Chapter Text
I will never forget my first few weeks at public school. I had never been away from my parents for quite so long as I would be. Of course they sat me down before I went to tell me that this was good for me, that I needed to meet new friends and have new experiences. I was not so keen on the concept. I found myself to be perfectly content at home with my parents and with my same old friends.
Yet here I stood, in front of the monolithic building I would learn to call home for the next few years. I surveyed the other students, looking for young boys my age whom I could perhaps befriend. But before I could even get a good look at my soon to be classmates I was swept off to my new dorm and then my classes.
After our orientation day they gave us some time to settle in and meet people. I was grateful for the opportunity, however as I strolled in the library looking for other first years I noticed quite a few of the older boys staring at me and whispering amongst themselves. I strained my ears to hear them. After all, if it was about me I had the right to know what they were saying!
"You think he'll do? Raffles is very particular and if we choose someone who'll muss up his stuff we might as well just beat ourselves to death before he does." The first boy was tall with red hair and freckles. He fidgeted with the buttons on his uniform.
"Charles, don't be such a tool," the other boy sighed. He was much shorter and bulkier. "It's not like he gave specifics or anything. He's not ordering a tailored coat or anything. Anyone will do to be his fag."
"Then how come the last one left the school?"
"Because his father went to prison and- shut up I think he sees us,"
I abruptly stopped staring at them and turned back to the book I had in my hands. Some useless poetry of some sort. From the corner of my eye I saw the shorter boy nod to the other one and they slowly approached me.
"Hello there my boy, you must be new here we haven't seen you around."
Well if I wasn't going to make friends with my own peers I could at least have friends in the upper grades.
"I am in fact new. My name is Harry. Harry Manders."
The redhead shook my hand politely and glanced at the other student.
"Charles Hewette. And this is Ernest Collier. Say, how would you like a proper tour of the school? It might help you to better navigate."
I grinned and nodded my head. This was exactly what I needed. The two boys who I learned were around 3 years older than me, in the lower 6th form, showed me around the premises making snippets of sharp commentary along the way. I noticed that they seemed in quite the hurry to get out to the cricket field where a small friendly game was happening.
My eyes immediately landed on one player. He drawed me to him like I was a puppet on a string. He was very handsome, very handsome indeed. He had dark curly hair that was perfectly kept tussled but not quite messy. He was quite tall and towered over me as he smiled at me. I could not help myself but beam back at him with how contagious it was. That was when I noticed his eyes. Oh, his eyes. Piercing blue like I had never seem before. They stated right into my soul and grasped hold of me while my heart lept into my throat. I would havd stood there helplessly catatonic if somebody I didn't recognize called out and asked me to join the game.
Hewette and Collier ushered me to the field, prying my eyes from that boy. Before I knew it I was batting. Here I feel the need to mention I am simply horrid at all sports. I was caught out again and again and did not come close to scoring a single point. I was distracted of course. I was still enamored with that boy, and even more so because he was looking at me and talking to Collier sofly.
Once the game was done I rushed to Hewette and Collier's side. Not only because they hadn't finished their tour but because they were with that blue eyed boy.
"Very.... interesting Harry." Hewette grimaced and I felt my cheeks turn pink from embarrassment.
"I've never been to good at sports. I-I'm so very sorry," I managed to stammer out.
Suddenly the blue eyed boy spoke up with a gentle smile.
"It's perfectly fine. Although I say I've never seen quite a bunny before!"
Although his words were teasing, something about the way he spoke calmed my nerves.
"I am AJ Raffles," he said softly. "I should have introduced myself sooner, I do apologize."
I didn't mind at all.
"Bunny, I will not make my motives for speaking to you unclear. Do you know what a fag is?"
I did not. So so asked. Raffles explained that sometimes some of the older boys would have boys from the younger grades help them. Carry around books, clean their rooms, oil their cricket bats, and more. At this school almost no one was spared the treatment and if you were not the fag to someone, someone would pick you as one as you would not have much of a choice then.
"I had a fag last year but he unfortunately had to leave the school. As such I have been on the hunt for a new one. You seem to be a nice and obedient little rabbit, even if you are terrible at cricket."
"Are you asking me to be your fag then?" I wanted to make sure I was not misinterpreting what he was saying.
"Very astute. I like you."
I did not say it but I liked him as well, quite a lot in fact.
And so, in that very first week of school I became Raffles' fag and dare I say his friend as well. He was correct that many other boys in his year approached me and made offers as well but I was perfectly happy to be with him.
He treated me extremely well and the services I assisted with were of the minor mind. I heard the other students in my year complaining of how horrible their fag masters were. It sounded like torture. Studying for them, cleaning clothes, cooking food. Some of my peers would come into class with bruises and black eyes and wouldn't speak at all of what their fag masters did to them and I shudder to think of the awful things they were forced to do. I felt extremely lucky to have Raffles.
I had my own pleasant side of the fagging system. Raffles would help me with schoolwork if I needed, he would scold those who teased me, and he let me join in with his friends nearly every day. To me however the greatest part was simply being by his side but I would never tell him that.
As I spent more and more time with Raffles I learned more and more about who he was. For starters he must have a been the funniest person I've ever met. He had a quiet and dry sense of humor, like a sly cat sneaking up when you least expect it. You could never tell when he would make a quip and the shock of it all made his jokes all the more funny. He was also very inclusive with me. He never made me feel left out in his conversations and asked my opinions on the highly heated discussions he would have with his friends on this or that. Raffles never ever made me feel like I wasn't wanted. And he was so patient with me as well. Even when I could tell i had messed up on the kind of tea he wanted or the way to fold his jacket he never got cross at all with me. He told me how he felt of course, but he would never raise his voice, which was always very soft and kind and low.
After I had agreed to be his fag I had fully introduced myself to him but still he chose to call me "Bunny" after that first match of cricket. At the start it made me shy. I wasn't sure if I wanted to start my school days with everyone knowing just how bad at cricket I was. But I quickly grew to like it. It felt special when he called me it, not like a cruel nickname at all. "Bunny" expanded into more leporine terms which were often possessive, like "my rabbit" or "my pet bunny" or "bunny-rabbit". I didn't mind that some people gave me and Raffles queer looks when he called me these things. I was proud to be his bunny.
I spent many an hour in his room with him. Raffles had a solo bedroom- there were an odd number of students in his year. I sometimes thought he might have gotten lonely sleeping in his dorm on his own so I was perfectly content to stay rather late and polish his boots or oil his bats while he gossiped with me or quizzed me on maths. Sometimes his friends would join us and those were splendid times. We would all play games together, dares and bets and by the end of the night I would have laughed to much my cheeks hurt.
There was just one issue. Being Raffles' was amazing and I really did love it, truly. But every few nights he would tell me to wait in his room for him. He would throw pebbles at the window of his study to let me know he had arrived. I was to then lower down the rope he had given me and he would climb up to his rooms. I knew that being out of out own dorms was strictly prohibited but I did it for him anyway. I would do anything for Raffles. He never told me what he did when he went out, where he went, or why but he came back every time with great stories and trinkets for me. I wanted to feel guilty about helping him, but his charms win me over every time.
As the months carried on I became increasingly more curious as to the nature of his nighttime escapades and what they entailed. I found myself thinking of scenarios, each more daring and adventueous than the last. Meeting secret rendezvous, breaking into parlement, even covering up murder. Perhaps my mother was right when she said I have an overactive imagination. One day, as I was in his study tidying and dusting, I dared to ask.
"Raffles?" I enquired tentatively. "What is it that you do when you go out? At night, I mean."
Raffles looked up from the paper he was reading and fixed me with a gaze that said more than his words. He seemed taken aback and I instantly regretted asking. It was his business after all. I should have known my place. How foolish of me!
Before I could even open my mouth to stammer out an apology he spoke.
"I never thought you would ask, Bunny. I expected you to wonder but I suppose I was wrong to assume you were as shy of a rabbit as I thought." He stood up from his chair and put a hand on my shoulder. "If you would like to know, why don't you come with me sometime? If you want to, of course."
I hardly hesitated a second before jumping at the opportunity. How exciting to finally be able to know what my Raffles was doing so late at night.
"I would love that, Raffles! Please let me come with you'"
Raffles chuckled to himself.
"Very eager, are we not, Bunny? Be forewarned, some of my evening behaviors are.. shall we say frowned upon."
I didn't mind in the slightest. Sneaking out of the dorms after curfew was prohibited and I willingly did that for him. Why should I care about whatever small scrapes he got into? If I was with him that would be all I cared about.
So Raffles and I set a date to go out in a few nights. I decided to keep the questions to a minimum as I did not intend to find me too bothersome and change his mind last minute. It was the surprise I was looking forward to the most, really.
I was so excited the day before that I could hardly eat my supper. I scampered to his rooms as quickly as I could, exited to begin the evening's adventures. As I burst into his rooms, I saw him laying down on his bed, a sketchbook in hand, completely consumed in his art, but he sat up with a start and slammed the book shut when he saw me enter.
"Ah, Bunny. Thank goodness you arrived. I had begun to worry you wouldn't show,"
"Never, Raffles!" I cried in utter disbelief that he could think such a thing of me. "When shall we go?"
"Patience, my boy. We will be on our way momentarily."
He snuck a glance at the window, where I noticed that dusk was just beginning to fall. I huffed and collapsed down on his spare bed dramatically. He reopened his book cautiously as if worried someone would snatch it out of his hands and broadcast his doodles to the whole of England. He took up his pencil and continued to draw.
"I never knew you were an artist," I murmured, mostly to myself.
"I partake in it occasionally. My preferred medium is paints, but it is good to get some old-fashioned pen and paper work in as well."
I nodded. I was never good at art. I could hardly draw a matchstick person to save my life.
"I do enjoy it a lot. I think it's very important to have creative outlets in one's life. Places to get all of the energy out," Raffles monologued. "And you, Bunny? Do you do any art?"
"Well.. err.. I do like to write a lot. I'm not sure if that counts."
Raffles scoffed. "Of course it does my boy! I should love to see your writing sometime."
"If I show you my writing will you show me your art?" I retaliated, knowing what the answer would be. I was rather self-consious of my writing and I would much rather keep it to myself. And what would Raffles say? He would likely laugh at my ramblings, my sorry excuse for poetry, and my trite stories. He would surely leave me purely out of embarrassment alone!"
"Absolutely not. But keen effort on trying. We will leave as soon as the sun has set."
I grumbled and lay still, just listening to the scratches of his pencil on paper and his steady quiet breaths. The setting sun was warm on my face and I felt I could have fallen asleep right there had I not been anticipating our adventure soon. I also suddenly became aware of the intimacy of the situation. We were lying in complete comfortable silence, hardly a metre away from each other. I had also realized that this was the first time I had spoken to Raffles so casually and my cheeks grew warm. It had felt so natural to banter with him like that. Almost instinctive. I made a mental note to attempt to be more formal as a fag should be in the future.
Raffles slowly stood up and checked out the window. He leant over me and hoisted me out of bed by my hands. He had a sly smile and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"I dare say it is time we get going. Are you sure you want this?"
"Yes Raffles. I am sure."
"I must confess that this is the first time I have brought someone along with me. I am putting my faith in you to not be a tattle, Bunny. Do I have your oath?"
"You always will."
I shook his hand and for just a moment, he held my hand a half a second longer. So short of a time I wondered if it had been my imagination.
Raffles thrust open his window and attached a rope to the sill. He started to climb down and gestured for me to follow. I hesitated a second before grappling the rope and following him down, down into the unknown, down into adventure, and down into one of the most exhilarating nights I had ever had before. And all with one AJ Raffles.