Chapter Text
"Who is this?"
"I don't know, must be new."
"He looks strange."
There is a blond haired boy standing in the front of the class that no one has seen before and he's wearing an unreadable expression. He doesn't look particularly delighted to be in this class, nor in this school in general.
"This is Nico, your new classmate. Please introduce yourself."
"Hello, I'm Nico."
The words are slightly accentuated, but he really can't pick out the direction of the accent. Other than that his tone is flat, almost bored by everything that is happening around him, Seb is sure he would have been very nervous in his position.
"Good... Well, I want all of you to be nice to him, behave! And you Nico, I hope that you make friends fast." The teacher continues as the boy just nods.
"There is a free seat next to Sebastian in the back left, you can sit there."
The blond nods again and strides with heavy steps to the back of the classroom.
"Is he an alpha?"
"I can't smell him, he's probably a beta."
"A beta with an alpha attitude."
"Or a bitchy omega."
"No, he doesn't smell like an omega."
With the last sentence Seb can see a slight twitch in the carefully neutral facade of the new pupil, but it gets back to neutral in an instant, before he can even blink once.
When the boy is next to him, Seb greets him with a smile and an out reached hand.
"Hello, I'm Sebastian, but please call me Seb."
The boy looks at him with empty eyes, it's more like he's looking through him, and nods, sitting down, but not taking his hand.
Okay, rude, but fine if he doesn't want to be his friend.
They start the lesson and the boy is focused on the teacher, listens attentively to everything she says, but he doesn't take notes, he just stares up front.
From time to time Seb glances at the blond. He's pretty, kind of, if he wouldn't look that empty and soulless. Maybe he's just really introverted like Kimi? No he doesn't seem like Kimi, he has a feeling that this neutral attitude is just a facade, a carefully placed mask to hide what is going on underneath.
And his classmates are right, he doesn't smell like anything, even less than a beta would smell like nothing. It's like- like he's not really there, although he's sitting right beside him, like an empty body. He has to figure out what's going on with him, has he not presented yet? Some people are late, he knows that, but with seventeen? That's very late.
They don't speak for the entire two hours of mathematics and before he can even think about it he's out of the class, next to his best friend Lewis.
"What's wrong with this boy man, he didn't even smile once during class."
"Yeah he's a bit strange, he didn't shake my hand when I was introducing myself."
"Rude. Let's just ignore him."
"I feel like there's something going on with him, but I don't know what it is. He smells of nothing Lewis, nothing! Not even the faint smell of a beta."
"Strange. Maybe he's taking suppressants."
"But why would he take suppressants?"
"I don't know, I can't read his mind."
All the while Nico is trying to open up his locker, but it just won't work. He knows the code is correct, but it won't open up, it's blocked somewhere.
"Need some help beautiful?" Suddenly a boy, probably a year older than him, is grinning at him. Obviously an alpha, he can see that from the way that he looks alone.
"No, Thank you." He responds, keeping his tone flat.
"They are jamming sometimes, push the lock to the right and it will be easier." The boy with the freckles continues and magically the locker opens up this time.
"Thanks." That was helpful, but he won't admit that.
"No problem princess. My name is Jenson by the way." He grins, his teeth reflecting the light.
"Don't ever call me that again!" Nico hisses, his eyes turning angry.
"Okay okay." The stupid boy laughs and throws his hands in the air. "Then tell me your name beautiful." He guesses he can't go around it, so he just says his name.
"Nico."
"Nice to meet you Nico. You're new here, right?"
He nods and looks to the ground, he isn't sure what this Jensons intentions were, coming up to him, so he's staying on guard.
"Do you want to stay with me and my friends during the break? I'm sure that you would like some company."
"No thank you." He turns away again and finally staples his books in the locker.
"Come on Nico, I know that I might seem annoying, but I promise that all of my friends are nice. Well except for Fernando maybe, he can be a bit bitchy. And Mark is sometimes annoying as well, especially in combination with Fernando and well, they're always together. But they don't speak as much as I do, so you won't need to listen to them ramble for multiple hours, and they can be nice if they want to be. Then there is Val, but he doesn't speak a lot and Kimi, but he speaks even less, so you will probably never hear their voices-"
"Nico?" Where the fuck has the boy gone to? And when did he go away? How rude to just let him ramble on all alone.
From that day on Jenson waits for him by his locker every morning, greeting him and rambling on and on about his previous day. Annoying him until he almost laughs one time at one of Jensons stupid jokes, almost, because he doesn't dare show any reaction to what Jenson tells him, or what the other people are talking about. Almost, because Jenson does notice a slight shift in his attitude, and not only Jenson.
The following days the boy still doesn't speak, but he somehow seems more at ease after some time, if Seb wouldn't know better he would almost say that he's wearing a slight smile on his lips, not a grin, but a vulnerable smile. So Sebastian tries again to talk to him, maybe he's more relaxed now.
"Hey, do you want to have my notes since you missed two months of the year?"
Finally the boy looks at him, but doesn't really react.
"No thank you, we already did all of this in my old school."
"Why didn't you jump a class then?"
"I need to be top of the class, this way it's easier."
"Why do you need to be top of the class? And good luck with that, Jesse over there is always the number one in everything."
"Good to know."
"Where are you from, if I may ask?"
"You may not ask."
"Okay! No need to be this rude. I get it, you don't want us to be friends."
"Sebastian, what is the answer to the question?" Suddenly the teacher interrupts them and looks at him with a scolding look.
"Uhm... it's..."
"Six point five meters per second." Nico whispers to him soundlessly and he seriously questions how the fuck he can know this.
"Six point five meters per second."
"Correct, but next time without your neighbor's help please.
You're the new one, Nico Rosberg, right? Can you tell me the answer to the next question as well?"
"V' is three point eight and W' is nine point two meters per second."
"Also correct, please come to my desk after the lesson, alright?"
He nods and looks back into the book as the teacher continues with the lesson.
"How the fuck were you able to solve that so fast?" Seb stares at the blond with an open mouth.
"It's easy." The boy just raises his shoulders and looks at him still with that neutral expression.
"But we were talking while he asked for the answer."
"I was following the lesson while listening to you. And the questions aren't really difficult."
"Your multitasking ability must be good then."
"I guess it is."
From that on they follow the rest of the lesson in silence until school ends and Nico has to stay behind.
"You wanted to talk to me?"
"Yes, Nico, I wanted you to get some help from your classmates to help you catch up, but seems like you don't need it."
"No, that won't be necessary sir."
"You are smart, I'm expecting high grades from you, don't talk to much with the others during the lesson."
"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."
"It's fine for today, I get it, you're trying to make new friends, that's good."
Nico stays silent to that, not really sure how to answer to this.
"You're excused boy, go home to your family."
_____________________
He's sitting in silence on the dinner table, picking in his low carb food while his mother is on her phone, answering some call, or making the phone call, he can't really be sure. And to be fair, he doesn't even care anymore. If she's calling someone she's at least not talking to him and expects him to answer.
When she finally does hang up she musters his son intricately.
"How was school, did you leave a good impression in your first week?"
"Yes mother, I got to know most of the teachers."
"And with your classmates?"
"I know who the top of the class is and I made some connections to students from the higher grades."
Well only one student and he approached him, but he guesses that counts.
"Good, first impressions are always important. And you know what your father and I expect, you need the highest possible grades."
"Of course mother, I know. I will top the class starting from the first exams."
"Fine. And eat your food son, this is healthy for you."
"Yes mother."
_____________________
"Hey beautiful." The weird alpha from the previous days is standing against his locker when he tries to get to his books and it seems like he forgot his name again.
"It's Nico."
"I know, but you're beautiful, so I will call you beautiful."
Nico stares at the freckled boy and blinks, not sure how he's supposed to react, his ears might be getting a tiny bit pink.
"I would prefer if you could call me Nico."
"Another time beautiful. What's your first lesson? I will get you there."
"No thank you. And could I please get to my locker now? You're kind of blocking the way."
"Only if you tell me your first lesson."
"Should I tell the teacher that you're bullying me?"
"Come on princess, I'm just trying to get to know you."
"What did I say about that nickname?"
"Okay okay sorry. But please, I want to be your friend."
"Why?"
"Why not? You seem to be smart, and you're pretty."
"And that's the only thing that matters to you? I might be a serial killer." Nico smiles at the boy.
"Well there is less of a chance of that now, otherwise you would have given yourself away right now."
"You never know, I might be using double psychology."
"I doubt that, you're to sincere for that. And you don't seem like a psychopath, more like a lone wolf. Although there is something strange about you."
"Maybe I like it that way. Maybe I like not having to talk to somebody."
"I don't think so, I have a feeling that you like to argue with me."
The one with the longer hair smiles again and takes a step closer. "Could I get my books now?"
"Sure sweetheart, but I'm still gonna bring you to your first subject."
He let's Nico get his books before the bell rings and they really need to leave for the first lesson.
"Fine, I have English with Mr. Taylor."
"Room 507, okay, that's a bit further away. Come with me."
And he's alone in the class again, although Sebastian is sitting besides him, but all he can think about is annoying Jenson. Why is he trying to befriend him so badly? He seems to be quite nice though, does he always try to make the new students feel included? Or is it just him? Could he... like him?
Noo, definitely not! He has to get that out of his head really fast. Full focus on the class!