Chapter Text
The sound of a ticking clock in the room seemed to be going on forever. The only other sound was the scribbling of the students' pens as they hurriedly took notes, arms with brown sleeves moving back and forth. Time seemed to be dragging out for an eternity, and for the carefree students of Ladylake High School, this was one of the only worries they'd ever have to face, considering that whilst they aimed for the highest grades across a large population, the school was friendly and rarely had cases of anything unfair. That was with the students and teachers alike.
Eventually, time no longer dragged and the school bell rang at 4:00pm for the end of the day. There was a collective sigh from the students as the bustling sound of chairs being pulled back filled the classroom.
“Thank you for your efforts today!” the teacher called out, leaning forward for a moment to stand up from her desk, long blonde hair falling into place behind her as she adjusted her pencil skirt upon standing. Despite being a teacher, all the students simply referred to her by her name; Lailah. “Please don't forget to do your homework! Sorey, did you not hear the bell?”
The student her words were aimed at gave her a thumbs up. His head was on the desk, having been placed onto it with a groan.
“Man, I'm beat!” he exclaimed, raising his head back up and stretching his arms out above his head, an appreciative noise escaping him. “I barely got any sleep last night.”
“And why exactly was that?” a voice asked. He looked up at who it belonged to; a girl with sandy-blonde hair and turquoise eyes, Alisha.
Sorey grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “I, uh, may have stayed up to read the Celestial Record.”
“Sorey!”
“It's not my fault, I was too enthralled!” He got up from his desk and turned to another girl walking over, her red hair bouncing with her energetic steps. “Rose, please back me up!”
“Awe, don't do this to me!” she exclaimed, raising both of her hands. “I can't take sides when it's both of you.”
“Then it's a draw?” Sorey asked.
“Just this once, I suppose,” Alisha responded. “But Sorey, you really do need to watch out for yourself.”
“Right, right. Sorry, Alisha.”
He did his best to give her a puppy-dog eyes kind of gaze, which made her giggle and blush faintly from the cuteness.
“Honestly Sorey, what am I going to do with you?”
“Who knows!” He then glanced at the watch on his wrist, uncovered from rolled-up sleeves. “Ah, I better go catch the train before I miss it.”
“See you later, Sorey,” Alisha smiled.
“Don't get lost on your journey home!”
Sorey gave them a grin before throwing his backpack onto his shoulders and began walking at a quick pace through the corridors. Luckily, as long as he walked quickly, he wouldn't miss his train. He was tall for his age, so it wasn't exactly an issue.
Whilst he went to school in Ladylake, he lived in Elysia, a town a short train ride away. It was an easy-to-use service which connected Ladylake to two towns; Elysia, of course, and then Marlind in the other direction. Normal journeys could be taken from these stations, but it was cheaper for the public to travel using this service and students were able to use it for free on weekdays. He rarely visited Marlind though, and knew very little about it aside from the fact that it had a larger population than Elysia and had its own high school.
Sorey quickened to a jog when he reached nearer to the station, trying to be conscious of time. He didn't want to keep his grandfather waiting to cook, considering he said he had special plans for them tonight.
He held over his card over the scanner, went through the opening and arrived at his platform with a few minutes to spare. Deciding that it was more than enough to read a couple of pages, Sorey was quick to sit down and pull one of his favourite non-fiction novels out of his bag; a book on the history of Ladylake.
He had the largest possible interest in history and archaeology and definitely wasn't afraid to show it. It had started from when he had been given the Celestial Record, a book about myths of other beings living among humans in the past, as a child. It sparked the ultimate passion, captivating him in a world of countless discoveries all over the world. He shared a little bit of this interest with Alisha, who has read the Celestial Record herself, but she didn't quite show as much passion as Sorey did. She was a very dignified person though, so even if her passion was as large, it wouldn't really be shown.
He was almost too distracted to notice his train turn up, clumsily having to shove the book into his bag and scramble to his feet to get onto the train before the doors closed. He sighed in relief when he made it, not even minding that there was no seats left. Not paying much attention to his surroundings due to his rush, he grabbed the nearest ring hanging above his head. It took 15 minutes to travel to Elysia, which never seemed very long to him, so standing in a packed space didn't bother him too much. He placed a pair of headphones around his neck onto his ears, going onto shuffle on his iPod. His foot tapped lightly against the beat in his ears, mind wandering to the information he had recently read. The distraction of this made his journey pass by quickly. It was utterly ordinary until they were coming up to Elysia, when a person to the right of him lost their footing for a moment and bumped into him, crying out an apology. It was a small chain reaction; Sorey's elbow dug into the arm of a person on the other side, making them gasp. There was a thud on the floor, and when Sorey turned around to apologise, he saw that said thud was from a folder.
And that's not what else he saw. Was it truly allowed in schools to have such silvery hair? It even had aquamarine ends. Whether it was allowed or not, Sorey found it beautiful. The light which hit the silver seemed to give it a hint of blue.
“Sorry!” Sorey exclaimed, bending down in an attempt to help, but the person was already hugging the folder to their chest and, with a grace that Sorey couldn't help but admire, they stood up, grabbing onto a ring above their head.
“Watch where you're going,” they muttered – a boy's voice. That's when Sorey finally saw his face. It was small and pale, the features feminine and delicate. Though what wasn't so delicate was a harsh cut on his lip, looking as though it was fresh.
His uniform – that was Marlind's. Sorey knew from how the trousers were the same as his own, but the black shirt and white blazer with grey detailing differentiated their uniforms; Ladylake's uniform instead donned a white shirt and a brown cardigan, giving it the classic feel the school had been prideful of for many years. He had no chance to question what a Marlind student was doing this far, however, considering the train had stopped.
“I'm sorry again!” Sorey called as he rushed off the train, jumping off before the door closed. He found himself looking back at the train whilst the next few passengers from Elysia stepped on, only walking again when the train began to move again.
He didn't have much time to look, but he was certain the eyes of the boy had been purple. 'Pretty,' Sorey thought to himself as he crossed the street, a small smile on his face.
Of course, Sorey couldn't keep this encounter to himself. It kept crossing his mind more than he would expect. If it was an ordinary person, he would have forgotten about the incident by the time he got home. But how often was it that you saw a boy with silvery hair and purple eyes? That drew enough attention without a Marlind uniform and busted lip.
Hopefully, said lip wasn't paining the boy too terribly. Sorey was caring enough to worry about that kind of thing with someone he didn't even know.
“I'm telling you Rose, he was like an angel.”
“Ah, this is so gay,” she sighed dreamily, leaning forward with her hands on her face, ignoring a tray of food in front of her to focus on Sorey's words. “Is this what they call a fateful encounter?”
“What fateful counter are we talking about here?” Both of them looked up to see Alisha standing there, a curious expression on her face. She placed her tray down on the spot next to Sorey, sliding into the seat.
“Sorey met the love of his life on his train home yesterday.”
“Oh?”
“Rose is exaggerating,” Sorey laughed after biting into his sandwich. “I just saw someone cute on the train yesterday, that's all. Rose is starting to think it means I'll be married by next month.”
“I see,” Alisha said, the smile a little forced. She looked up when another figure walked over to the table. “Hello, Dezel. How are you?”
“I'm fine,” he responded, planting a kiss on Rose's lips before he settled in the seat next to her.
“Dezel,” she greeted. “Sorey has a boyfriend.”
“He does?” Dezel said, raising an eyebrow at Sorey. “I thought you said you didn't like anyone.”
“I don't, I don't!” He was waving his hands in front of him, grinning when they settled back on the table. “Rose is just dying a little because I saw a cute boy yesterday, that's all.”
“What did he look like?” Alisha asked, taking a sip of orange juice from a carton.
“He had this really shiny hair which was silver with blue ends. He was small and had purple eyes.”
“I've never heard of anyone who looks like that,” Dezel commented.
“Except it's a bit of a similar fashion to you with your white hair and green ends,” Rose grinned, tugging gently on a strand of his hair. “God knows how you get away with it. Your roots are coming through, though.”
“I don't care that much.”
“I'll do it for you later,” Rose stated, ignoring that comment. She turned back to Sorey. “So he couldn't have been wearing a Ladylake uniform. I mean, we would have seen him around.”
“I know. It was a Marlind uniform.”
“That's strange,” Alisha commented thoughtfully. “Did he get off at Elysia?”
“No, and I would have seen him around if he lived there. Elysia's tiny, after all.”
“And Marlind starts and finishes earlier than we do, so even if he lived in Ladylake, he would have arrived there before we would have finished… But he was on the train with you departing from Ladylake and didn't get off at Elysia, so he must live in Marlind..."
"Argh, that's gonna make my head explode!" Rose groaned.
“There's no need to analyse it this much,” Dezel said, apparently getting slightly bored of the topic. “He probably just needed to briefly stop at Ladylake for something.”
“But then why would he not just get a train from Ladylake back to Marlind, instead of passing through Elysia?” Alisha questioned.
“Huh. Weird guy, I guess.” Dezel was apparently finished with his contribution to the conversation and focused instead on what he was eating. Sorey hummed in thought as he took another couple of bites of his own food, mind still not leaving the subject of the boy.
“That is pretty weird,” he said quietly to himself.
“Oh yeah, Sorey?” Rose spoke up, distracting him. “Alisha and I are struggling with maths. We need your help.”
“I'm not that great at it either, you know,” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. He turned to Alisha, looking a little surprised. “You're struggling with a subject?”
“Mm,” she hummed, fork picking at a chicken salad. “I've had some things on my mind.”
She didn't elaborate at all. Despite his concern, Sorey didn't pry. Instead, he placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment to squeeze it gently.
“You can always talk to me.”
She hesitated, before smiling. “I know, thank you.”
“Who's gonna help us though, if it's not going to be you?” Rose whined.
“I do exist, you know,” Dezel muttered next to her.
“But don't you hate maths, too?”
“I've gotten a bit better at it.”
Rose grinned, placing a kiss on his cheek. “Then you're my hero!”
“Glad to know I'm being used.” But a smirk was tugging at his lips.
“Sergei could help, too,” Alisha contributed. “I was thinking of asking him.”
“Where is Sergei today?” Sorey asked, looking around the canteen in an effort to spot the tall student.
“He's come down with a virus. I guess it's becoming that time of year again. Though you know what it's like; he'll be back tomorrow.”
“You two seem to be getting pretty close,” Rose smirked, resting her head in her hands. “Do you have a crush, Alisha?”
“Of course not!” she declined, shaking her head as her face heated up a little. “We're only friends.”
“I guess I'm only witnessing one couple getting together,” Rose said, pouting.
“Who is that?” Sorey asked, oblivious. When all three pairs of eyes fell on him, he sighed, unable to stop his grin. “Oh, for God's sake. I should have never told you.”
“True love is in the air,” she said dreamily, sitting back up so she could put her hands together. “I can sense it. Brace yourself, Sorey, as you're falling in its ruthless clutches.”
“Dramatic, isn't she?” Dezel questioned, raising an eyebrow. Sorey laughed, finishing off the last of his food and taking a sip of soda.
“A bit. I'm probably not even going to see the guy again.”
Only he ended up doing just that.
Today, he was less distracted by reading when he was at the station and actually made sure to keep an eye out for the train. It arrived a minute or two late, though luckily, it wasn't as packed as the day before. The seats were still scarce, however, and a couple of people who clearly didn't want to sit by people they didn't know had chosen to stand instead.
Sorey's eyes landed on a Marlind's blazer, and he found himself not needing to pay attention to the person's individual features to know who it was.
Though of course, he did pay attention to them. That hair still seemed just as incredible as the day before.
“Is this seat taken?” he asked as he walked over, gesturing to the seat next to the boy, which was one of the few spare ones. The boy shook his head, only turning to look at Sorey for a moment before he looked back down. “Thanks!”
Sorey didn't take a book out to read or put his headphones over his ears, as he usually did for this journey. Though he did his best not to stare, he found himself catching glances at the boy instead.
His form was… Vulnerable. It was the only way to describe it at this moment in time. His back was straight, but his head was lowered, hair falling over his face as he stared down at his hands, picking at the nails absent-mindedly.
Perhaps it would seem normal to other people, but to Sorey, it seemed to emphasise nervousness. It was strange that someone who seemed to hold himself in such a composed way the day before would seem this anxious now. Had something happened since then, or was the lack of grabbing onto something made his anxiety seem clearer?
A few minutes into the journey, the boy ended up catching his eyes, ever-so-slightly flustered from yet another gaze on him.
“Why are you looking at me?” he asked, voice slightly irritated.
“So-Sorry! I just...” He glanced at the emblem on the boy's chest. “I never really see a Marlind student heading this way.”
“Mm,” the boy hummed, looking back at his hands. “I guess you don't.”
He left it at that. Sorey found himself wanting to burst over the mysteriousness, but the boy wasn't exactly going to start explaining his life to someone he didn't know.
And so, Sorey settled on a question which was a little less prying than asking the boy about his strange travels.
“What's your name?” Sorey asked. The boy seemed slightly taken aback from the question, as though the last thing he would expect would be a stranger to actually want to know something about him. His eyes were a little wide.
“… Mikleo,” he answered eventually, looking away.
“It's nice to meet you,” Sorey smiled, despite the fact that Mikleo wasn't looking at him. “I'm Sorey.”
It was only for a brief moment, but Sorey could have sworn that Mikleo's lips had curled into a small smile for a second. The boy rubbed his mouth after that, and that's when Sorey remembered the cut on it had been fresh yesterday. It was scabbing over now, though the redness of the skin near it suggested that it was still painful.
“Is your lip okay?” Sorey asked, feeling slightly concerned when Mikleo flinched slightly at that question, as though it was a topic he was avoiding at all costs. But his posture still remained the same following his flinch.
“It hurts, but it isn't that bad.” He was picking at his nails again. “I fell yesterday, that's all.”
The words flowed naturally, sounding like the complete and honest truth. But Sorey's nature as a caring and protective person made him think differently.
If Mikleo had left it at the first seven words, Sorey would have dropped it from his mind. It was the fact that Mikleo had felt the need to explain something that Sorey hadn't actually asked about which is what felt off. It felt as though he was trying to erase any suspicions Sorey might have had, only he didn't have them until now. It was a completely reversed effect.
Mikleo wincing over the question definitely wasn't helping, either.
The train pulled up by Elysia. Sorey got up from his seat with a small sigh. He glanced down at Mikleo before leaving, smiling again, despite how Mikleo still couldn't see it. “I'll see you around.”
“Yeah,” was the short reply, given without the speaker looking up. Sorey swung his rucksack over his shoulders and jumped off the train, eyes lingering on it for a moment before he left the station, deep in thought.
Perhaps he was over-thinking it. Perhaps he was simply making a bigger fuss than he needed to be, and that Mikleo really was speaking the truth.
But Sorey had good intuition. For once, he wasn't glad that his guesses were usually right on the mark.