Beginnings

"Cut it out! Leave him alone!" 

Soren hadn't spoken with Eo-Jin before- he only knew the other boy's name because they were the only ones with difficult to pronounce names- Soren's last, in his case, and Eo-Jin's first- and the teachers always messed them up. The other kids did, too, though usually with a lot more intent behind it than clueless adults. 

The bullies- some kids who usually sat in the back and made a lot of noise in the classroom- turn towards Soren, but otherwise don't back away. It didn't look like it had gotten physical yet, but Soren knows their type. He's been the one being bullied before. 

That's why he won't stand for it. It can be hard to stand up for himself, but his mom always talks about how you can get courage when you're protecting others. 

Soren likes to imagine this is how his great-great-great-however-many-great grandfathers might have felt if they fought on battlefields. He's not sure if they ever did, but it would be cool. 

"What, you gonna do something about it, Nanananana?" A dumb mispronunciation of his last name. It's not even made into an insult, what's the point? Ugh. Not like it gets to him, just annoying. 

"You-" Eo-Jin starts to say something, the first thing Soren's hard him say since he noticed him being cornered against the playground tree.

"Shut up, we're not talking to you-" And Eo-Jin does. Which only fuels Soren's righteous anger. 

"I'll get a teacher!" He threatens, which only gets him glares and a few yeah, sures from the boys. "I will. I'm not kidding." 

"No you're not," the biggest bully says, stepping forward, crowding into Soren's space. "You're going to take his place, since you care so much. What is he, your boyfriend or something? Huh?" 

"Is not! Just wrong to let people pick on other people." Soren's not sure why he's blushing, but it only fuels the fire. 

"I bet he is! Boyfriend, boyfriend, boy-" 

Soren ends up being the first one to throw a punch, and while he ends up getting detention and some very angry parents... 

Eo-Jin smiles at him the next day, and shares his cookies with Soren, which makes it entirely worth it.