Chapter Text
Miles focused on the steady rhythm of the song as he drew, colouring in his homemade nametags. The art was a welcome distraction from what would happen later that day. He was just getting to the good bit of the song when he vaguely heard something over top of the music. It sounded kind of like…
Dammit.
“Miles!!”
Miles quickly whipped off his headphones, dropping the pen and spinning around in his chair. His dad sounded mad, how long had he been calling Miles for??
“Y-Yeah?”
“Are you finished packing for school?!”
Miles’s eyes trailed over to the empty suitcase lying open on his bed, surrounded by his wrinkled bedsheets and an expensive he had been trying to ignore. He quickly got off the chair, grabbing the first armful of clothes he could get his hands on. Dammit, he really hoped his dad didn’t come up to check.
“Yeah! Just… ironing my last shirt!”
Miles’s last few words were muffled as he bit down on a few books so he could grab some more clothes. Maybe putting this off for so long wasn’t such a good idea… but packing made this all feel too real. Still, he grabbed his books and a few favourite knick knacks… and a healthy amount of empty stickers. Just in case he had any spare time.
He could hear his parents calling out to him as he scrambled to get ready, managing to find his uniform and quickly throwing it on, tugging the jacket as straight as he could. He threw his backpack on and was halfway out the door before he noticed the sketchbook on his desk. Dammit, he couldn’t forget that. Quickly stuffing the book into his bag he ran out the door and into chaos.
His dad was ready about to leave the apartment, his mum was trying to rush him while he searched for a lost laptop and- ooh, was that food?
“If you want me to drive you, we got to go now!’
His dad driving him? Right past his friends, his old life, his old school? And with how his dad always was, and wearing this stupid fitted suit that made no sense to wear daily?
“Uh… no, dad! I’ll walk!”
Gods, even he could hear the anxiety in his voice. He should probably work on his ability to lie… He could vaguely hear his dad heading to the door from behind him as he made a beeline for the pot of food, shoving his laptop in his bag as he moved. Miles barely noticed the door shut as he took a bite of food, hearing his mum rushing him from behind. Miles finally managed to get out the door in a flurry of movement when he heard his mum from behind, pulling him closer and pressing a few kisses to his cheeks as Miles rolled his eyes and playfully tried to pull away.
“Mum, I have to go!”
Her laugh was playful and joyous as she peppered a few last pecks.
“In a minute!”
With a soft smile and a quick hug Rio finally let Miles go, and he walked away with a cheerful smile. Walking through the city was familiar, comforting. The rhythm of the music through his headphones, the cheerful conversations with his friends… it was all nice. And running through the city, slapping his stickers wherever he could. Then just as he jumped up, slapping one on a sign with a rush of adrenaline, he felt himself trip on his shoelace. Miles felt his stomach lurch, quickly landing on the concrete of the road with a dull ache. He groaned and sat up, hearing the chirp of a police car from in front of him. Looking up at the car Miles groaned, rolling his eyes and sighing.
“Aw, c’mon…”