Archive of Our Own

A week had slipped past already. Seven days gone just like that. Life had been great lately... yeah, really great. But if you were to ask Teetee? He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about it.

He slowly opened his bedroom door to the hallway. It was nine in the morning on a Sunday, a free day for the entire academy. More importantly, it was the first taste of true freedom for Teetee and his friends. Teetee checked his phone as it chimed with a message from their group chat demanding to know why the hell he was late.

Just then, the door directly across from his swung open revealing a boy in oversized white pajamas covered in printed cartoon bears. Teetee looked up from his screen frozen by how ridiculously, undeniably cute his partner looked.

Por raised a single unimpressed eyebrow instantly snapping Teetee back to reality.

Panicking for no logical reason he quickly pulled his half-open door shut and leaned his back against the cool wood. He was safe inside his room but how was he supposed to step out when his partner was literally right there? Teetee glanced down at his clothes suddenly wondering if he looked decent enough.

The situation was entirely the academy's doing. Academy rules required compatible partners to share a dorm room. The S rankers lived on the top floor, the most isolated level in the entire dormitory building. Nobody else lived up there except Por. Now that Teetee had joined the S rank and since they were official partners, he was supposed to share a space. But because there were multiple private suites available Teetee had been assigned the room right across from Por tucked near the far end of the hall.

Teetee cracked his door back open just enough to peep through. The coast was clear; Por had already gone. Taking advantage of the clear path Teetee hurried across the hallway and slid down the stairwell toward the main garden.

Today, everyone was heading to the academy’s favorite spot. North and the twins were already waiting together for Teetee, ready to grill him for being late. But as Teetee cut through the outer corridor, two figures crossed his path.

"Oh... Phi," Teetee said surprised as he spotted his beloved older cousin walking somewhere with another girl.

"Tee... going somewhere?" Pyufai asked stopping.

"Yeah, decided to explore while we have the chance. I'll catch up with you later," Teetee said offering a warm smile to his cousin and the girl behind her. The girl looked familiar, but he couldn't quite pinpoint where he’d seen her before.

Teetee continued through the halls. After walking for a bit, he reached an archway that opened directly into the garden. The trouble with the academy was that everything looked identical making it ridiculously easy to take a wrong turn and get lost.

He wandered through the paths. It felt like a miniature park, crisscrossed with walking trails in every direction. Vibrant flowers peeked out from the grass while butterflies swarmed around them. Teetee snapped pictures here and there whenever he spotted something pretty.

Ringing...

"Where the hell are you?" North shouted through the phone speaker without so much as a greeting.

"North... I think I'm lost," Teetee admitted.

"Yes, you're lost in the flowers and bushes, you dummy. Look around. I can literally see you standing there!"

Teetee spun three hundred and sixty degrees on the spot. "Oh! I see you. Wait, I'm coming!"

Sure enough, a short distance away stood North holding his phone to his ear. Even from this far off Teetee could tell he was annoyed. But how was that Teetee’s fault? He was just admiring the beautiful flora.

Muttering under his breath about how unfair North was being, he walked over. When he reached the spot, all four of them were standing near the entrance to the cafe. A wooden bridge connected the café entrance to the surrounding parkland built over the river that ran beneath it... the very same river from the forest, Teetee realized remembering that night.

"Where the hell were you, man?" Riy asked throwing an arm around Teetee's shoulders.

"Just got a bit lost... hehe," Teetee said scratching his ear.

"Okay, let's go now that we're all here."

They stepped inside. The café carried a cozy vibe that practically screamed comfort wrapped in warm wooden interiors with a soft blend of rich brown and soft beige. If it were raining, the vibe would be a full one hundred percent. Since it was Sunday and the entire student body was off, the place was packed.

They scanned the room for an open table. Luckily, two people stood up from a table toward the back at that exact second. Riy darted past everyone running ahead to claim the spot. Although it was only a four-seater, they snagged a vacant chair from a neighboring table and squeezed in.

"Good thing we snagged this. Otherwise, the whole plan was canceled," Ray muttered in relief.

"Excuse me," North said raising a hand to flag down a passing waiter. "Could we get a menu?"

The waiter handed over the menu and the group leaned in together.

"Woah... there's a lot," Teetee murmured flipping through the pages.

"The signature items are the Oniro cheesecake and the 'Hug in a Mug' specialty drink," Riy announced lowering his voice to an overly dramatic register. "Legend has it..."

The rest of the table leaned closer expecting a secret piece of academy lore.

"If you're suffering from a broken heart, all you need is a Hug in a Mug," Riy intoned solemnly. "You won't even remember when the heartbreak vanished. You won't even remember it existed."

Teetee and North locked eyes trying to suppress the laughter bubbling up in their throats, especially since the other three looked so intensely serious.

"And there's one for the cheesecake too," Riy added proudly as if he’d done extensive homework on every detail of the academy. "One bite and you're in a dream. That's why they named it 'Oniro.'"

This time Ray and Bim burst out laughing giving Teetee and North full permission to let loose alongside them.

"Fine laugh. Laugh as you want. Just take a bite and see if I'm lying!" Riy grumbled looking utterly betrayed.

"We'll take these," Bim said pointing to the items on the menu and holding up six fingers to a passing waiter. The waiter nodded taking the order down.

"Bim, you're doing this all wrong. You're supposed to go to the counter to place order requests," Riy said, shaking his head in disapproval once again.

"Okay, stop with your dramatic ass," his twin said with a sweet disarming smile that carried a very clear threat..

"Fine, fine. You guys have zero appreciation for culture."

"Speaking of culture," Teetee said turning to Riy, "where is your senior guide?"

They had gathered today specifically to meet the senior guide assigned to Riy, the only female in their inner circle. On their very first day at the academy, students had been divided into teams. Practical assignments were heavily group-focused making these setups essential. In the first-year class, there were fourteen unpartnered guides. Since the ratio of espers to guides was roughly one to two, guides are much more than espers by quite a margin. To balance things out every group was assigned unpartnered guides.

Tee's group, however, had no unpartnered guides. They had eight people in total though group sizes varied across the board because students chose their own initial lineups. Beyond the fifty enrolled first-years, four senior guides were matched with the newly awakened espers. That was another reason group numbers fluctuated. Today, there were seven active groups in their year: one six-member group, two seven-member groups, three eight-member groups and one ten-member group.

Aside from two groups every lineup included unpartnered guides from two to three or one. Today's goal was for everyone to meet up and get acquainted. If you were wondering why two members were currently missing from this gathering: one was simply too coward to ask and other was too arrogant to ask, leaving them as a group of five for the afternoon and the female senior guide had yet to arrive.

Just then, the café door opened with a bright chime. Five heads snapped toward the entrance simultaneously.

There stood Riy's partner. Every boy at the table stared in sheer awe. The second-year guide was strikingly handsome and pretty all at once featuring shoulder-length layered purple hair and an effortless aura of cool confidence.

They couldn’t take their eyes off her even as she pulled up a chair stolen from the table behind them and sat beside Riy.

"Hi, guys." She waved a hand in front of their faces to snap them out of the trance. "Why are you all staring like you've seen a ghost?" she asked acting as if she wasn't the sole reason for their silence.

"You're so pretty," North blurted out absentmindedly.

"Eh?" The girl blinked raising an eyebrow.

"No... like, handsomely pretty. Cool pretty," North corrected quickly.

"Now that's a compliment I can work with," she laughed. "Sorry I'm late, by the way. I had something to take care of."

"No, no, it's totally fine!" Teetee said quickly.

Her name was Jane and within five minutes, the awkwardness evaporated. They were chatting naturally as if they had been lifelong friends.

"So, your paired guides aren't joining?" Jane asked taking a quick glance around the table.

"Nope," Teetee replied shaking his head at Jane.

"I can't believe I'm getting even more involved with the royal family," Jane sighed, shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Riy chimed in.

"My best friend's guide is Ploy," Jane explained. "And now I'm stuck in a group with her twin and her younger brother."

"Huh?" North interrupted frowning. "Twin? Whose twin?"

"Por and Ploy are twins," Jane said smoothly. "They don't look much alike but they are. And Otto is their younger brother, though no offense North, that brat is ridiculously spoiled." Jane said referring to Otto. She had seen how Otto acted during his brief visits to his siblings back when Jane was just a first-year. North agreed wholeheartedly.

Teetee hadn't expected that at all. He sat quietly taking in the news. Por seemed like he is detached from the outer world like a lonely only child, and Ploy... Ploy's name sounded strangely familiar.

Right on cue, the waiter arrived with their food placing the plates on the table. The aroma hit them instantly. The smell alone felt rich enough to cure a broken heart.

"Take one bite and tell me you're not dreaming." Jane said taking a piece of cheesecake. The flavor exploded on her tongue. She had eaten this dessert countless times but she never grew tired of it.

"See?!" Riy pointed at the table triumphantly remembering how they had laughed at him earlier. "I told you guys!"

"So how's the academy treating you so far?" Jane asked taking a sip from her latte.

"It's good. Still just basic foundational stuff," Ray said reaching over to grab Bim's latte. He took a sip directly from the cup before whispering something back to him.

Teetee sat directly across from Ray watching the exchange.

Jane stared at the two of them for a second then glanced at Riy flashing her fingers back and forth in a quick sign to ask if they were together. Riy just shook his head; he had no clue what was going on in his twin's personal life.

"Uhm..." Jane cleared her throat. "Do we have a couple here?"

Ray looked up to find everyone staring directly at him and Bim.

"Oh! We're not..." Bim explained awkwardly under their intense gazes. "He was taking mine because I don't really like sweet drinks."

"Yeah... he has a fiancée," Ray added, trying to clear the air.

At that reveal, everyone traded surprised glances.

"Fiancée?" North and Teetee blurted together. Engaged at just twenty years old?

"Yeah, my longtime girlfriend," Bim answered with a fond smile. "She wanted to get engaged before I leave for the academy."

"Oh... must have been hard leaving her behind, right?" Teetee asked.

Bim nodded in agreement.

Sensing the mood getting a bit too serious, Ray decided to bring up a classic hilarious moment courtesy of Teetee. "Speaking of tough situations, how about we talk about the time Teetee literally burst through the middle of the professor's lecture?"

"Ohoo! You guys are trying to put me in my early grave for your own entertainment! I knew you were evil friends," Teetee grumbled sulking.

Actually, the incident in question had happened on their very first official day at academy. It went like this...

Teetee had woken up early bursting with the raw enthusiasm of a new student starting his first day at a new school. He got dressed, checked his schedule and stepped out into the hallway right on time.

Just as he opened the door, he ran right into the boy he was supposed to pair with. There it was again... that distinct flicker of royal blue inside the boy's iris. The first time, Teetee had written it off as a trick of the light. The second time, he thought it was his imagination. But the third time? There was definitely something strange going on.

When Por turned to walk away, Teetee reacted on instinct extending his arm out to block his path.

"What?" Por asked his tone instantly guarded and irritated.

But Teetee wasn't someone who backed down easily. He stepped closer to Por.. closing the gap until they were only a breath apart. As if that wasn't close enough, he leaned down slightly toward the shorter boy.

Por wasn't particularly short, for the record. But standing right in front of Teetee, he felt like the smallest berry in the room. From a distance they looked roughly the same height but up close, there was a undeniable gap between them.

Por went to step back but Teetee caught him by the wrist keeping him in place.

"What's up with the color of your eyes?" Teetee asked. It wasn't intentional, but his voice dropped down to a low, raspy and quiet.

The vivid color rushed back into Por's eyes, shining even brighter than before. Coupled with his flushed crimson cheeks and rosy lips, the boy looked ethereal. Teetee's mind captured every detail of Por's striking face, even if he couldn't quite register the reason behind those flushed cheeks just yet.

"Get off me!" Por shouted angrily shoving Teetee back with a surprising force.

Teetee didn't fall but he stumbled backward a couple of paces giving Por just enough time to break free and escape. Teetee watched the boy practically run down the hall, a smile spreading across his own face... a smile he wasn't even aware he was making.

"Want to know?" a voice purred suddenly behind him scaring the absolute daylight out of him.

"Aaargh!" Teetee yelled clutching his heart. Caught completely off guard he glared down. "Can you not just show up while I'm in deep thought?"

The duskmask cat stood there giving him a cool, unimpressed look. "I thought you wanted answers. If not... fine by me." The cat said sassily and turned back toward the room.

Teetee used his long legs to jog after the cat, crouching down right in front of the feline.

"Please, Mr. Orea... can't you just tell me?" Teetee begged turning on full charm mode doing a mami pose.

"I am not that easily bought Mr. Teetee. And ew... please stop making that face, it's terrible... you suck at being cute," then the cat looked at him thoughtfully, tilting its head. "But... I might consider telling you if you do something for me."

"Name it," Teetee said instantly. "There's nothing I can't do."

"Go down to the cafeteria. Behind the main kitchen area, there's a specialty supply section. They have dreamy, smelly fish and expensive cat food in every flavor. And... I happen to be a fan of every flavor. If you go and grab one can of each..." The cat trailed off thoughtfully. "I might consider it~"

Before the cat could even finish the sentence Teetee was already sprinting down the hall shouting over his shoulder, "Don't you dare go back on your word!"

He dashed through several unfamiliar hallways to locate the cafeteria waited in line for roughly five minutes just to pass through the entrance went straight to the pet section, picked out one can of every single flavor waited in line again to pay and ran all the way back to the dorm rooms.

Knocking on the door, he set the heavy plastic bag full of cat food just inside without stepping all the way in.

"Is this all?" the cat asked poking its head in the bag.

Teetee nodded catching his breath. "Yes! Now tell me."

"Okay.. Good job," the cat said smoothly. "You may go."

"Wait... didn't you promise to tell me?" Teetee asked, feeling utterly betrayed.

"I said I might consider telling you," the cat corrected nudging a can with its paw. "I considered it and the answer is no. He will tell you himself."

"You're so evil..." Teetee groaned, crushed. He had sprinted through all of that just for this! He was already forty minutes late for his very first class.

Just as Teetee turned to leave, the cat spoke up again. "You..."

Teetee paused looking over his shoulder. "What?"

"Not you," the cat said coolly. "'You' is the hint."

"Am I the hint?" Teetee asked thoroughly confused.

"Not you. It's a hint... I mean the word 'you.'"

"'You?" Teetee muttered to himself. "How is 'you' related to this?"

"Now get going. You're super late."

And that was how Teetee ended up bursting right through the door in the middle of the professor's lecture.