A New Start? [M] { Midori-hime && lobo }

** Rated M for mature content including, but not limited to, violence, blood, coarse language, sensual situations, and drug use. Read at your own discretion. **

Life had always been relatively normal for Jasper Huston...that is, up until his Sophomore year of High School. Jasper was always more on the quiet side, with a small handful of very close friends. He wasn't unhappy with that though, as he loved his friends dearly, and enjoyed the company and companionship that they provided to him. The problems started to arise when he started to realize his mixed feelings when it came to relationships. He was starting to realize that he didn't mind the gender of the person, so long as their personality was one that he enjoyed. He was starting to fall for people based on the way they treated him, and the way that they acted around him. It was no longer about gender. Once he began to realize this, he also started to realize that it would turn his life slightly sideways.

The few friends that he did have, started to decrease in numbers. He left high school with only two close friends, but he decided that he was still happy. It proved to him who was still truly there for him, and who would stick by his side no matter what choice he made on his sexuality. Aside from friendships, there was one more problem that he had. He was off to college, in a new city, to start over fresh. It was exciting, but also terrifying, as he would be leaving behind his mother and his younger sister. His mother's encouragement was what kept his going though, and the fear he had towards college progressively diminished until he was finally moved onto campus.

The first few weeks of college flew by, and Jasper was starting to get the hang of this new life. He felt more comfortable, both in the new setting and even in his own skin. He felt less judged, and a lot more accepted in this new environment. He knew it was only a matter of time before things would start to go downhill..but he was hoping the good would last at least a bit longer.

It was about a month into the first semester before he decided he wanted to begin exploring the area surrounding the campus. He made sure he had his essential items before he headed off campus, choosing to walk since he didn't have a car of his own to take. His wavy, slightly curly black hair was pushed back under a snapback, and his large, square glasses stayed propped up on the bridge of his nose. He had headphones pressed over his ears, and his bright blue eyes searched the area as he walked, taking in the new sights and keeping note of the restaurants and shopping centers just off campus.

He was so fascinated in the new scenery that he hardly noticed that he had stumbled into a darker, less sunny side of town. The shopping centers morphed into tattoo parlors, and the small restaurants became broken down, old gas stations. It wasn't until he came across a dead end in the road that it finally clicked. He realized then that he should turn and head home, and he didn't waste time in returning the way he had come. However, not far down the street was a small group of men that he didn't remember passing on the way there. He made the wise decision to cross the street, hands tucking into his hoodie pocket as he ducked his head to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

His attempt failed however, and he could easily hear a shout from over his shoulder. His eyes lifted at the sound, and he made the mistake of glancing back over his shoulder at the group. They were already gaining on him, and as soon as he was about to run, a hand grabbed his wrist. Not even a second later, he felt the cold bricks of a building against his back. "Wadda' we got 'ere, huh?" One of the three guys practically spat in Jasper's face, the man's grip on his wrist beginning to get painful. "Looks a lot to me like one a them college meats," Another cackled, and Jasper could feel the hairs on the back of his neck start to raise. "I..I just want to pass..-" The college boy tried to speak, but a hand came across his cheek before he could finish his shaky sentence. A second hit quickly followed the first, and the laughter of the men started to fill Jasper's ears as he cowered down and attempted to shy away from the hits. He couldn't do much in terms of fighting back, since he was horribly outnumbered. He could only hope that someone would pass by and take pity on him.

Aiden Matthewson had what you might call a rough childhood. Even in his earliest memories as a kid, his parents were always fighting and yelling. His father eventually became a drunk, an especially angry drunk, who would often come home wasted and take it out on his mother. She always told him to run and hide in his room until it was over, but Aiden would peek out from the top of the stairs and watch as his father beat his mom. For years he walked on eggshells, trying not to do anything to upset the old man, but it never took much to set him off and his mother would always take the brunt of it to protect him. And then when he was only 12, his mother suddenly up and left one night, never to be heard from again…. And there was no one to protect him anymore. For the next few years he put up with his father's physical and mental abuse. Aiden was often told how his mother was a whore who abandoned him so that she could run off with another man, and even though he didn't believe that, he still harbored resentment towards his mother for leaving him here with this man.

Things continued like that for a while and eventually Aiden started hanging out with the delinquents in school. They treated him like a brother and for the first time he felt like he had a family that cared about him. Together they often skipped school, wandering around town to shoplift from stores, deface a building, or go drinking in the park. Most importantly, they taught him how to fight. Aiden couldn't give a crap about his classes, but he became obsessed with going to the weight room during gym class. He wanted to get stronger so then maybe, just maybe, he'd finally be able to fight back against his dad. And when Aiden was 17 that day finally came…

It was early one night when Aiden brought home another guy he'd met. His father's car wasn't in the driveway or he would have never risked it. However, earlier than evening, the old man crashed his car while intoxicated and ended up walking home. He never expected his father to be there and when he caught them kissing, his father nearly lost his mind. He came after Aiden suddenly and finally everything he'd been training his body for was put to good use. With one good punch to the head, his father was laid out, unconscious on the floor. However, in that moment Aiden knew that once his dad woke up, he'd be dead. So he grabbed his things and left, never looking back.

His gang hooked him up with an easy job, despite having dropped out of school, and soon he was able to get an apartment. Though it wasn't much by any stretch of the imagination, Aiden finally had a place to call his own. However, as great as that all seemed, it was was still difficult for Aiden to cope with everything he'd been through. After everything he'd seen, he started to shy away from Alcohol and instead turned to something else, something that was possibly much, much worse.

Despite everything, Aiden had come to call this seedy part of town his home and felt content there even if it didn't hold much promise for a future. But Aiden insisted on living fully in the present, and as he walked home from yet another day of work at the local pizzeria, he never considered how drastically his life could change in an instant. The shout suddenly caught his attention and his stormy grey eyes glanced across the street, noticing a group of guys surrounding another, smaller guy. He got a glimpse of the dark-haired boy before he was nearly knocked over and instantly Aiden was striding over towards them. "Well, Well… I wonder what a bunch of Crimson Lions think they are doing in our territory." He called out, smirking as he accessed the situation.

That gave the men a pause, still holding the outsider as they turned to look at him. He purposely raked a hand through his wild, dark brown locks to show off the tattoo on his right forearm. It was a grim reaper with a seven pointed star behind it. "He's one of the Reapers…" One muttered before another spoke up, "None of your fucking business…" Aiden grinned then, though there was some tension in his posture. Three against one wouldn't be easy, but then again he's made it through worse odds. "Oh, but you're forgetting that you're in my territory, so now it is my business…" A few more tense words were exchanged before one of the men took a swing at Aiden. While he might have been some what lanky compared to the others, he was fast and could pack a punch. He easily ducked out of the way with a graceful spin before striking the thug with an elegant high kick that knocked him to the ground.

"Shit!" A second one stepped up then, leaving the last to keep the college boy pinned up against the wall. They exchanged a few punches before Aiden got the opportunity to bring his knee into the other man's stomach, and then his face as he doubled over. "Fuck this…" The last man snapped, giving Jasper one last shove before he ran away, grabbing his two friends along the way. "What a bunch of pansies…" Aiden muttered, watching them run off before he turned to the college boy. "Hey, you alright?" He asked, wiping the blood from his split lip on the back of his hand. Aiden then stepped closer, offering his other hand to help him away from the wall. "I'd get out of here, if I were you… You don't want to know what they do to pretty boys like you around here." He warned him. And this boy was pretty, he thought while he looked into his bright blue eyes.

Jasper had been mentally preparing to get the life beat out of him. He didn't expect his prays to be answered, at least not until a voice rang out and interrupted his thoughts. His tightly shut eyes instantly flew open, searching the surrounding area until they landed on another man. His first instinct was to panic, thinking for a few moments that this was going to be another male against him. He wasn't only going to get his ass beat by these men..but a fourth was going to join in the fun. However, those worries were put to rest when he started to see the bodies of those holding him begin to tense up. These men didn't know the outsider standing a few feet away. This small group of attackers..were afraid of this man. And maybe Jasper should be, too.

The men around him started to mumble, something about a reaper, and now Jasper was even more confused than before. Were these men a part of a gang? Was the other man part of one as well? Too many thoughts were fogging his mind, so he didn't quite catch the last little exchange of words between the group of boys and the other male. The next thing he was aware of is one man leaving the group of three, moving closer to the intruder ( Or savior. Jasper still wasn't sure yet ). The next thing that happened was a shock to the college boy. The new male easily avoided a punch to the face, and the attacker was almost effortlessly knocked to the ground. The sight made Jasper's blue eyes widen, barely remembering he was in any danger until a hand came across his face again. A tiny yelp left Jasper's lips, but he clamped his teeth together to keep quiet.

Another of the assaulters was moving away though, and Jasper forced his eyes to open again to watch his savior take down the second man without any problem. The whole sight was mind blowing to the college student, who had only ever seen fights occur on television. At least, fights like this that is. Where one man takes down two as if he had done it a million times before. Jasper was pulled from his thoughts again as he was shoved, a sharp breath getting sucked in as his back knocked into the bricks again. He shook it off quickly though, his body pressing against the wall to keep himself steady this time. He couldn't quite believe what he had just witnessed.

The savior spoke now, and Jasper took a moment to just stare at the boy. His wide, doe eyes flickered from the man's grey ones to his outstretched hand, and he eventually reached with a trembling one of his own. He grasped the man's hand, cautiously stepping away from the wall behind him. "I..." he started to speak, but the words left his lips as his eyes turned to stare in the direction that the attackers had ran off. I hardly even heard the man's warning, or the small compliment that had been tossed in. He had just saved me. He was a literal knight in shining armor. And it was starting to make my heart flutter..but now wasn't the time. "You just...- Holy shit man," Jasper finally got some words to process, shaking his head slowly. Though his words were hardly above a whisper, his body a little shaky from adrenaline and fear.

It took another moment for him to process everything, and once he did, he took a small step away from this new male. He was starting to realize he didn't actually know where he was. He had been walking aimlessly up until he was attacked. Though there was no way he was going to admit this to the stranger..not even if he had been saved by this man. "I..I uhm..- Are you okay? I mean..Thank you, for helping me. I'll...I'll go now," Jasper spoke again, giving a quick dip of his head as a thanks to the guy before he shuffled a few steps away and glanced around. Getting back to campus was going to be a huge pain in his ass, especially with those guys still around somewhere. And Jasper could start to feel the sting on his cheek from a forming bruise.

The sheer awe on his face made Aiden smile, until that split his lip more and a fresh trail of blood ran down to his chin. "Ow! Fuck…" He winced, dabbing at his lip with the back of his hand again. Aiden glanced up from the blood on his hand again. "Oh, I'm fine. I sort of expected worse, but they turned out to be nothing but bunch of pussies after all…" Aiden then laughed at his own little joke. "They should change their name…" He blinked then as the other boy quickly thanked him and started to leave. But then what did he expect? However, Aiden could tell by the boy's hesitant steps and his wandering eyes that he had no idea where he was going. Well of course, that would make sense… Why else would a college boy like him be wandering around this dump if he wasn't lost?

Aiden took a few steps after him, seeming somewhat amused. "Hey, you have no idea where you're going, do you?" He asked, though really it was more of a statement than a question. With a soft sigh, he followed and then stepped past him. "Come on, I'll get you back to the other side of town… Before you get into any more trouble." He offered and started off down the street, regardless of any protesting from the guy. As they walked, he glanced back at the boy from the corner of his eye, noticing that he still seemed rather shaken up. Poor guy… He thought before noticing the pizzeria where he worked on the corner. "Hang on… I have an idea." Aiden said suddenly before grabbing the boy's arm and gently pulling him across the street.

Without an explanation, Aiden stepped inside the pizza place and waved to the man behind the counter. "Hey Marco! Two slices of pepperoni and a coke!" He called out before leading the other guy to a plain looking booth with a few cracks in the pleather seats. "Whataya doin' back here?! I thought you were goin' home!" Marco called back with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Well, you should know that like most things in my life, nothing goes as planned." He replied, chuckling a bit before sitting down across from the boy. "I think it'll be good to just sit for a moment…" He finally explained, looking into the other boy's eyes again. God, he was really cute… But he couldn't be that lucky. "So, what's your name and what is someone like you doing in this part of town anyway?" He asked, continuing to stare into his eyes as they waited for their food.

It wasn't until the boy smiled that Jasper actually noticed the split on the other man's lip. His eyes somehow got a little wider, but before he could reach out, the taller male had already wiped the blood off his lip. Jasper turned away then, before he could do anything else to embarrass himself. He listened as the other man made jokes about the little group, wondering how well this guy knew those others. It seemed as though he was at least slightly familiar with them...or had heard of the gang that Jasper was positive they had been a part of. It didn't matter now though. He was safe..and he hadn't been completely smashed into a pulp. He also learned a valuable lesson when it came to wandering around places. Clearly it was a dumbass thing to do...unless he had this man around with him.

Though as Jasper turned away, he knew he looked helplessly lost when the other man mentioned his confusion. He slowly glanced back towards the man, his eyes lowering shyly as he gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "I uhm...- Yeah..I'm lost," Jasper finally admitted, closing his eyes tightly in embarrassment. The admission even made his cheeks turn a shade of pink, that turned even darker when he heard the other man's sigh. As the other man offered to help him back, Jasper shook his head quickly. "No, no! You've seriously done enough for me. I owe you," He insisted, though he still jogged to catch up to the stranger as he began to walk away. It seemed like he didn't have any other way home...so following the stranger was the only way.

Jasper looked around quickly as they went, his hands fidgeting together in obvious nerves. He had no reason to fear this stranger...considering he was technically his savior. But it was hard when you were somewhere unfamiliar. The man's words shook Jasper from his thoughts, and he quickly blinked at the man what he was grabbed. "Wh..what the fuck?" he squeaked out, stumbling quickly after the larger man. His short stature didn't help him keep up, since he was only 5'7" and done growing. It took a lot of Jasper's quick, small steps to keep up with the stranger's, but he somehow managed it.

He looked around the pizzaria quickly, his eyes widening yet again. At least he wasn't being kidnapped. He was in a public place, where he could sit down and rest his shaky legs. He also realized now that this stranger was familiar wirh this place, and apparently had some connections here. That thought made him relax, especially when the stranger suggested sitting down. He nodded his head quickly, his blue eyes meeting the stranger's grey ones. They were pretty...well, he was pretty in general. Jasper quickly looked away when he realized he was staring, almost drowning in those grey eyes. Damn..this man was making him feel weird. "My name is Jasper...Jasper Huston. I..I didn't actually mean to come here. I just wanted to look around and explore and...and those guys just kinda...showed up," he explained, cheeks heating up a bit into a blush. Though a thought occurred to him, and he quickly reached to the middle of the small table to grab a few napkins. Jasper then leaned closer to the other male, reaching out with the napkins to press them to the stranger's busted lip. He held them their gently, eyeing the male's lips before his eyes flickered up to meet the grey ones again. "S..sorry," he squeaked quietly, slowly pulling back and holding the napkins out to the man across from him.

"Ah, I see… Well I suggest you stay away from the south side of town for future reference. Anything past King St. and you've got to be careful." He warned, but found himself staring as Jasper blushed. Aiden looked away suddenly, fidgeting a little in his seat. God damn, he was even cuter when he blushed. And the name Jasper was just the icing on the cake. Aiden looked back at the other boy again when he suddenly leaned in, his stormy grey eyes widening in surprise as the other touched a napkin to his lip. A shudder when through him and he found himself sinking into those deep blue eyes.

Aiden blinked then, watching Jasper with a slightly bewildered expression as he drew back. Slowly he took the napkins from him, his finger tips brushing against the other male's. He pressed the napkin to his lip again, glancing down at the blood. "No, it's fine. I'm sorry if the blood is grossing you out… It's nothing new for me." He said, then looked up as their pizza and drink were placed in front of them on white paper plates and a foam cup. Aiden then smiled, pushing the drink towards Jasper. "Eat up…" He said simply before setting the bloody napkin aside and taking a bite out of his own slice. "Mmm… Not bad. But not as good as how I make 'em" He said. Suddenly a thought dawned on him and he quickly wiped the grease from his hand before holding it out. "By the way, I'm Aiden…" He officially introduced himself.

He went back to eating then, quiet for a moment before he thought of something else to talk about. "So where are you headed anyway? I'm guessing you go to that college in town? Do you have a dorm, or your own apartment?" The more he looked at Jasper, the more the guy started to look a little familiar. Still he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He doubt Jasper was anyone he really knew, but he felt like he might have seen him somewhere before, a long time ago. But then Aiden had always been terrible with names.

Jasper took a mental note of the man's warning, deciding it would be smart for him to never return to this part of the town. It wasn't that he was weak necessarily, he was just..less prone to fights. Jasper preferred to avoid all confrontation if possible. He knew his small stature gave him a disadvantage in fights and...well, he had never had to actually throw a punch at someone before. He figured now wasn't a good time to start. Luckily for him, this stranger had been kind enough to do all the punching for him. He wasn't quite sure how he got lucky enough to have someone help him..let alone a rather hot someone.

The surprise on the stranger's face was what actually made Jasper decide to pull away after pressing the napkins to the other's lip. He couldn't read if the expression had been bad, or if it had only been out of surprise from his quick actions. Either way he still chose to pull back, relaxing a bit as the man took the napkins from his. Though he could've sworn he felt a few tingles at the tips of his fingers from where they brushed against the other man's. It was an odd feeling, that only had him blushing harder. Though the man's apology had him shaking his head, a tiny smile finally twitching onto his lips. "N-no...not at all. I just...thought it would be best to stop the bleeding," he explained quietly, his eyes lowering just a tad. That is, until the pizza was placed on the table, and he looked up to whisper a thanks to whomever had brought the food to them.

Jasper peeked from the plate of pizza to the man across from him, his comment causing Jasper's head to tilt to the side just slightly. That seemed to confirm his suspicions. Not only did this guy have connections here, he obviously worked here. Or, at the very least, he had at some point. Those thoughts were whisked away as the man held his hand out, and Jasper was finally given a name to go along with this stranger. He did glance between those grey eyes and Aiden's hand before finally reaching out with his own, slightly smaller hand. He closed it around Aiden's, giving a tiny dip of his head. "Thank you for the help...Aiden," he murmured, peeking back up at the male shyly.

It took a moment, but Jasper eventually released the other man's hand, quickly grabbing his pizza to take a bite from it. The food actually helped settle his nerves, and he was starting to actually enjoy his time with this new...friend. The questions made him look up again, head tilting before he cracked another small smile. "Yeah I uhm...I'm in the college. I have a dorm room but uh..they fucked up with my room so I don't actually have a roommate. Just two beds to myself," he explained, chuckling quietly. It was actually nice, having the room to himself. Thought it was a little more lonely than if he shared it with another.

Even if it was only slight, that smile intrigued him and suddenly he wished he could see more of it. He took another bite of his pizza and smiled at the other boy's shy gestures. "Well hey, that's pretty sweet, huh? Nothing beats having your own space, trust me…" He said sincerely, sitting back a little in his seat. A thought crossed his mind suddenly and he decided to ask, hoping he might be able to feel out the situation. "And just think… You can bring home the babes whenever you want… Unless you have a girlfriend? But then that's even better…" He said, throwing him a playful wink.*

Hey, a guy could dream, couldn't he? Aiden suddenly remembered the puzzled look he got from Jasper a few moments ago. "Oh yeah, in case you were wondering, I work here. So if you ever need to find me... " He offered with a smile. "Ya know, if you ever need me to rough someone up for ya..." Aiden quickly added. He took another few bites of pizza, trying to think of something else to talk about. Who knew if he was ever going to see this guy again, so he hoped to make the most of this interaction.

"So college, huh? What are you studying?" He asked, genuinely curious. It was something he knew he'd never accomplish himself, but he admired those that could. Not to say that he envied them or wished to go to college himself, but it nice to see someone who could go after their goals, despite how hard it seemed. And it made life a lot easier when you at least had a GED. If it wasn't for his friends finding him this job, God knows where he might have ended up. Of course, working at pizzeria in the shitty part of town was nothing glamorous, but there were definitely worse things he could be forced to do to make money.

Jasper's smile managed to grow just slightly at Aiden's assurance that living alone wasn't to bad. He gave a little nod of his head to show his agreement, his body finally beginning to relax into his chair. Maybe this guy wasn't too bad after all. Maybe the only time he's dangerous is when someone chooses to pick a fight with him first. The thought was incredibly relaxing, and Jasper could feel himself starting to enjoy the presence of the other man. That is...until the dreaded conversation of relationships came up. Jasper's face fell a little, the rosey red of his cheeks darkening a few shades. "I don't know if you can tell...but I'm not really the type of guy to attract...babes," he chuckled dryly, his eyes lowering to his slice of pizza. Apparently Jasper couldn't attract men or women, or so he thought. He felt as though he could hardly keep a hold of friends, let alone someone that could potentially be with him for the rest of his life.

He quickly shook off his thoughts as Aiden spoke again, his eyes slowly lifting from the pizza. He hummed a little noise, eyes moving around the small pizzaria. It didn't look like such an awful place..and oddly enough, it seemed to fit Aiden from what he could tell. Though the offer of beating someone else up for Jasper got him blushing again, and this time he lifted his hands to cover his face. "Why do you keep bringing that up, huh? Are you trying to remind me how pathetic I was?" Jasper laughed at this though, showing he was only joking with the guy. Though it was embarrassing, thinking back to his little attack. He felt as though he should've done more. Maybe actually tried to fight back and get away. Anything would've been better than just letting them push him around. Plus, Aiden got hurt because of it. Obviously nothing major, but he still had a busted lip because Jasper couldn't protect his own ass.

Jasper was frowning now, thinking back to the little fight. Aiden pulled the memory away though, but speaking of college made the smaller boy start to fidget his fingers and pick nervously at the skin around his nails. "Uhh..I'm supposed to be a business major. I..want to do something that can help my family in the future. Maybe pay for my sister's college, ya know?" he explained, eyes dropping to his half eaten pizza slice. He didn't quite understand why he was opening up to this semi-stranger. Maybe he just wanted the company, and the willing, listening ear. "But uh...enough about me. You said you worked here..? That seems cool. Did you go to the college in town, too?" he asked now, leaning forward to prop his elbows up onto the table and get a little closer to Aiden.

Aiden frowned just a little, frustrated that Jasper's reply didn't tell him anything. Was he just saying that because he felt he wasn't good looking enough to attract any women, or was it because he wasn't attracted to women? He couldn't tell! Well so what, even if Jasper was gay, it didn't mean the kid would want to have anything to do with a scumbag like him. He was just getting all flustered because Jasper was the first cute boy he'd seen in a while. He was the last person who knew anything about dating, so it was probably best if he just forgot the whole prospect. But then if that were the case, just a little bit of flirting couldn't hurt could it?

However, he noticed the little frown on Jasper's face and worried maybe his little joke had been taken the wrong way. It was brushed aside for now as Jasper went on to tell him about his major. But oddly enough, the guy didn't seem all that thrilled about it. He supposed he could understand wanting to help out his family, but Aiden felt it was more important to look out for yourself and worry about your own happiness above anything else.

But before he could say anything more on the matter, Jasper suddenly changed the topic and asked about him instead. The way the other male leaned in, those blue eyes dancing with curiosity, made Aiden pause. Suddenly he felt a little nervous, knowing that he didn't really have many redeeming qualities and Jasper was going to find that out soon enough. "College, heh... No, I haven't gone to college. I'm nothing but a highschool drop out..." He admitted with a small chuckle. Ah well, he already told himself that this wasn't going to go anywhere, so why bother trying to impress anyone now? "But this place is cool enough. The guys here treat me well and it keeps a roof over my head. What else do I need?" Aiden shrugged, but deep down he was anxious to see if Jasper would write him off already.