(5) Hunt Master Ryan

"What on gods green earth was that?" The teacher came out of the classroom to check out the ruckus in the hallway.

"Owen like head butted the wall it was epic!" Keith gushed.

"More like head slammed! He just went woosh! Bam!" Gregory chimed.

"Don't worry teach. I'm okay. Just tripped is all." Owen gave a cheeky smile as the teacher stares at him wincing.

"I... I don't even see a bruise." Adalin realized.

"Like I said light smack. It ain't nothing!" Owen chuckled.

"That wasn't a light smack though!" Adalin cried.

"Ugh... go to the nurses office... get checked out. Come back if they say you okay. I won't count it as an tardy." The teacher sighed deeply.

"There's really no need teach!" Owen puts his hands in the air in panic and Adalin grabbed his wrist and starts dragging him away.

"Thank you teacher! I promise to make sure he comes back after his check up!" Adalin assures him as Owen just goes with him feeling a bit confused.

"Now that's cute." Keith elbows Gregory giggling.

"Absolutely!" Gregory chuckled.

"You two get to class before the bell rings." Their teacher a man named Mr. Dawson glared at them and they rush inside.

"Hey... I'm really okay. I promise." Owen blushed letting Adalin drag him around, before he stopped.

"I don't know where the nurse office is." Adalin hangs his head down in shame.

"Come it's this way." Owen sighed putting his hand on Adalin's back to give a supportive pat and take the lead.

"How do you not got a bruise?!? Or not crying!!! I mean you hit that wall with all your weight Owen!" Adalin cried.

"I'm a hunter. I'm more resilient than you humans. As they say. I'm a lean mean fighting machine." Owen lightly joked, "My skin is twice as thick as normal humans and my bones twice as strong. I once heard a story of a hunter who did a superhuman feat of stopping a vehicle going over fifty with one hand and he survived with like a broken arm. It healed, but yeah. I'm not as fragile as you all." Owen gently pulled Adalin into a hug and starts purring loudly.

"It was still horrifying to see..." Adalin shook violently.

"Well yeah. You lot ain't used to seeing someone who can like get ran over and get up and just brush it off like it's a bad message." Owen chuckled.

"Is that freaking true?" Adalin looks even paler.

"Depends on the vehicle. Semi definitely going to break a few things... and our hearts of crushed can still you know go kaput. You should dragon though. You don't mess with dragon. Any vehicle is loading to dragon's might." Owen gushed.

"My best friend is a superhuman..." Adalin is just realizing this horrible fact.

"If it bothers you. Your free to just forget me." Owen sighed letting him go and heads to open the door to the nurse's receptionist office.

"No..." Adalin grabbed his hoodie sleeve, "It's just... Scary..." he admits

"Sorry it's in our nature to be scary we are like the apex predator that can almost go toe and toe with dem vamps." Owen sighed.

"No. You're not scary! Not like that! I mean! Just you getting hurt like we do and be okay... It just... doesn't feel right..." Adalin explains pitifully.

"It's freaky. Yeah I get it. I am a freak." Owen sighed heading into the little room, "Yo nurse you in here?" He called out and stole a sucker to unwrap and suck on.

"I... I didn't..." Adalin looks away going pale.

"Trust me. I'm not hurt by it. It's just the facts." Owen replied dismissively, "I don't see nurse around. She must be at lunch still." He sighed.

Adalin hugged Owen crying, "No! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to call you a freak! You're my best friend! I don't care how different you are from me! You're not a freak! I'd never!!!" Adalin starts hyperventilating and crying and Owen holds him in shock.

"Alright! Calm down! Please calm down!" Owen wasn't sure how to calm his friend down.

"OWEN I DIDN'T MEAN IT! I REALLY DIDN'T! Please... don't hate me." Adalin buried his face in his chest crying like an unstable wreck.

"It's really okay... I promise..." Owen winced and rubbed his back sighing.

"Hmp!" Someone scoffed from inside the nurse's office and slides off the desk he was sitting on to peek into the receptionist room and lean against the doorway and look at them.

"Hunt master Ryan?!?" Owen goes pale as he recognized the black haired boy with pink bangs and teal blue eyes also eating a sucker.

"You're mate is crying. He wants you to make him feel better. To know he hasn't wounded your spirit. You can let him cry it out it might be a good hour or two. Or you can show him with your actions he's done nothing wrong. What are you going to do?" Ryan asked cooly playing with his sucker in his mouth.

Owen bits his sucker chewing it up and swallowing it and throwing the stem into the near by trash can watching Adalin just be a crying wreck holding him. He takes a deep breath and puts his forehead against Adalin's as he rubbed his back.

"Adel... look up at me please." Owen asked softly.

Adalin looked up at him with tear streaked cheeks and red puffy eyes. Owen puts his hand on his cheek wiping a tear away and leaned in to gently press his lips against Adalin's in a sweet kiss. Adalin just kinda blinks a few times in confusion as Owen pulls away and messes up his hair playfully while blushing.

"I know you'd never lie to me. You're an honest person. So there's no need to get so worked but. I believe you and I trust you." Owen gives a warm smile.

Adalin looks up at Owen and wipes his tears and nodded slowly, "You... forgive me? Truly?" He asked softly.

"Yes absolutely." Owen hugged him softly.

"Okay... okay. Than... it's all okay." Adalin just holds Owen gently.

"Haha. I can't tell if he's playing dumb or if he just knows and accepts you. Either way. I don't think you have to much to worry about in that department at least. Hmmm... but now I guess I have to like be your alpha now since you're a true hunter huh. How annoying? Oh well... this might be fun." Ryan throws his headless sucker stem away in the trash with a casual flick.

"Uh... Adalin this is hunt master Ryan the second youngest of the hunt masters. He's a Phoenix hunter." Owen introduced Adalin to the hunt master dressed in a black and pink track jacket with black and white turtle neck track shirt and matching black track pants and white high top sneakers.

"A pleasure." Ryan yawned disinterestedly.

"He doesn't look older than us." Adalin tells Owen in a whisper.

"That's because I'm twenty. The youngest is 17 of this year." Ryan sighed overhearing the boy not trying to.

"Ah! He heard me!" Adalin winced.

"You'd have to not speak at all for me not to hear you or be a good block or two away." Ryan sighed.

"How do you sleep at night?" Adalin looks at Owen in horror.

"I don't." Owen sighed.

"We have noise canceling earbuds you can wear from now on. I'll have the guild send them to your house. Anyways what you doing here little doggie?" Ryan asked stretching.

"I kinda tripped into a wall. What about you?" Owen admits.

"Waiting on the nurse and principal to finish doing whatever they need to deal with my presence here and my continued presence here." Ryan sighed.

"Ah... I see... so that's where the nurse is." Owen nodded.

"Mmmhmm... sounds like they finished. They'll be heading here. Thank god. Took them long enough." Ryan sighed.

"Uh... so what's going to happen now that you're here and everyone knows Owen's a hunter?" Adalin asked worriedly.

"What afraid you'll be taken away from your lover?" Ryan smirked.

"Yes. I don't want to be taken away from Owen." Adalin nodded unshamed.

"Wait what?!?" Owen looks happily dumbstruck.

"Ah so is aware of it." Ryan chuckled.

"Adalin..." Owen looks at him shyly.

"I just wasn't sure what to say... or how to bring it up... I figured you just want to act like things are normal between us... maybe work up to something we can call true lovers... but I just... kinda new... from the moment we locked eyes... I think we call it... soulmate... in my country.... It's a irrational feeling that if you were to every lose this person... you'd never be the same again... and while I was with you... it just kept getting stronger as I got to know you... and than in mysticism class... I could feel his scared you were... and I wasn't scared of this weird bond... I wanted to reach for you. To take your hand for better or worse and take on the universe with you at my side..." Adalin looks at Owen deeply blushing.

"Adalin... Adel!" Owen laughed and hugged him laughing, "You absolutely honey bun! You did that for me? You silly goober! Next time just tell me straight away! I don't know what Id do if I was a bumbling idiot who hurt your feelings cuz I didn't know how you felt towards me." Owen tells him.

"Well you promised didn't you? You're going to stay by my side and face the unknown together?" Adalin shyly asked hugging Owen.

"Haha yeah! And I mean it!" Owen kissed Adalin again and than kissed him deeper with some tongue action.

"Ahem!" Ryan coughed sighing and they both broke apart blushing like crazy, "The principal and nurse are rounding the corner now." Ryan warned and they both nodded looking at the door as it opened and the two adults entered the room.

They probably looked really confused to see Owen and Adalin there together, but Ryan didn't care.

"So is it done?" Ryan asked annoyance.

"Ahem. Well yes and no. We can of course allow you to attend our school to help train and guide this young hunter... but after talking to the board they still heavily insist that he also head to the nearest headquarters to receive training there as well. So after taking about it the board, my secretary here and reading some emails from the teachers.... This what I've come up with. Owen will continue to attend school as normal and with his father's permission you will be able to guide him while he does so. Than you will escort him after school to receive training at the branch and than bring him home when you've decided the training has been finished for that day... and unfortunately that also requires the Guild Master's seal approval." The principal explains.

"Why you humans make shit so complicated. Unfortunately I need to take this here not with me to his training as well if that's the case." Ryan gestures to Adalin.

"Is Sir Pompey a hunter as well?" The principal went pale.

"They mates." Ryan explains and the room went silent, "You can't separate a mate and hunter once they found each other. It's not good for either." Ryan warned.

"I am vaguely aware of the hunter's concept of fated pairs..." the principal is adjusting his tie and looking uncomfortable.

"Just get his father to sign. No need to get any of your ideals or religious beliefs into the situation. Because honestly I refuse to deal with that crap." Ryan turned around.

"But... what if he doesn't sign..." The nurse asked weakly.

"Guess you guys better think of way to guide the hunter yourselves huh? That's what you get when you try being bureaucratic with things you can't possibly control or tame." Ryan sighed.

The principal looks pale, "I understand. But understand our situation... we don't have a choice in the matter. I can at least promise this. We will not kick him out for being what he is. We'll continue to do our best to guide him as well as we humanely possible." He explains.

"Well that's good to here. I don't think the hunter's guide take it to well hearing your kicked one of our own out your human's schools over bureaucratic nonsense anyways." Ryan flashed a deadly smile.

"I can come with him to the hunter's guild?" Adalin asked confused.

"Yeah because your his center and his ground. You being there will help him focus and stay in more control." Ryan nodded.

"Mates keep their hunters from going savage of becoming marked without good reason..." Owen explains calmly.

"Essentially you help him pick his fights wisely and to get out a fight instead of staying in it to the the bitter end." Ryan nodded.

"Huh." Adalin was in awe.

"Think of us as wild animals my dear boy. You're his tamer. The only one he will listen too and take orders from when shit hits the fan." Ryan chuckled.

"Imma beast tamer." Adalin whispered in awe and Owen tried not to laugh.

"Here the paper work. I'll make a copy for Mister Pompey." The nurse hands Owen and Ryan some paper and heads guidance counselor's office door that's right before the nurse's office door to use the scanner and printer.

"I'll talk to dad. I can get him to sign it. Don't worry." Owen nodded.

"I'm sure dad will sign mine too..." Adalin nodded shyly.

"I'll be taking this to the guild to sign. Thank god I won't have to get the council involved and be tortured with even more bureaucratic bull crap. I'll return tomorrow around the same time to follow up on everything. Until than toodles." Ryan walks out of the door of the receptionist indoor building and than escapes the school to be on his merry way to the guild.

The nurse returned and hands the copy to Adalin, "Sorry you got involved in this on your first day mister Pompey. Will you be needing a tour of our school?" The nurse asked.

"He's already got the best guide he could ask for and I promise Dawson we'd head back after coming here. Was supposed to get checked out cuz I slammed my head against the wall but whatever." Owen shrugged.

"Well your timing saved us from calling you. So let the nurse check you out and than be on your way." The principal than paused and coughed, "And one more thing... I don't care if Pompey is your fated pair. There will be no PDA in my school you boy's got that?" He explains.

"Yes sir." Owen blushed.

"Yes sir." Adalin looks shy now.

"Alright as long as you abide by that rule all is well. Would you like a pride flag pin." He pulls one out of the drawer of the receptionist desk.

"Uh..." Adalin turned red, "Sure." Adalin takes it and puts it on his coat and Owen puts his on his hat.

"Very good than. You two best be on your way now." The principal nodded.

They head back to class together, "Well... that at least seems to be working out better than I could of hoped." Owen admits.

"Yeah. So what's training at the guild going to be like?" Adalin was curious.

"Hmmm... lots of physical and magical stuff... some spiritual hunts... and just whatever the hunt master leading me feels like doing honestly. Each master is different. Ryan is very calm at times to the point of almost slacking, but you get his interest peeked and he really gives it his all. So it's going to be interesting to see how he going to train us." Owen explains.

"That doesn't seem so bad... but you didn't want to go there cuz... you wanted to feel normal?" Adalin asked.

"Yeah. I talked to dad about it a lot... we fought a lot over it too... in the end he just said... I want you to be happy above anything else... even if I can't keep you safe... dad's a good man. He really cares. I just been kinda dreading it ya know... I never asked to be this. It's not even in my family genes. But because my dna got mutated by that organism that's kinda resided in every living creatures body when they arrived here... I had part of my senses awakened to the energy around us... but never quite able to fully manipulate it like the magical users do..." Owen sighed.

"I hear all the time about them magic folk having to be in hiding as they just targeted for their powers.... And I think to myself... well than... when do y'all start looking our way than... and targeting us for our abilities... and I know the world trying to be accepting and even work with the magical folk... but... I just don't trust completely... that someone's fear of my kind is going to get me hurt just for being built differently... and that scares me. More than anything else in the world." Owen shivered.

"You don't have to worry about that... because you'll always have people like me supporting you and protecting you. This school for instance... it's a good school for you. Honestly I think it's the best. You're teachers and everyone in the staff is doing their best to work with you. To understand you and help you be successful. That's just... beautiful right there. Remind me of my hometown where we can count on our neighbors to have our backs if we become homeless cuz the seas rose up and swept the houses away again. They provide food and sometimes temporary shelter and even help us build back our broken homes. It's that kind of community... that's going to protect you. That's going to fight the hardest with you for your right to be here just livin... so you got nothing to be scared of love. I promise ya." Adalin stopped to look at Owen deeply and instinctively grabbed his hand to hold it.

Owen kisses his hand, "Yeah... I'm starting to realize that. And... I've got the best partner in the world at my side to help me realize more things like that now and support me. I can definitely say... With you at my side... I'm not scared anymore. I finally feel almost proud to be a hunter. I feel excited and eager to show you what I can do. The way you just admire me and adore me... I just... can't get enough." Owen kissed his hand again.

"Owen..." Adalin just smiled at him wanting to hug and kiss him.

"To class Mister Pompey and Mister Cheindome and mind yourselves in public." The principal sees them and peeks out the guidance councilor's door to scold them.

They break apart blushing, "We'll talk more later." Owen replied.

"Agreed." Adalin nodded and they head to class.