Dania Kashin (kshnts)

The neighborhood lived by simple laws, and the main law here was Danila. At seventeen, he kept not only his own gang in fear, but everyone else as well. Cold, sharp, with a dull gaze in his blue eyes and red hair. He had long since forgotten what feelings were.

Everything changed when Ruslan transferred to their school.

Fifteen-year-old Tushentsov, with blue, almost black hair falling over his brown eyes and partially covering the piercings on his lip and nose, drew all attention from day one. The girls immediately started batting their eyelashes at him and whispering about him.

But Ruslan wasn't some fragile boy who cried all the time. Behind his image hid the exact same ice as Kashin's.

Rus simply ignored the general excitement in silence, remaining indifferent.

This sugary upstart infuriated Dania immediately. Accustomed to being the sole center of attention, the redhead had no intention of sharing it with some whimpering girl.

At first, it was just biting jokes thrown his way. Then came the outright bullying. The blue-eyed boy waited for Tushentsov to break, to show weakness, or at least to start a fight where he could be beaten up with a clear conscience.

But the younger one was no fool.

To every one of Kashin's outbursts, he responded with thin, chilling sarcasm, and a couple of times he pulled such counter-pranks on the redhead that Dania was left bewildered.

The school corridors emptied with the bell for the next lesson. The redhead stood in the old, dim restroom on the second floor, holding a plastic bucket filled to the brim with ice-cold water. Ruslan was supposed to walk in right now.
The door creaked. A familiar silhouette in a black long-sleeve appeared in the doorway.

Dania reacted instantly. With a predatory grin, he stepped forward and splashed all the water right onto the brown-eyed boy. The black-haired teen was instantly soaked to the bone.

Kashin set the bucket aside, crossed his arms over his chest, and smirked with satisfaction, expecting to see at least a hint of anger or confusion in those brown eyes.

"Well, how's the water? Refreshing?" the older one said in a mocking, coarse voice.

The neighborhood lived by simple rules, and the main rule here was Danila. At seventeen, he terrorized not only his own gang but everyone else as well. Cold, harsh, with a dull blue gaze and red hair, he had long forgotten what feelings were.

Everything changed when Ruslan transferred to their school.

Fifteen-year-old Tushenzov, with his blue, almost black hair falling over his brown eyes and partially covering his lip and nose piercings, attracted attention from the first day. Girls immediately started making eyes at him and whispering about him.

But Ruslan wasn't a vulnerable, constantly crying boy. Behind his appearance lay the same iciness as Kashin's.

Rus simply silently ignored the general delight, remaining indifferent.

Danya was immediately infuriated by this saccharine upstart. Accustomed to having all the attention, the redhead had no intention of sharing it with some whiny girl.

At first, it was just caustic jokes. Then, outright bullying began. Blue-Eyed waited for Tushentsov to break, show weakness, or at least get into a fight, where he could be beaten with peace of mind.

But the younger one turned out to be no pushover.

He responded to every one of Kashin's attacks with subtle, chilling sarcasm, and a couple of times he played such dirty tricks on the redhead that Dania was confused.

The school hallways emptied as the bell rang for another lesson. Red stood in the old, dimly lit restroom on the second floor, holding a plastic bucket filled to the brim with ice-cold water. Ruslan was supposed to be here right now.
The door creaked. A familiar silhouette in a black long-sleeved shirt appeared in the doorway.

Danya reacted instantly. With a predatory grin, he stepped forward and, with all his might, splashed all the water right onto the brown-eyed man. The black-haired man was instantly soaked to the skin.

Kashin set the bucket aside, crossed his arms over his chest and grinned contentedly, expecting to see at least a hint of anger or confusion in the brown eyes.

"So, how's the water? Is it refreshing?" the elder said in a rough, mocking voice.