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When Callum woke up that June day, he seriously questioned whether or not he wanted to get out of bed. It wasn’t the regular debate that he had every morning, where he had to make himself get out from under the wonderful warmth of his blanket. No, today, he kept his eyes open, staring at the wall, and Call questioned whether or not he could freeze time forever, to keep himself eternally on the verge of his time here being over.
Today was his graduation day. Master Rufus had told them all a week or so ago just after they had finished the day’s lesson. The “lessons” since then had been more fun review than educational. And now- today was it. Call was going to walk through the Gate of Balance, he was going to put his handprint on the wall, and he was going to go home, probably never coming back. It was no wonder he was dreading it.
His decision was made by Havoc, who jumped up onto the bed, breaking his immersion in his own thoughts. But even Havoc seemed subdued when compared to his normal vigor. Even Havoc seemed to know that it was over.
Quietly, Call pulled himself out of bed and shoved his feet into the boots he’d been used to since his Iron Year so long ago. He marvelled at the idea that he could have ever hated magic, or the Magisterium. But then again, he supposed twelve-year-old Call would be shocked at the idea that he would ever fear leaving the Magisterium. It’s a sign of growth, Aaron had said once. You’re a different person than you were then. Then, with that fucking smile of his: I like the new you. He’s a lot less grumpy.
Opening the door seemed to take more effort than usual, but Call was pretty sure that it was just his mind playing tricks. It didn’t want him to leave and Call didn’t really either.
On the other side were Aaron and Tamara, both dressed in the red robes that marked them all as Gold Years. They were talking, and for a second, Call could remember two little Iron Year kids, sitting together just like that. It sunk in just how much they’d grown up from awkward kids into equally awkward but cooler teenagers. Tamara was already eighteen, and Aaron’s birthday was only days away, on June 24th.
“Hey,” he said, instead of any of the thoughts swirling in his head. “Let’s head down for breakfast.”
They did, chattering meaninglessly about this and that, funny Star Wars moments and whether or not the magic system in Harry Potter could ever be implemented in real life (yes, but only if you were crazy powerful and willing to only use one spell per hour or so). As they talked, Call glanced around the halls, looking at them in a way he hadn’t before. Every time before this, he’d known that he’d see the same hewn rock every morning, tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. And yes, there was nothing intrinsically different about the mica-flecked walls, but it was still nice to have them firmly in his memory.
Jasper joined them in the Refectory, sliding into his now usual seat beside Tamara. He was the main reason they’d had to wait the week to pass through the gate- it had taken a lot of discussion between Master Rufus and Master Milagros, the pair talking to the students, and an actual meeting of the Magisterium’s teachers to decide that he should graduate with Master Rufus’ apprentices instead of Master Milagros’. Which was stupid. Even Call could tell you that he had been brought into the fold.
“S’up,” he said, one hand already bringing his fork to his mouth.
“Hey Call,” Jasper said, somehow neutral. “Everyone excited?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Aaron groaned, putting his head in his hands and rubbing his eyes. “I don’t want to think about it. It feels way too weird to think that next year, we’re not going to have Master Rufus and his wacky ways of teaching.”
“Well, I’m not excited, per se, but I am ready to go to the Collegium for something other than awards and Assembly meetings,” Tamara said, expertly spearing a piece of lichen with her fork. “Higher learning and all that.”
“Gotta say, I’m with Aaron on this one,” Call replied after swallowing his mouthful. He immediately took another one. Jasper rolled his eyes, but, like, in a nice way.
“You’re always with Aaron. I swear, you two just started merging after you started counterweighting for each other,” he said, illustrating his point by drawing a line in the air with his fork. It connected them via the heart. Because Call needed more reasons to want to quash Jasper like a bug.
“Who knows?” he said instead. “There aren’t a lot of studies on the effects of counterweights. Maybe we’re actually a hive mind and just don’t know it.”
“I feel like I would know if we were a hive mind,” Aaron said thoughtfully. “I’d think more about skateboarding and Star Wars, I think. And naked mole rats.”
“The world would implode if you two were a hive mind. We wouldn’t be able to bear the sheer number of dumb puns that would create,” Tamara said definitively, a sly smile on her face.
They continued the talk, but Call could still feel the dark cloud of their impending graduation hanging over him. It turned everything into a last. Last breakfast at the Magisterium, last time ganging up on Jasper for his weird food combinations, last time walking through that particular hallway.
When Master Rufus came up to them, just after they’d finished eating, Call knew this was it. He stood up, brushed off the invisible crumbs from his uniform. Aaron shuffled out of the booth and Call followed him, aggressively repressing his anxiety. They would be okay. This wasn’t the end of everything.
It was totally the end of everything.
They walked, mostly quiet, behind their master, who wasn’t really their master anymore. Rufus led them through halls familiar and new, to a place Call had thought about every day for most of the year. The Gate of Control shone with the kind of light that could only be magical.
“I’ll let you choose how you go through,” Rufus said, his voice uncommonly fond. “I’ll be waiting on the other side for you all.”
And with that, he stepped through the gate and Call couldn’t see him anymore. They were alone.
Tamara lifted her head boldly, a determined glint in her eyes. “I’ll go first.”
None of them argued, so she squared her shoulders and strode through with all the confidence she could muster. It glowed as she did, shining off her hair, the gold bangle on her wrist. She looked powerful, a goddess bathed in a golden-red light. And then she was through, and gone from Call’s view.
Next was Jasper, who looked a little more nervous, biting his lip. “See you bastards on the other side, I guess.”
He stepped quickly, moving fast. The glow of the gate barely had a chance to envelop him before he was gone.
It was just Call and Aaron. They stood in silence for a moment.
“Scared?” Aaron asked at last.
“Shitless,” Call admitted, partly because it was true and partly to get the little laugh out of Aaron he knew it would. He took a slow, shaky breath. “I- I don’t want it to end, you know?”
“I do,” he said, and Call knew he did. Aaron bit his lip for a moment, then seemed to make a decision. He extended his hand. “Together?”
Call felt his heart lurch and bounce in his chest. Together. He reached back, almost as if in a dream. “Together.”
Their hands met, Call’s clammy fingers intertwined with Aaron’s warm ones. It felt- oddly permanent. A choice for longer than the few moments it would take to walk through.
On pure instinct, he kissed Aaron, more of a peck than anything. It took little effort, pressing his lips up to Aaron’s and then moving his head away. Simple mechanics.
“Um,” he blinked, and Call worried for a moment that he’d gone too far. Then he had a pair of lips on his own- Aaron’s lips- and he kissed back purely on instinct.
They broke away after a moment. Aaron was smiling.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he admitted, sounding uncharacteristcally shy. They still hadn't let go of each other's hands. "Since, god, the winter break of Copper Year. You stayed with me even though you wanted to go home and I-"
He cut himself off with a little laugh. "I fell a little bit in love with you, right then and there."
"The summer before Bronze Year."
Aaron frowned. "What?"
"The summer before Bronze Year. I've liked you since then," Call said quietly. Aaron stared back at him in delighted awe. He laughed lightly and squeezed Call's hand.
"I can't believe that we've waited so long. I can't believe we could have been together this whole time," he giggled. "We're really doing this at the last moment."
"We are," Call agreed, smiling slowly. He reached out with his other hand and took Aaron's free one. "Kind of how we do everything though, huh?"
He huffed through his nose. "Yeah. Yeah."
Call looked at the gate. It was still there, still shining. He took a slow breath.
The world wasn't going end if he stepped through. Aaron was standing beside him, and they would stay side by side after.
"Ready?" Aaron asked him softly.
Call smiled. "As I'll ever be."
And with that, they stepped forwards, through the gate.