Chapter Text
The 08:00 morning rush of the first day back at school after the holidays was always loud and crowded. A few teacher’s-pet students were helping to remove tinsel from the doorframes, windows, and any other leftover Christmas decorations. Most students were in a hurry; first-day-back-at-school-forgot-to-set-alarm lethargy kicking in making them late. Others loitered in front of lockers, gossiping with their friends.
This year is going to be different, Merlin thought to himself as he walked through the halls of Camelot High with a big grin on his face and couldn’t even begin to try to hide it. Everything had been sorted out with the bullying and harassment before the Christmas holidays. It didn’t stop the voice in the back of his head whispering that they—the popular kids—were saying things behind his back or once he’s out of a room, but he did his best to ignore it. He walked with his back straight, not hunched, and his chin up. Hell, he was smiling in public for no reason other than he was happy and was looking forward to meeting up with someone, not his resting-kicked-puppy face he wore like a shield last year. He still didn’t look people in the eyes but that was a years old habit and harder to break.
His phone buzzed in the inside pocket of his coat, and he pulled it out, there was a notification, a new message on Instagram.
Cenred, now
Can’t wait to see you x
His smile brightened and his walking quickened, he skipped up the stairs and he twirled round corners if no one else were in the corridor. He licked his lips; chapped and irritated from the cold weather, he fiddled with his backpack’s stap with one hand, the other was pressing down and soothing out his untameable hair. His palms were sweaty with anxiety from the anticipation of seeing Cenred again after two weeks.
The wall clock said 08:10 when he entered to library, he headed straight for the back of it. He loved this place, filled with books he couldn’t wait to read and flip through, and on some secret occasions smell them. The carpet softened his footsteps and gave the room a comfy factor about it.
“Cenred?” he asked. No reply came. Cenred wasn’t there. Maybe he got held up by his friends or his locker, Merlin theorised. He waited and picked up the first book that caught his eye from the nearest rack and read the back of it. He wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what the book was about because he wasn’t taking in any of the words, his mind was more occupied by glancing at the clock.
At 08:17 he pulled his phone back out to check it. [gay panic] written in pastel pink and white was his lock screen’s background.
Cenred, 2m ago
actually can we meet up at break instead?
“Oh,” Merlin said dejectedly, frowning. He starred at the message for a few seconds, steeling himself with a heavy sigh he opened the app and his fingers hovered over the keyboard.
‘Okay,’ he replied in the end with a blushing smiley face and a heart, but his own face had gone stony. As he was putting his phone back in his pocket the voice of headmaster came from the speakers.
“Happy new year Camelot boys. Don’t forget there will be students from all school years in your new form groups. I hope you enjoy getting to know some fresh faces in registration each day…”
When the headmaster mentioned ‘form groups’ Merlin pulled his sleeve up and looked at the back of his hand where he’d wrote which room his new form group was in this year.
New Form Room: B25!