Chapter Text
*~* Chapter 1: The Beginning *~*
Sergio was counting down the minutes impatiently until the end of the meeting. The fury was mixed with fear. Finally, he heard the longed-for “thank you, if anyone has any questions, please come over” and jumped up from the chair to find out his fate as soon as possible. There were a few people left, and that the power of England decided to poison his life was finally confirmed when he saw Piqué among them. They rolled their eyes almost in sync. A few minutes later, Sergio had to look in his direction again, it was just the three of them, Gerard leaning against the bench and not seeming to be in a hurry. On the contrary, he was looking at him intrigued with an ironic smile. Sergio wasn't going to let him hear about his problems, so even though he was pre-infarction, he decided to give him priority and pretend he urgently needed to find something on his phone.
“Oh, you boys are from Spain, right?!” She spoke pretty Spanish.
At least they get along.
“Yes, that's why I need confirmation that your university allows me to do the course without living on campus.”
Sergio heard the haughty tone and gripped the suitcase handle tighter. He had a million reasons to hate the idiot, and one of them was his manifestation of wealth. No, it wasn't jealous, it was only a matter of time until he himself became rich, he just hated these spoiled and selfish kids.
“Yes, yes, I know about this letter, you're waiting for it too, do I remember well?”
Sergio wanted to nod and blot the amusement from Gerard's face with satisfaction, but it would have been difficult because some three hours earlier he had slammed the door of the apartment he was about to rent and said he would never set foot in that hovel again.
There was silence, and he could feel his eyes on him.
Sergio cleared his throat and, controlling his voice, replied:
“My plans have changed a bit and I would like to talk to you about it in private.”
“But you're not going to quit, are you?”
“No, just…” He paused and looked meaningfully at the teacher, nodding his head in Piqué's direction.
“Could you wait a moment?”
“Of course, I'll sit at the end of the room.”
He passed slowly. A million first reason to hate him.
“I would like to ask about the possibilities of accommodation offered by the colleges,” said when he was sure that Gerard would not hear him anymore.
“I don't understand, you didn't get confirmation of your place on campus?”
“I didn't apply for a room because I rented a room, but it turned out to be hopeless, and I would like to take advantage of this opportunity.” Then came the embarrassing moment when Sergio had to tell how online classifieds are a scam and try to save his reputation from being judged naive. The woman sighed and thought hard for a moment. “I can try to raise the issue and ask if there are any vacancies for this month, but even if it does, it will take some time. What about your accommodation until then?”. A similar question preoccupied Sergio in the last few hours, and although he believed the university would help in some way, he also considered the possibility of being left alone with the problem. He didn't want to give up the course he dreamed of.
“I'll look for a hotel for the night?”
“I'm afraid that this may negatively affect the allocation decisions. Ideally if you have a family member who can help you…” her eyes lit up and quickly moved towards the end of the room. And before Sergio could react, loud enough, she said that the friend has his own apartment and will probably agree to help.
“What?! I have to take him in?”
For an upper-class child, he had very little culture.
“I'll be fine on my own, I won't live with him.”
“But it's a great solution! The two of you can go out, explore, it's more lively. It's only the weekend.”
Sergio didn’t say anything, so as not to make the situation worse. Let it happen what fate wants.
Gerard sighed heavily and turned his gaze on Ramos, it was obvious that he was analyzing something intensely.
“Okay. He can wait at my place.”
***