Chapter Text
Ivan was fidgeting with his pencil, waiting for the sub to come in. Him and his classmates are in the art room, which is fairly large even though there are hardly any students attending Anakt High School. It’s somewhat prestigious, and not to mention private. There is a large window on the back wall, and paintings, vases, and other various creations lined the walls. There are eight desks, each having a capacity of two people. Till was next to Ivan, but he seemed to be lost in thought so Ivan let him be. Mizi and Sua are in a conversation, but it seems like Mizi’s the only one doing the talking. Acorn and a few other students are listening to music or on their phone. At the front is a white board and projector, along with Mr. Lee’s desk. None of them took a particular interest in art, except for Till, but Mr. Lee had made it interesting.
Art class was a random mixture of art styles, and there was something new we’d do everyday. Whether that be ceramics, painting, or just sketching, it was always unique. The teacher bustles into the room, but it isn’t Mr. Lee, they’re a woman instead.
She seems to be carrying two large bags, seemingly hasty and stressed. She plopped her bags on the floor and sighed, tired. Ivan watched her out of boredom, and she got a few boxes from her bags that slightly rattled. The whole class was paying attention to her now, but she cleared her throat nonetheless.
“Since Mr. Lee is absent, I will be taking his place,” She started awkwardly, then rambled. “I’m your substitute for today, Ms. Aslan. We’ll be making beaded accessories. Whether that be a bracelet, keychain, or necklace, that is up to you. I apologize that this isn’t art, but it’s all I could come up with given the short notice. Mr. Lee is fine, he just got slightly sick if you all are wondering..”
“We will be working with partners, so whoever you are sitting next to, you will be making a bracelet for them.” Ms. Aslan continued. Ivan heard Mizi squeal, and Ivan peered over at Till, observing his features. He didn’t seem bothered, but not enthusiastic to do this activity, either. “I will leave these boxes in the front and you can come select which beads you’d like to use.”
When it was Ivan and Till’s turn to select their beads, they didn’t know which to pick. There was certainly a variety, so that wasn’t a problem. They just didn’t have any idea of what to do. Ivan gestured to the seed beads, capturing Till’s attention. There were multiple shades of each color in the same shape.
“We could make bracelets,” Ivan suggested.
“Yeah, sure,” Till agreed. What else would they have made either way? A necklace?
They picked each other’s colors and selected a few shades from green, gray, black, and red so it could be in an ombre style.
“Should we put our names? That’d be cute.” Ivan recommended.
“Whatever you want,” Till mumbled back. He was trying to figure out which red matched Ivan’s eyes the most. It couldn’t be too light, nor too dark.
Ivan looked at the other beads and saw the hearts. There were green ones and white ones that would match Till’s bracelet perfectly. He picked them, and put them in his little bowl. There were also circular hearts that matched Ivan, so he selected two and put them in the bowl as well. There were also numbers, so he chose those, too.
Ivan went over to the charm section, and something caught his eye. A tiny silver electric guitar charm. That would be perfect for Till! He was in the music club, after all, and he often stayed after school to practice his guitar skills or to just tune his guitar. The last part was the string, so he placed his little bowl full of beads on the table and headed for Till. He went back to Till’s side with string and scissors now accompanying him.
“Can I get your wrist size, Till?~” Ivan asked, holding out the string.
“Sure,” Till responded half-heartedly, holding out his wrist. That peaked Ivan’s interest. Whenever he used that tone, or asked Till anything in general, Till would usually retort back with a comment. Till seemed so distracted today, it was worrying. Ivan cut the string, and placed back the string and scissors on the teacher’s desk.
“I left the string for my bracelet on your side of the desk, so once you’re done getting the beads, just come over.” Ivan told Till, watching his expression. It remained absentminded, and Ivan’s head clouded with worry. He’ll ask him once he comes back to the desk.
Ivan first puts “TILL” on the bracelet, since there were only capitalized beads. He then puts two beads on each side. They’re both flat and circle-ish, like the letter beads, but with a heart inside. Both of them had red on the outside, but one of the inside hearts was black while the other was white.
Ivan was proud of his selection, and started to put numbers on the bracelet. He had only picked two random green ones, which were ‘8’ and ‘9’. Ivan puts 8 on the left side of the bracelet with the black heart, and 9 on the right with the white heart. He’s abruptly moved as he’s putting on the first seed bead, and glances up at who it was, though he already has an idea.
“Sorry, Ivan,” Till murmured, rubbing his eyes. Yeah, something was definitely wrong. Till hardly apologizes in a straightforward manner.
“Are you okay, Till?” Ivan was concerned, and Till could see that.
“Yeah, I’m just tired. I was thinking all last night.” Till mumbles, sitting down with a thud.
Till grabs the string for Ivan’s bracelet and tries to concentrate on it, beading his way through his thoughts.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Mizi is very focused on trying to perfect the perfect bracelet for Sua. It has to include teal, purple, white, and black. How she managed to make an ombre out of those colors is unknown. She looks over at Sua, who is smiling faintly while beading Mizi’s. Sua deserves nothing but the best, Mizi thinks. Mizi feels she must make it the best creation ever, only for Sua. She has incorporated hearts, flowers, and stars into her design. It will be exceptional! Mizi thinks excitedly in her head. It has Sua’s name in purple, which is one of Mizi’s favorite colors due to the fact it reminds her of Sua. She’s adding on numbers, which she also picked randomly, much so like Ivan. She chose ‘8’ and ‘6’. She added them near the pink flower and heart she put near Sua’s name. The charm she chose for Sua was a small little bow, it was cute and dainty in Mizi’s eyes. Though Sua herself would never pick it, she likes it due to Mizi selecting it with her in mind. Mizi was nearly done with her own Sua bracelet, and all she needed was to add her charm. It was a small heart with an even tinier diamond. Mizi felt like it was Sua’s style, and attached it. Mizi attempted to knot it, but failed. She had no idea how to. Ms. Aslan was already helping another student, and the only other person in this room who she slightly talked to was Ivan. Maybe he knew how to tie a knot!
Meanwhile, Till was focused on making Ivan’s bracelet. Not that he really cared if Ivan liked it, he just wanted it to look nice.
“Till, are you okay?” Ivan asks, concerned. “You’ve been zoned out all morning since I went to your house.”
Truth to be told, Till was thinking about his conflicting feelings of annoyance and love towards Ivan. No way he would ever tell Ivan that, though. It would give him ‘misleading’ thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just deep in thought,” Till answers, feigning nonchalance even though his heart was short-circuiting. He made sure to shield Ivan’s eyes from his bracelet, wanting it to be a surprise.
“If you say so,” Ivan frowns, worries deepening. He looks at Till one last time before returning to Till’s bracelet.
It wasn’t going to be perfect, but he was going to try his best. Anything for Till. He looked over at Till, trying to see his own bracelet. Till was obviously shielding him from it, and Ivan’s curiosity was piqued. Plus, he was too busy looking at Till’s breathtaking face. He moved his head slightly so he could see, and he inwardly gasped. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. To Ivan, at least. When Ivan told Sua he would cherish it forever, she told him it was the ugliest thing she’d ever seen.
Ivan then realized his bracelet for Till slightly looked like his own. They picked the same type of beads, seed beads. Along with that, they did it in the same-ish pattern, but with each other’s colors. Ivan saw a small red flower charm and had a slight déjà vu. Red flowers seemed awfully familiar, but Ivan brushed that thought away. Ivan looked away, and attempted to ingrain the pattern that Till had made in his head.
Ivan got up from his chair and put away the beads that didn’t match or were just unneeded, and got the ones that could match his own bracelet the best. Ivan went back to his seat, holding the green beads in his palm. He put them in the little bowl he was given so they wouldn’t scatter all over the floor, and started beading the bracelet again. The design was simple, but it had multiple beads, and Ivan included a various amount of hearts for Till’s bracelet. Ivan made all of them green and gray except for one red heart, which was “Ivan’s heart” so Till could know that he had Ivan’t heart. Figuratively and literally, if ever given the circumstances. Ivan was putting on a gummy bear bead when Mizi walked up to Ivan.
“Hey, Ivan, could you help me with this bracelet?” Mizi asked, smiling politely. “I can’t seem to tie it.”
“Sure, Mizi. I like the hearts,” Ivan grinned at her. “How has your relationship been?”
“It’s going awesome,” Mizi happily replied, blushing profusely when Ivan had brought up her and Sua’s relationship. Ivan thinks that Mizi and Sua’s relationship is what is causing Till to be lost in thought, but it seems like Till isn’t even acknowledging him or Mizi. In reality, Till didn’t have a clue on what was going on between Mizi and Sua.
“What about you two?” Mizi asked Ivan, gesturing between him and Till.
“Sua told you? I think he’s still clueless.” Ivan smirked.
“No, Sua didn’t tell me, I could just tell by the way you look at him.” Mizi smiled, genuine. “You two are always together, too.”
Till looked over to see what Ivan was doing when he was completely caught off guard by Ivan and Mizi talking casually, having a conversation. Now Till was immeasurably confused. His heart raced for both of them, but he didn't know who he’d choose between them. Not that they would choose him in anything either way. Their personalities contrast to his deeply. He glanced over again. Neither of them even invited him into the conversation. Did Mizi even view him as a friend? He looked away and frowned. Has he had any real conversation with her at all? His attraction to her is undeniable, but does she even reciprocate? The most conversation he’s ever had with her is being able to utter a few words. His heart would be caught up in his throat, and he would lose all ability to speak. Whereas for Ivan, everything came naturally.
He continued to compare the two. He endlessly pined over Mizi, but he spent most of his time with Ivan. They had most classes together, they had lunch together, they walked to and from Till’s house together. Till remembers when Ivan once came over to Till’s house to hide from Sua since he mixed their laundry and made Sua’s favorite shirt pink. Eventually he had to go home and confront her, but Till and Ivan had a fun time together. Ivan would also help Till with homework every time he didn’t do it. Whenever Till needed help, Ivan was there. Which didn’t make sense, Ivan was pretty popular and had way more interesting friends other than Till.
As for Mizi, she’s always with Sua, Ivan’s sister. He sees her with Sua in the library when he goes. Sua isn’t popular at all. She only has a few friends, and only opens up to Mizi. As in ‘few’ Till means four, including Ivan. Mizi does try to talk to him, but he freezes up and his mind goes blank.
“Hey, Till, are you okay? You’re not moving, and your face is unreadable.” Ivan talks to Till, chasing away Till’s daze.
“Huh? Yeah. Oh, Mizi’s gone,” Till points out.
“Yeah, she just wanted me to tie her bracelet for Sua,” Ivan looks hesitant, and struggles to find words. “Are they the reason you’ve been… disconnected?”
“Why would I be upset? They’re together, like always.” Till replied.
Ivan looked at him with pity. He didn’t say anything, though. He figured Till would find out eventually. Ivan knew about Mizi and Sua’s relationship because Sua and him are pretty close, though they hardly hung out. It’s mainly because they’re siblings, but Sua puts up with him. She hears his rants and his dreams, or anything, really. All the unspoken words for Till, she hears that too. She supports Ivan and his crush because Ivan’s her brother, but also because Till’s crush is Mizi. Overall, Sua believes Till and Ivan would make a good couple.
“I finished, Sua!” Mizi exclaimed happily as she came back to her seat. “Are you finished with my bracelet?”
“Yeah, almost,” Sua smiled softly at Mizi. “Just a few more beads.”
As Mizi waited patiently for Sua, she wanted to start a conversation.
“So my friends have been joining new clubs like photography and crochet,” Mizi started.
“Do you want to join them?” Sua asked her.
“Well, yeah, but I want you to be in the clubs with me. It wouldn’t matter if I don’t go with you. Plus, I do track, theater, and choir.” Mizi paused. “You only do choir with me.”
“That’s because I don’t often talk to people and I study,” Sua remarked.
“Well, yeah, but photography doesn’t require talking. We could use the assignments as excuses to go on dates, too!” Mizi happily added.
“That would be nice,” Sua blushed. “I’ll think about it.”
“Yay!” Mizi beamed with elation.
“There, I’m finished,” Sua turned over to Mizi. “Wanna see?”
“Wait! We have to exchange at the same time!”
“Alright,” Sua nodded, waiting patiently as Mizi scrambled to get Sua’s bracelet.
“Close your eyes!” Mizi said promptly. “Okay, now hold out your palm!”
Sua did as intended, and Mizi was following her own instructions.
“Okay, after you’ve extended it, open it.” Mizi was restraining herself from opening her eyes. “Now open your eyes!”
They opened their eyes in sync, and Mizi gasped in delight. The bracelet Sua had made for her was wonderful, and was fascinated with it. Sua smiled graciously, and placed Mizi’s bracelet in Mizi’s hand, and took her own.
“It’s beautiful, Mizi. Thank you,” Sua smiled at Mizi.
“You’re welcome,” Mizi blushed, stammering. “Yours is so magnificent.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Sua blushed as well, and tried the bracelet on.
It fit her a little loose, but it was still perfect. Mizi tried hers on as well. She loved the hues of pink Sua chose for her, and the little strawberry charm she had included. It was cute and thoughtful. Mizi looked at the purple hearts on her bracelet and smiled, glad that Sua had thought of putting those in representation as her. Mizi looked over to see how Ivan and Till were doing, but it seemed Till was bickering with Ivan. That’s good, it means Till’s back to being normal again.
How did this even start? Ivan asked himself. Till and Ivan are fighting again, and Ivan doesn’t even know how they ended up this way. He was thrilled Till was talking now, so it’s fine. As long as Till’s head wasn’t lost in the clouds. Ivan didn’t even know what they were bickering about, honestly. Ivan adored Till though, so he didn’t mind.
“Are you even listening?” Till grumbled.
“Yeah, I am,” Ivan responded, lying. “Are you almost done with your bracelet? I’m done with mine.”
Ivan looked at the bracelet he made for Till and admired it. It was awesome to Ivan, but what mattered most was Till’s opinion. It had mostly green and gray except for a few black and red beads. For, you know, originality.
“I’m finished. Just let me tie this,” Till murmured, focused on the bracelet.
“Alright,” Ivan tried on the bracelet he had made for Till. It was a little tight on him, so he knew it’d be a little loose for Till.
“There,” Till muttered. “Here.”
Ivan courteously took his own bracelet and gave Till his.
“Do you like it?” Ivan asked Till, smiling.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” Till told Ivan. “I like it a lot.”
Ivan smiled fondly. That’s the best you could ever get out of Till, and Ivan was okay with that. He was honored, actually, that Till liked something Ivan made for him.
“I like yours, too,” Ivan stated. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Stop acting like everything I do is a beautiful act.” Till grumbled. “It’s bothering me.”
“Everything you do is a beautiful act,” Ivan replied, grinning.
Till flushed at this sentiment.
“Shut up.” Till muttered, looking away.
Ivan laughed, and quickly looked away. He felt his own face warm, and tried his best to suppress his feelings. He couldn't, they were too prominent to ignore. The silence grew awkward, and suddenly, someone barged into the room.