." When Mr. D slammed the door behind them in the hall Shadow sighed and turned towards Vio who was standing there utterly perplexed. It was Shadow's turn to laugh, the dork had probably never gotten in trouble his entire life. Shadow had spent a considerable amount of time in the office for his mouth in both this school and his old one, so this was pretty routine for him.
   Today, though, Shadow didn't feel like sitting in the discipline office. For the first time he had a partner in crime, albeit a very sheepish looking one right now, but still he wasn't alone. It was one thing to sit in the office when he had nothing better to do. It was another thing when he had already attached himself to Vio and decided to hell with school today.
   Shadow started down the stairs towards a back exit in a dark hall. Vio, who had been silently following him the whole time, probably figuring Shadow knew where the office was better than him, stopped. "What are you doing?" Vio asked, looking suspicious.
   Shadow rolled his eyes. "What does it look like we're doing?"
   "Well, I thought that we were going to the office."
   "We are. It's just out that door." Shadow joked.
   "I'm not an idiot."
   "Sure you are, if you think that it's a super idea to laugh in Mr. D's class."
   Vio glared at him. Shadow smirked, "C'mon let's get outta this place! Might as well give 'em something real to yell at us about."
   "Exactly, the head of dicipline can't possibly get that mad at us right now if we just go and get it over with. We could probably make it in time to next period, even. I'd really rather not get into more trouble because of you."
   "It's not like I made you laugh, that's your own fault! Besides you really think that old witch will just let us off the hook? She'll probably give us like a billion weeks of detention and say it's not harsh enough. You should hear her rant about how she wishes corporal punishment was still allowed! Take it from someone with experience, Vi, we're better off leaving. At least then we'll deserve getting into trouble."
   Vio looked extremely concerned. Shadow moved closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder, flashing a smile.
   "Live a little, it'll be fun!" He promised. Shadow started to lead Vio to the exit.
   "But..." Vio started before Shadow cut him off by pushing him out the door, which locked behind them.
   "Look it's too late now, so what you wanna do? I think we should g..."
   "How are you so calm about this? We could get arrested, Shadow!"
    "But we won't."
    "You don't know that!"
     "Sure I do."
     "How? Please don't say you've done this before."
    "Nah, but it'll be a piece of cake. All we have to do is avoid areas with cops."
   "Well, then what are we doing standing out here for? The school police could see us at any minute!"
   Well, he hadn't really thought about that so he pulled Vio into his car. Shadow smiled again at his companion.
   "So, you're game?"
    "Well it's not like I have much choice now." Vio huffed.
   "Cool! Let's go!"
   He started the engine and sped out of the parking lot. Vio's worried expression started to relax into a small smile.
   "You're insane."
    "You're a fine one to talk Mr. I-just-got-in-the-car-with-a-guy-I-hardly-know-and-now-we're-skipping-school-together. Maybe I'm kidnapping you so that I can murder you and keep your severed head in my closet."
   "I'd haunt you."
   "Ooooh... I'm so scared! What're you gonna do? Mysteriously alphabetize my bookshelf?"
     "If I told you my plans you'd never kill me in the first place and there's no fun in that."
   "So, you want me to kill you?"
   "Well, if your description of the head of dicipline is accurate, death might be preferable to her wrath."
   They both looked and each other and laughed. Shadow felt like he might have just made the first friend of his life.
   "You know, Vio, you're really cute when you laugh."