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Augusts’ perspective.
It was history, your least favorite subject.
The subject itself was fine enough – it was your droll, almost brain-rottingly unenthusiastic teacher who acted as if every word was hauling a boulder up a hill.You could doodle all day and still get As.
So doodle you did. You liked how the pencil sounded on the paper as you drew the hair of your newest Quests of Yore character.
“What's that?” You heard a whisper from behind you. Probably the punk boy who wouldn't stop chatting at you even when the teacher moved him. Barley.
“A character. Her name's Miranda.”
“For Quests of Yore?”
“Yep. She's a wizard.” You picked up the drawing and passed it behind you to the blue elf. He was really cute, and much sweeter to you than most of the guys at school, but you had barely ever spoken to him. You doubt he knew your name.
“I like your signature. All swooshy.” He said with a smile. “Nice to meet you, August.”
“We already met, Barley.”
“Hey! Stop the chatter. This is gonna be on the test.” Mr. McBoringface cut in.
Sigh. At least he let you eat in class so you could finish your lunch. You're picking up the small cookies from their bag when you see the blue hand bedazzled in spikes and bracelets open itself up.
You give him a “Are you serious right now?” look.
“Pleaaaasseeee?” Barley whispers from behind you.
You roll your eyes and pass him a couple. He smiles a really soft, cute grin and mouths “thank you.”
When you're let go for free study time you're ready to sit by yourself again. You don't really know any of these people - and that's perfectly fine with you. Listening to music, drawing and occasionally actually doing work is more fun to you.
But for the last couple days Barley sits with you. He moves his desk from behind you to next to you.
“Thanks for the cookies again.” He leans in to say, plugging in his laptop to his headphones.
“No problem. I'd give any snacks for a momentary break from the boredom that is this classroom.”
He laughs. “I know, right? I didn't think something as cool as history could be so uninteresting. I guess you really have to care.”
“You should offer to teach for a day. I'd bet money you'd keep all my attention.”
Was this flirting heavy as hell? Yes. Does it usually work? Also yes, so get off my back.
His face lit up, and the smile of pure excitement turned into one of appreciation.
“Funny you say that, I actually want to be a history teacher. Probably a college professor, but still.”
“Whaat? Dude you're forced to be here for 18 years and you want to go back for who knows how much longer?”
“Uh, yeah. School is lowkey awesome. Friends, some interesting subjects – even though I would eat my hand if I never had to do math again –”
“So real.” You agreed.
“The band I'm in, the cute girls…” He continued, counting on his fingers and ending the list with a wink.
You giggled. This kid is fearless and suave.
“I can't say you've sold me, but maybe it isn't that bad.”
“The clubs are the best part! My latest Quests of Yore campaign was hilarious!” He proceeded to tell me a long and admittedly pretty funny story of how one of his friends ended up in a gelatinous cube and continued playing as a skeleton.
“Gelatinous cubes are now an inside joke for the whole group.” He says.
“I've always wanted to join that club but I forgot to at the very start of the year.”
Club rush had been over for a couple weeks now and you thought it was too late.
“What? Nah, we take anybody at any time. We have a new campaign starting tomorrow, what if I bring you in and introduce you? You can use premade characters.” He says, nodding toward Miranda.
“Hmmm…” You tapped your chin in mock contemplation. “Alright. Meet you by the front office?”
“Deal!” He said, holding out his hand for a handshake.
I take it and I'm surprised how warm he is, and he's stronger than I initially thought. He has callouses but they don't make him rough.
He seems to get flustered for the first time when he takes my hand, and after a few seconds of stuttering he abruptly stops and says he needs to ask about his grades. He gets up and goes to the teacher while I get back to work.
What a weirdo. A cute weirdo, but a weirdo nonetheless.
I see him leave with the hall pass.
Barley's perspective.
He was going to have a heart attack and he could swear it. His chest was beating so fast and his hands were shaky… he thought talking to her would be a thrill but he didn't think I'd be like that! He even winked at her! Who told him to do that??
He leaned by the vending machine as he texted Max.
MBVM SOS
I TALKED TO HER!!!
Meet by vending machine, Save our swords. Indicator for emergency – WHICH THIS MOST DEFINITELY WAS. He'd been trying to work up the courage for more than small talk for weeks.
He only had to wait a few minutes before he could hear heavy chains and hooves down the hall. That was the sign Max was close.
The satyr rounded the corner, mohawk in clean barbs straight up and his leather jacket covered in patches, metal spikes, safety pins and bottlecaps. Chains hung from his hips and he was wearing aviator sunglasses indoors.
Max was undeniably the coolest person you could know for miles. And he was Barley's best friend.
“You actually spoke to her? For how long?” He asked with a broad smile, taking off the aviators.
“Long enough to make a complete fool of myself, and invite her to the Quests of Yore club!”
“Woo!” Max cheered, putting his hand up.
Barley hit it and they did their secret handshake.
(Did you think I would describe it? It's a secret handshake for a reason.)
“But dude, I'm so freaking out right now. I mean I acted like a total weirdo! At one point she agreed to meet up after school and I shook her hand, which is weird just in itself, but then when I did I got so flustered by how soft her hands are that I just left!”
Max scrunched his face. “That sounds pretty bad. Did you do anything cool? To like… balance it out?”
“I winked at her.”
“That's a win! How'd she take it?”
“She laughed.” Barley said, trying not to let it get to his head again.
“Was it a laugh or a giggle? Those are very different.” Max said, folding his arms.
“I guess it was more like a giggle.”
“Oh brother, that is totally a green light! If she didn't like you she would've just given you the side-eyes! You're in it to win it!”
“You really think so?”
“I wouldn't tell you if I didn't think it. I'm so proud of you!” He said with a jab to Barley's shoulder. “You've got her!”
That did genuinely help. If the coolest guy alive with leagues of girls (he never took, by the way) thought he really had a chance, maybe he did. “So what do I do now?”
“Just be yourself brother. There's plenty to like about’cha. If you want some real advice though, talk about her. Let her talk. Just give her your attention - girls like that an awful lot.”
“Talk about her and let her talk.” he echoed. “Thanks.”
“No problem at all brother. Keep me updated, I wanna see you get your princess.”
Max was the only one that knew why Barley had a crush on you, namely because it was a little embarrassing.
It was because you looked like a princess in one of his favorite comic books. Your code name was princess because of it. It was rare to find Nords in the United Realms - especially pale blonde ones. Most of those just stayed in Frostreache. He'll admit, he usually found the darker Nords with brown hair and skin prettier, but you looked like the princess in his book.
“Alright. Thank you so much, I owe you a +3 longsword in our next game.” Barley said, walking back to class.
“I'll hold you to that.” Replied Max. “Wait, before you go.”
Barley came back and Max sprayed him right in the face with a subtle cologne.
Barley coughed a few times before he could get out a “Thanks dude.”
When he made it back to class, he saw you braiding your hair in one big braid over your shoulder. Your hands were gentle and dexterous and–
And he should probably stop staring at you.
He sat back down next to you, trying to be as casual as possible. He hoped the cologne wasn't too much.
“Had to check your grades in the hallway did you?”
Shoot. So you did notice.
He tried to think of what Max would say.
Max would probably just be honest.
“One of my friends just wanted to meet up and chat for a minute.” He said.
Okay, yeah, it was a lie - but it's what Max would've said.
He noticed you had one headphone in and was curious if your music tastes aligned.
“What’re you listening to?”
With only a smile, you took the other headphone and offered it up to him. He had to lean in close to you for the wire to reach.
One of his favorite songs started playing, one he used to listen to every day in middle school.
“I love this one.” He said.
You guys sat in mostly quiet, trading music and shy smiles until class ended.