Caught Red Handed(Kodi)

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Why was he doing this again? Well, obviously because Ollie had asked him to. Why did he agree? Because Ollie had begged him to.

Oliver had been doing as good a job as he could being the dorm monitor, but it was, undoubtedly, a difficult job. The students didn't listen to him, especially the more problematic students, and Ollie was just...a big grump most of the time. Which made it easy for him to subtly twist the arm of his best friend, Zachary Bishop, to climb the side of the building in order to inspect an area of the building that had been, essentially, closed off and was supposedly inaccessible to students. It was kind of like an attic storage type room. Oliver had said that he'd gone up there frequently when he thought there was someone up there, but they'd always been gone by the time he got there. So this time, he asked Zach to sneak up on them for him and find out who it was.

Zachary didn't mind it much, but it did mean that there might have been questions about whether he was trying to peep into the dorm rooms or not. Which was why he did it when there were few people around and as close to the corner of the building as possible, away from the windows, until he got to the one that led to the attic. He peered into the window which was already half open(obvious sign that the room was being used) and saw a student, asian descent by the looks of it, with glasses sitting by the window with an open book in his lap. He couldn't tell what book it was....and was, of course, curious. So...

"What're you reading there?" he asked, making no effort to ease into it or do it quietly.

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Kodi had found out about this secret little hideaway some months back, when he was bored and prone to try to get into things he shouldn't be. It had taken quite a bit of exploring and more than a little strength and agility to scrabble into the dusty room without anyone knowing, but he used it so much now that it had become easy, a habit. Getting up was a little harder today, considering his still-healing body, but he had managed.

It was better than his room, too - no chance of anyone sneaking up on him. Especially that fucking asshole dorm monitor that seemed to try to get his nose into everyone's business. And anyone that might discover his little hobby that he kept as secret as possible (except from Benny, but that had happened so fast...).

And so he was eagerly plowing through a brand new book - Inferno, by Dan Brown. It had been released earlier in the year, but he hadn't been able to snag a copy until now. While he normally preferred sci-fi and fantasy, he had found a love for Brown's thrillers the moment he started Angels & Demons. He was so enraptured with reading, his reading glasses perched delicately on the end of his nose, that he didn't notice his visitor until he spoke.

Kodi jumped visibly, immediately scrambling to his knees and whirling around to face the intruder, his lips curling back to reveal his already shark-like mouth full of teeth. "Gettout!" he growled. "Or I will fuckin' tear you t' shreds." His book had been flung to the side, and his glasses had disappeared into his pocket. Who the hell was this guy, and how had he gotten up so quietly!?

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Well.....that was an interesting reaction. Zach just stared at him, not in the least intimidated by the grouchy child or his mouth full of teeth, though he did wonder if the teeth thing had something to do with this kid's power. Of course it did, Zach, he wouldn't be at Hammel if he didn't have a power and besides that, normal people didn't have razor sharp teeth.

"Yeeeaaaahh, no." Zach shook his head decidedly. "I don't think I'm going to let you tear me to shreds." Zachary had almost forgotten how ferocious some students could get, especially when you gave them powers. Looking at him, though, Zach almost had to laugh because, well, it was kind of funny how he was puffing himself up and trying to make himself look scary to chase off this "intruder". But somehow, he didn't think the kid would appreciate being laughed at.

"How'd you get up here anyway?" Zach asked with an honest look of inquiry, completely ignoring the kid's threats. If he tried anything, Zach would probably just crawl away out of reach.

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Kodi realized a little belatedly that the intruder seemed to be a little too old to be a student, and thus would probably be harder to intimidate. And he was right - the guy just stared at him, seeming unfazed in the least, if a little confused. Which made sense, considering he was facing a bratty little kid with a feral snarl and a mottling of bruises still clear on his face and arms.

He didn't relax as the guy spoke, who was clearly unimpressed by Kodi's act. "I'll do it, y'fucker," he snarled, though his voice had wavered a bit uncertainly, unsure of who this guy was and what he was doing. The intruder even seemed like he was holding back laughter, which deflated the still-sore dentokinetic enough that he finally slouched and stuck to a moody glare.

"None'a yer business," he replied snappily, crossing his arms before shuffling over to grab his precious book again. "How'd you get up here? An' who are you, anyway? Look too fuckin' old t'be a student." He shot another glare at Zach, in case he hadn't made his point clear that he was not invited in here!

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Zach took a moment to consider the kid's threat…which still wasn't very impressive. "Ok…." he called the kid's bluff with a raise of his eyebrows and slight nod of his head. While Zach knew that there was a possibility that Kodi wasn't just bluffing, Zach had also been an angst teenager before. He'd made many threats before that was just for appearances sake, few he'd actually follow through on. And even fewer against an adult.

Because adults were scarier than an angsty kid would ever admit.

Zach looked down, four stories high, then back through the window. "I climbed, though probably not the same way you did." Though Zach had the feeling if he told the kid who he was exactly, like why he was there, that it wouldn't go over well. "Well, um…my name is Zach and yeah…I'm an alumnus.

Zach sort of widened his eyes when the kid glared at him again. Wow, talk about grouchy! …………And after a moment's thought, Zach thought it best to get closer. He opened the window just a little more and laid his arms against the sill, resting his head upon them. "….Is that Inferno? How is it?" He hadn't gotten around to reading it yet, though it was on his list of books to be read.

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Fuck, how was one supposed to scare adults away? Kodi was out of his league and he knew it, but that didn't mean he would let his act down altogether. This guy was still intruding, and still sticking around, and Kodi wanted him to know that he was not okay with this.

It was only then that Kodi realized he would have had a huuuge fucking ladder to have gotten to the window, and his lips parted slightly in confusion. He almost stepped close enough to the window to see what he was holding onto. Oh wait. This was a meta school - fucking hell. He probably could fly or cli- "Yer fuckin' Spiderman," he declared, unknowingly hitting on one of Zach's dislikes. He blinked at the guy's explanation. "Why th'fuck're you here? Ain't you got better things t'do than come back t'this shit place?"

He practically growled as Zach dared to come in farther, but made no move to do anything about it, instead taking a few shuffles further back into his 'lair'. Though, the question about the book threw him, and the internal book nerd that was always fighting to be free reared it's not-as-ugly head. "S'pretty good," he replied in a low grumble. "Not Angles an' Demons, though." His sullen look wavered a bit, and he shot Zach a suspicious look. "Y'gonna hang there any longer?" He meant it as a dismissal, but the older boy might take it as an invitation in.

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Zach probably should have just let the kid be, and on any other normal day, he would have. But Zach had been sent up here on a sort of mission, and considering he wasn't one to let people down even if he was forced into doing favors for them, he didn't really want to leave until he'd properly found out who this kid was. It was obvious why he was up there, the kid had seemed rather startled to see Zach(who wouldn't be?) and his first move was to hide that book he was reading? So...what? He didn't want people to disturb his reading time or he didn't want people to know he was reading?

Zach released a sigh when the kid finally noticed and pointed out his power. He'd ask him to be more original, but there really wasn't anything else to compare it to. While his face obviously expressed his dislike for the nickname, Zach didn't say anything. "I have some friends who work here. They sometimes ask me to help them with their jobs.....actually, they force me..." he laughed awkwardly.

"Hmmm," Zach mused over the kid's opinion of the book. "Yeah, that one was pretty hard to match, so I guess I can't be too disappointed." But that did mean he could afford to put it off a little longer. Zach's to-be-read queue was getting longer and longer by the day.

"Well....." Zach considered the invitation. "Honestly I could hang here all day, but if you insist..." He trailed off as he started climbing in through the window, keeping sure his bare feet didn't slide too much on the wood and get splinters all in them. Zach looked around the room. "This is a pretty nice hideout. Wish I'd known about it when I was a student." Then he could have gotten all his reading and angsty alone-time done properly without disturbance.

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Kodiak snickered at Zach's sigh. "What, get that a lot?" he asked, tapping his fingers against his thumbs. "How the hell does that even work? Your fingers sticky or somethin'?" Weird shit. Kodi's expression darkened at the mention of 'friends' and 'work here'. "Hey wait, ain't I seen you messin' around with that dick dorm monitor?" he asked, suddenly realizing Zack looked vaguely familiar. "The one that can't seem t'walk straight an' sulks all the time?"

He was sneering, but at the reply about one of his favorite books, his expression lightened considerably. "Damn right." Kodi peered at him through squinty eyes. "Y'seem like you have a good taste in literature. Or are you just humorin' me?" If it was the latter, he would fume. If the former... He might not be able to help himself by asking more about his favorite books. Because he was secretly one of the biiiggest book nerds at this school.

"That wasn't an invitation," he muttered under his breath, but moved aside with a grumble to give the guy more room. Not like he could really do anything anyway besides toss the guy out the window, and he wasn't that horrible of a person. Usually. He rubbed absent-mindedly at one of the purplish bruises along his jaw. "It's fuckin' great," he agreed with a yawn, picking his book back up and trying to find his page again. "Can't let anyone know how much I read. Gotta keep my image, y'know?" He snickered, though he didn't know why he was telling this stranger about the reason for his habits.

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"Something like that," Zach had gotten used to talking about it to strangers, but that didn't mean he had to like it. If Kodi had been someone he was already well acquainted with, Zachary might have been more annoyed and snapped. But ignorance deserved at least some measure of patience, he supposed. He smiled, though, at the next comment, suddenly reliving his earlier memories of being a Hammel student. "Yeah, my hands used to get stuck to the pages of....well, of any book I was reading." It was a real pain to have to be so conscious about it all the time. "Ruined more than a few of them."

So apparently this kid had seen Zach with Ollie before. He would let the "dick" comment slide but shot him a scolding glare at the other one. "So tell me, why does he have to conform to your standards of walking? There are some things that can't be helped no matter how much you, or he, wants them to." Ok, maybe he let that kid get to him just a little, but it was true. If Oliver had the choice, then he would have never damaged his sight in the first place. But as it was, he couldn't, and would have to just get used to seeing through only one eye, which wasn't going to happen overnight, or over the course of one month, and certainly wasn't going to happen just because some punk kid wanted it to. "Sorry, but....you're obviously a smart kid, I don't need to tell you this."

Smart and interesting, Zach was starting to think. How easy it was to get past this kid's defenses by talking about books. "No, I...I am a big fan of "literature", as you put it. I tend to just call them books, though." Because that's what they were. "Literature" just seemed too fancy, like some were better or more "literary" than others. A book was a book, and Zach liked to read them. "I've written quite a few myself, though haven't published anything longer than a short story for a magazine." Some of those had been for scholarships.

Zach almost stopped and headed back out when Kodi grumbled. "Oh....sorry." But still, he took a seat next to the boy. He was definitely interesting. Zachary remembered doing a lot of the same things himself when he was that age. Dress up to make others think what you wanted them to about yourself, while not giving up anything that was actually real. "Oh, no. I understand. I did the same thing, though......looking back on it, I really was a stupid kid." Zach mused about his high school days with a faraway smile. "I did the whole, wear black on black on black thing. Had this long hair that was always in my face, god that was annoying. I even pretended to be angry for a while." He couldn't help but laugh as he looked over at Kodi then hushed up quickly. He probably didn't want to hear about Zach's high school life.

"So....what happened to your face?"

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At Zach's reply about his power, Kodi rubbed his fingers against the edge of a page of his book, imagining having to deal with them getting stuck all the time. "Eesh... Shit power, if y'ask me," he replied, grimacing. "That'd drive me crazy." Wait... Was he actually having a conversation with this guy? How did that happen?

Well... Until the dick dorm monitor was brought up. Zach's easy-going vibe disappeared for a moment and Kodi was actually taken a little aback. "I didn't say he had to," he retorted, backpedaling. "Just think it's weird is all. What's his deal?" He wasn't aware of Oliver's accident. Although even if he was, he probably would have just scoffed anyway. Things happened to people; he wasn't a sympathetic person, or at least didn't pretend to be. Though Zach's calling him smart threw him once again - Kodi actually did a double-take. He couldn't remember the last time someone had called him smart, even though he actually... Was. He just did a good job of hiding it, or so he thought. "Er... Okay," was all he managed to stammer. Was he flushing?

His interest was perked even more as Zach spoke of his writing. "You've written books?" he gaped, as though that was something magical and awe-inspiring. "... Are they any good?" Hell, maybe Kodi would want to read them. Though he wouldn't say that aloud without at least some incentive. Maybe he should try writing... Hmm...

And... Apparently they were, what, bonding now? Kodi gave Zach a wary look as he began speaking of his own teenage years, though he found himself grudgingly interested in what he was saying. So he wasn't the only one that hid all that shit inside and spat out at everyone? Hmm. "I don't need t'pretend t'be angry," he mumbled, brow furrowing. "Too much shit's happened t'be anythin' but, for me at least." Yes... He hid a lot of other emotions behind that anger. But it was still there.

Which was how he had gotten the bruises in the first place. "Eh, got beaten the fuck up, what'd you think?" he rolled his eyes, rubbing at a darkened area. "Got more where that came from, too. Gotta rainbow of bruises under my shirt. S'kinda pretty," he snickered.

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"Yeah….that's what I said…." Add to that, he was always being called stupid names like "spiderman" or "peter parker" or something similar. One girl actually had the nerve to call him "Tiger." It was for these reasons that Zachary never got into the Marvel/comic book universes. Not that he didn't respect the creativity, but it was just….meh…. "Trust me, being driven…crazy…was the least of my problems."

Zach took a breath. Obviously this kid didn't know about Ollie's accident, or if he did, he just didn't care. Or know how to sympathize. But he wasn't sure if he should go around telling people about Oliver's disability, especially not one of his students. Even more especially not one who was so obviously eager to prod at people's inadequacies. Zach sighed, "It's not that weird." Maybe it was a little. "….He had an accident a few months back. Left him blind in one eye. He's still getting used to the adjustment process, so cut him some slack, ok?" Zach didn't expect this kid to listen to him, but….Kodi didn't seem like too bad of a kid. Just young. And maybe a little misguided.

"Not really books, um…novelettes," Zach replied with a pensive tilt of the head, then turned back to Kodi. "Nothing as impressive as an actual book, though." He had a small bookshelf holding his stuff that had been printed. "Are they any…?" Zach shrugged. "I don't know, I guess, some editor thought so enough to publish them." But in his opinion, "good" was relative. "Guess that depends on what you're into."

Zach just smiled listening to Kodi mumble. He didn't deny the kid's anger, but…well, anger was a great shield to put up when there was just too much of everything else to deal with. Though Zach wondered if he was ever as bad as this kid……nope. He and Oliver may have been angsty, but they were still pretty low key compared to a lot of other kids.

Though his eyebrows shot up when Kodi openly admitted what happened to him. "What, you mean, you're not going to use the age-old-classic excuse of "I fell" to explain it away and safe face?" Zach released a snicker of his own, actually quite impressed with this kid's moxy. "You know….a lot of guys have too much pride to admit they lost a fight." He should know. His brother's were incorrigible. "So who was it?"

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.... The Zach guy was kinda alright. Whether it was the fact that he was an adult or there was something about him that interested Kodi, the southerner was starting to realize he wasn't too bad. Granted, that didn't mean he liked him yet, but... Mrrrr..... He was alright.

He stared down at his fingernails in the brief silence, his gaze trailing over to Zach's shoes, then his legs, and eventually settling somewhere around his stomach, unable to keep himself from wondering what he might be like in bed. However, his thoughts were scattered as he kept talking about the dorm monitor, and his brow rose. ".... Huh," he stated, pondering this new information. He supposed it made sense. And, maybe, just maybe, since he decided this guy wasn't too bad, he might not start calling the Brit 'Cyclops'. "Yeah, maybe," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "But he's still a dick." And therefore prone to be a target of Kodi's dislike.

Books, novelettes, Kodi was still impressed. And published, too! "That's kinda cool," was all he said, which was about as much of a compliment anyone had ever really gotten from him. ".... I wanna read 'em." He'd determine for himself if they were any good or not. "Can ya hook me up?"

He was still deep in his own thoughts when Zach asked more about the fight, and he offered a toothy grin, which may have just been a little sharp. "Nahh, that's dumb. An' I'm not that clumsy. Would rather say it how it is." He showed off his bruises; he had no shame. Kodi's head tilted cockily, his chest puffing out just a bit. "Guess I'm not most guys." On a random moment, he scooted over closer to Zach, subtly brushing their hips together. "Ach, what's his name.... Oriel Van-somethin' or other. Beat me up after I tried t'eat his boyfriend." His grin reappeared. "He went nuts. Prob'ly woulda tried t'kill me if someone didn't step in." If Zach didn't get that Kodi was a little unbalanced by now, the southerner didn't know what it would take.

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While Zach appreciated a bit of sensitivity when it came to his best friend, he knew him better than anyone, and so knew very well how true Kodi's opinion of Oliver actually was. Therefore, he couldn't help but chuckle at that statement. "Yeah, he's a bit of a grump. But still a good guy, once you get to know him."

"Really?" So this kid was that interested in books? He'd even read the crappy stuff that Zach wrote what seemed like ages ago? "Alright, sure. I keep a copy of them at home," at the main house, "I can bring some of them next time." Zachary was actually a little excited to have such a young lover of books read his works. It was a demographic he didn't get to hear from much. "I'd love to hear your opinions on them." Sometimes Zach would read them over again himself and think they were horrible. Then he'd read them again, and be pleasantly entertained. It was always helpful to get feedback from others.

"Clearly not," Zach said matter-of-factly. That much could be told at a glance. Kodi was a pretty unique individual. Whether that turned out to be a good thing or a bad thing in the future was up to him.

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline, focusing more on what the boy said than on the fact that he'd gotten so close. "You…tried to eat him?" That wasn't something you heard everyday. "Wow, guess you weren't kidding earlier. When you said you'd eviscerate me." Zach chuckled again, however inappropriate it probably was considering the subject matter. "Sorry for underestimating you."

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Yeah, he's a grump alright. Kodi just made a 'hmph' noise and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think I'll prob'ly 'get t'know him' anytime soon," he mumbled. Outside of getting in trouble in the dorms, that was.

His eyes did spark a little excitedly, though, and against his will, when the subject of Zach's books came to Kodi maybe getting his hands on them. "Yeah, you do that," he nodded, with only a small amount of snarkiness in his voice. As much as he hated it, this guy was kinda getting to him. "An' I'll definitely give ya my opinions," he smirked. They might be good, they might be bad; Kodi would have to see for himself. But he was kinda looking forward to it, more than he'd like to admit.

His smirk simply widened at the remark to his character. "Maybe you can write a novelette about me," he snickered. That... Would actually be a dream come true. But no way in hell would he expect it.

He cackled louder at Zach's response to what he said. "Well, I bit 'im. Close enough." Kodi smiled again, this time making sure his teeth were sharp as a shark's and clearly visible. "I think the side-effects of bein' a dentokinetic include the irresistible urge t'bite people," he sighed dramatically. He licked his lips, careful not to cut his tongue on his teeth. "Trust me, there's a lot more I can do with my mouth, though." From Zach's reactions so far, it'd probably go right over his head, but Kodi had to say it.

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That made Zach laugh. "Ok…I guess I can understand but…well, really. He's a great guy, I've known him for years." Pretty much since he came to Hammel they've been friends. "He's probably the best friend I've ever had, really." He didn't really care if Kodi wanted to hear it or not, Zach felt like sharing.

"Alright, I'll probably grab some when I go home for Thanksgiving and drop them off once school lets out." That was still a long ways away but Zach grinned a bit knowingly at Kodi. "Wouldn't want to distract you from your studies, right?" He didn't know how long it was going to take Kodi to get through them, but he didn't want to be responsible for the boy falling behind in his schoolwork.

Zach raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. "I…can probably do that." Most of his characters were based on people he knew anyway. But…Zach didn't really know Kodi that well, so…. "But…that would mean I'd have to come by more often and bug you. Are you alright with that?" If Zach stopped by too often, the boy's secret might get out.

He really shouldn't find it funny but…well, maybe hanging around Noa was starting to desensitize him to these kind of things, he hardly thought it was something strange. Zachary joined with Kodi on his laughter, though it was true that the implications of his last comment went clear over his head. "Well, clearly you can talk."

Though Zach couldn't say he'd ever met a dentokinetic before. "So, how does that power work, anyway?" he asked, twisting himself a little to face the boy. "Is it as…um…creepy as it sounds?" He meant no offense by the question, but he really wanted to know. It'd be great info to stock into his notes.