Chapter Text
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Beep. Be-
Aether rolled over in bed and fumbled for his phone on the nightstand. The incessant beeping stopped with a quick press of a button, and he flopped back into the mattress with a groan.
Mornings were the absolute worst.
He rubbed sleep from his eyes and slowly sat up, wincing at the headache that started to pound at the front of his head. He’d stayed up well into the early hours of the morning studying for the exam he had today, and the effects of that decision were clearly weighing on him. The desk in the corner of his room was still littered with notes and textbooks.
If his parents had been there, they’d have told him that sleep would help him perform better than last-minute cramming. And he knew that. But it was hard to ignore the anxiety that arose every time a test was on the horizon, a feeling that kept him up at night and made it difficult to not spend his time studying.
Oh, well. He’d just have to compensate with caffeine.
Rolling out of bed, he pulled on a pair of brown slacks and a white button-up shirt, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows in the way he preferred. He packed his bag, adding a surplus of pens and pencils, and made the last-minute decision to throw on a woolen brown vest. He always got cold in the autumn months, and the last thing he needed was to be shivering too much to focus on physics.
He was still doing fine for time – it was only 7:15, and the drive to school was quick – but he rushed down the stairs regardless. Lumine took one look at him when he entered the kitchen and sighed.
“Up late again?” She asked. Both of them were aware she already knew the answer.
“It’s not my fault that some of us need to try in order to be 4.0 students,” he responded, slumping into a chair and resting his face on the table. The wood was cool against his cheek.
She shook her head in disapproval and set a mug on the table in front of him before sliding into a seat herself. She was wearing a long white hoodie and shorts that looked far too cold for the weather, but then again, she’d always run warmer than he had.
It was one of many comparisons their parents liked to make about them. When they were around, at least.
Lumine drank a sip of her tea and glanced at him. “Was it physics?”
He sat up and took his own mug. “You know it was. This second unit is killing me.”
“I could’ve helped if you’d asked earlier.”
“No, I need to learn it on my own. It’s not like you’ll be there to talk me through all my subjects at college, anyway.”
“Aether, I seriously don’t think a bit of help with forces and energy is going to ruin your ability to learn. And you don’t even want to study science.” She pushed back her chair and started rooting in the cupboard for cereal. “Last I checked, none of this matters for a photography and journalism degree. It’s one exam. You’ll be fine.”
“But my GPA….” He groaned. “I’m already at a 93 in the class, Lumine. I have to do well on this or I’m going to drop to an A-. I’m not losing my straight A streak in the second to last semester of high school.”
She sighed. “Is this all because you’ve started that application for Mondstadt uni?”
He got up and put his empty mug on the kitchen counter. “Well… I won’t deny that it’s a motivating factor. Their standards are high. But I also just want to do well for myself.” He grabbed the cereal from her and poured himself a bowl. “Whatever. It’s not like there’s time to study now. I still can’t believe I got stuck with first period physics…”
Lumine stole the cereal back. “Hey, I wasn’t done with that! And yeah, yeah, I know. You get the lame class where everyone’s half asleep and I get the fourth period geniuses who know more than the teacher does. It’s dumb and I miss you. But it’s your own fault for taking photography.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that it’s stupid.”
“…I guess not.”
They finished their breakfast in a contemplative silence before leaving for school. Lumine grabbed the keys to their shared car and raised an eyebrow at Aether. “Want me to drive? It’ll give you another 10 minutes to check your notes, if you need.”
He sighed and shook his head. “No, just let me do it. My notes are way too lengthy to be much use now.”
“Your call,” she said, shrugging. “I’ll quiz you on the way.”
The drive was quiet save for Lumine’s occasional question.
“Is kinetic energy conserved in an elastic or inelastic collision?”
“…elastic?”
“Yep. What’s mechanical energy?”
“The sum of all kinetic and potential energy in a system.”
“And you feel good with force body diagrams and energy bar charts?”
“I think so, yeah. I studied those the most.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as they waited at a light.
“See? You’ll be fine. It’s a big unit, sure, but you clearly know it. Just try not to psych yourself out.”
“Great, thanks, I’ll let my brain know to avoid that,” Aether replied sarcastically.
Lumine sighed. “Okay. Sorry.”
They sat in silence for a while before Lumine spoke up again.
“So… made any friends yet?”
“Are you going to ask me that every day?”
She shrugged. “Just wondering. We’re like a month into the school year and you haven’t been talking to anyone yet.”
“Well… no, I haven’t. But not having a friend doesn’t make me the sad pathetic loser that it sounds like. I just prefer having my time to myself.”
“I know. And that’s perfectly fine. I guess I just…” she stared out the window. “I don’t want mom and dad to come back at Christmas and think that we’re not adjusting well to the move.”
He scoffed bitterly. “Right. Because they totally thought about that when they decided to move in the first place. You only care about their feelings now because you’re excelling in every AP class you take and making friends already.”
Lumine sighed. “That’s not true. I do understand where you’re coming from. But we’re here now, so… maybe just try to make the most of it.”
They didn’t speak again until they were in the parking lot. Lumine threw on her backpack and gave him a quick hug. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
The physics classroom was one of the older rooms in the building, and as such was often prone to mechanical malfunctions. So, Aether wasn’t exactly surprised when he entered and it was immediately clear that the heating had broken.
At least I dressed a little warmer, he thought as he dropped his satchel next to his desk and took a seat. One of his classmates, Bennett, was already in the seat next to him, poring over their assigned textbook. He looked up at Aether and smiled.
“Hey! How are you feeling?”
“As prepared as I’m going to be, I guess,” he replied, returning the smile. Bennett had a sort of infectious enthusiasm that made it easier to be optimistic. “How about you?”
Bennett grinned. “Pretty good! I’ve studied more for this test than any other so far. I did lose my notes twice, but… I’m determined to ace it regardless!”
The bell rang and they both turned their attention to the front of the room, where their teacher was stood. Ms. Candace picked up a hefty stack of papers and began passing them down each row. “Your Unit 2 Exam has 30 multiple choice and 2 free-response questions. Test corrections, unlike last time, will be available for everyone. I recognize this was a lot of material to learn, and I don’t want any of you worrying about your grade.”
She stared right at Aether with a hint of a smile. Even if the class was awful and physics was by far the worst subject he’d ever taken, at least the teacher was understanding. It truly made a world of difference.
He flipped to the FRQ page first, as he always did, and was relieved to see how similar it was to what he’d studied rigorously.
The diagram below is of a ladder leaning against a wall, forming a 45 degree angle with the floor. Draw arrows representing all forces acting on the ladder, originating from the point where they occur and with lengths to represent their relative magnitudes. Assume friction is non-negligible. Label each force clearly.
He exhaled slightly. This, he could do. He peeked at the next FRQ, which was another scenario with an empty energy bar chart. His confidence rising, he picked up a pencil and started writing. The quicker, the better – he only had an hour.
The time flew by, and he sat drumming his fingers on the desk for the last few minutes of class to wait to turn his exam in. Ms. Candace had gone easy on them, clearly, or he wouldn’t have been done so quickly. He’d have to tell Lumine it was a breeze sometime before lunch. She acted like she didn’t worry, but he knew she did.
Finally, the bell rung and he slipped his bag over his arm before placing his test on Ms. Candace’s desk. She smiled. “How was it?”
“…better than I thought it would be, actually.”
“I told you it would be fine.”
He sighed. “I’m going to be hearing a lot of that today, I think. But thank you.”
“Of course.”
Aether stepped out into the hall and was almost immediately plowed over by a group of girls. He pressed himself into the wall until they’d passed and joined the flow of movement, shaking his head. The lack of spatial awareness from others never ceased to amaze him.
He started walking right and in a short time was at the door of his next class. He was about to head in when he spotted a concerning scene out of the corner of his eye and turned back towards the hall.
A little further ahead, Bennett was pressed into the wall, discomfort clear on his face. In front of him was a taller boy with reddish hair and a grey track jacket, who was poking and pushing Bennett with a mean smile.
Uh oh. That doesn’t look good.
Dodging people, he walked up next to Bennett and put a protective hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Hey. Is everything alright over here?”
Bennett looked over and smiled at him, but there was fear in it. “Oh, Aether! Everything’s fine, don’t worry.”
The guy harassing him gave Aether a curious glance. “Aether? As in the weird new transfer?”
Aether sighed. “Yeah, I guess that’s me.”
They smiled threateningly. “Hm. You’re not as pathetic looking as everyone’s making you out to be.” He extended a hand. “Childe.”
Aether stared at his outstretched hand. “Uh. No thanks. I’m not super interested in getting to know someone who bullies other people.” He turned to Bennett. “You should get to your next class.”
Bennett glanced worriedly at Childe. “Okay, but… are you gonna be okay?”
He smiled with a confidence he didn’t feel. “Yeah. Don’t worry.”
Reluctantly, Bennett picked up his bag from the ground and vanished into the sea of people. Aether turned back to Childe. “So. Care to explain why you’re being an awful person?”
Childe laughed. “You’re so dramatic. It was just a little bit of fun between us, relax.”
“That’s not what it looked like,” Aether replied.
“Well, maybe your idea of events was wrong.” Childe crossed his arms. “Just stay out of it, alright? I’d hate to have to make a scene.”
Aether shook his head in frustration. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but can you ju-”
Aether didn’t even register that he’d been punched until he was stumbling into the wall, his cheek throbbing painfully. There were a number of shocked cries from students around him that he vaguely heard as he steadied himself.
Childe shook out his arm and grinned. “Oh, well. I guess I’m making a scene anyway.” He grabbed the front of Aether’s vest.
Shit.
“Break it up, you two!” A voice called, saving Aether from any further injuries. Childe let Aether go and watched as their school’s vice principal approached.
“What’s going on, hm?” Ms. Signora asked, staring them down coldly. “This disruptive behavior is not tolerated on our campus.” She side-eyed Aether. “…although I suppose not all of you may be aware of that.”
A cold fear washed over Aether. No. Please don’t let me be in trouble. “I’m so sorry for the disruption, Ms. Signora. Childe was bullying another student, and I thought I should step in. I truly didn’t mean to cause any problems.”
She stared at him. “Do you really expect me to believe that?”
He faltered, shocked. “I, uh… yes?”
“Childe is a model student, whereas you haven’t even been here for a full quarter. It is ridiculous to accuse him of such behavior. And keep in mind that lying will only worsen your punishment.”
“What!? Lying!? I’m not lying, that’s what happened!”
Ms. Signora sighed and looked at Childe. “You. Head to class immediately. Aether, I’ll let you off with detention for the rest of the week. Oh, and there’s a pass for the nurse – you have quite a nasty bruise on your face.” With that, she turned and walked away, heels clacking on the tile floor.
Aether was left absolutely dumbfounded. What the hell is her deal? And how am I going to explain this to Lumine…
“Well, have fun in lunch detention! I’m off to class,” Childe said with a cheeky wave before vanishing down the hall.
I am so fucked.
Aether soon realized that he didn’t actually know where the nurse’s office was. Unfortunately, he only made that realization after he was well and truly lost. He sighed. Maybe I should have tried to memorize more than just the path to my classes.
He rounded another corner, hoping for some indication that he was going the right way, but just found himself in a stairwell. He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. At this rate, he was going to have traveled the whole school before he found it.
“You don’t look great,” someone commented.
Aether jumped, startled, and looked up to see a boy sat on the stairs to his right. They had black hair that fell in two braids at the front and were wearing a white t-shirt and dark blue shorts, with a sweater tied around their waist. They eyed him with a curious smile that seemed to promise mischief, and their eyes were a strange shade of blue that appeared almost teal.
“So I’ve been told,” Aether replied, sighing.
The boy hopped up from the stairs and walked down to join Aether on the landing. “What happened?”
“Well. In hindsight, it was kinda stupid, but… I stepped in to stop this guy named Childe from bullying a kid in my class and ended up getting in trouble while he got off scot-free.”
The boy laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right. Childe’s made friends with all the teachers, so you can’t ever convince them he’s done anything wrong.” They smiled at him, eyes twinkling. “You must be Aether, then, right?”
Aether nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. Sorry, um… do I know you?”
They shook their head, still smiling. “No, you wouldn’t. I’ve just heard about you. I’m Venti, by the way.”
Aether smiled back. “Nice to meet you.” He paused for a moment. “So, what are you doing here? It’s kind of the middle of class.”
Venti grinned. “Skipping, obviously. You couldn’t drag me to my English class with all the strength in the world.”
“Do you not like it?”
“No, I love it! I’m taking AP Lit, and it’s been really fun to analyze all the poetry and novels and such.” Venti sighed. “The problem lies in the people. I truly can’t handle hearing surface-level analysis from overconfident, self-assured idiots for the third day in a row. My friend Dahlia is in the later period, and he says the students in that class are genuinely insightful. But, y’know, with scheduling and all that, I got put in the idiot class and I’ve been delegated to a sort of “class nerd” rather than being able to discuss the texts with like-minded individuals.”
“The class nerd, skipping class?” Aether teased.
Venti laughed. “I know, I know. Irony at its finest. But I just can’t muster up the will to go back. Maybe when we start writing college essays next week, I’ll make a point to attend.”
Aether smiled. “Yeah, I understand. I’m the same way with physics – my sister has it fourth period with all the uber science nerds, and I’m in the first period class where everyone’s too tired to think. Now I’m top of the class, and it’s the worst subject I’ve ever taken. I’d skip it if I weren’t so afraid to.”
“At least someone can sympathize with my plight. My friend Xiao always tells me I’m whining too much.”
“No way. There’s almost too much to whine about where school is concerned.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
They stood in a comfortable silence for a moment before Venti pointed at Aether’s cheek. “So, if I had to guess, you’re looking for the nurse, right?”
“Oh, yeah, I am! You don’t happen to know where their office is, do you?”
Venti grinned. “Psh, do you know who you’re talking to? I skip enough to have educated myself on every nook and cranny in this building. C’mon, follow me!”
He grabbed Aether’s wrist and pulled him back the way he'd had come, taking a series of rights and lefts that Aether would in no way remember. Every hallway looked the same, with the pale, wooden classroom doors, the white walls and tile, and the occasional poster or locker to break up the monotony.
Finally, Venti stopped in front of a short hallway, eyes shining. They were both thoroughly out of breath from running and Aether leaned against the wall to steady himself. He was really not an athletic person.
“Their office should be at the end of the hall to the left,” Venti said, pointing.
“Alright, thanks,” Aether replied, making no effort to move.
Venti laughed. “You look exhausted. Don’t tell me a quick jog through the halls was too much for you?”
Aether shook his head and pushed off the wall. “Okay, that was not a “quick jog.” But I’m just tired because I stayed up late. There was a physics test this morning I really had to study for.”
“Something tells me you’re the kind of student who panics about an exam, studies like crazy, insists they did terribly on said exam, and then scores higher than any other student,” Venti teased.
“How’d you know?” Aether teased back.
“Just call it intuition.” Venti paused. “Oh, wait – do you have your phone on you?” Aether nodded. “Great! Can I see it for a moment?”
Aether handed it over and watched Venti add himself to Aether’s contacts.
“There you go! Now you can just text me if you get lost again. I’m always looking for a reason to get out of class, so don’t feel bad about asking for help.”
“Thanks, Venti,” Aether replied, pocketing his phone.
“Yep! I’m gonna go before a hall monitor spots me. Have fun!”
And with that, he was off, practically skipping down the hall to find another place to hide for the duration of class. Aether walked into the nurse’s office with a lingering smile on his face. It didn’t hit him until a few moments later that he’d just had his first genuine conversation with someone since he'd transferred.
Maybe there was hope for him to find a friend yet.
The bell rang just as Venti slipped into the choir classroom. He dropped his bag next to Dahlia’s and joined his friend on the other side of the room.
“You’re in a good mood,” Dahlia commented, smiling. “Did you skip Lit again?”
“What kind of student would I be if I didn’t?” He replied, snatching the sheet music Dahlia was holding. “I forgot mine again, so… mind sharing?”
Dahlia rolled his eyes. “Venti, you’ve probably memorized our winter concert set already. You don’t need to steal my music,” he said, taking it back.
Venti sighed dramatically. “My own friend, turned against me! How ever shall I manage...”
The pink-haired boy smacked his shoulder. “Stop being an idiot.”
“Never.”
Venti hummed a quiet tune as he watched a few students file into the classroom. Ms. Emilie never started warming up until at least five minutes after the bell for that very reason. A decent chunk of kids only took choir – and music classes in general, to be honest – for the elective credit, so there was often a lot of foot-dragging where the class was involved.
The lack of discipline bothered him to no end, but he tried to not make that obvious. It wouldn’t do much good to create animosity between members of the ensemble, anyway.
Dahlia nudged him. “What’s up with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re humming.”
Venti shrugged. “And?”
His friend pointed an accusing finger. “You don’t do that unless you’re really bored or really happy, and based on the fact that you’ve been smiling since you stepped foot in the classroom, I’m going to assume the latter.” Dahlia stared at him knowingly. “What happened?”
Venti just stared back, the cheeky smile on his face growing. “What do you think?”
Dahlia groaned. “Venti, please don’t tell me you’ve gone and fallen for someone again .”
“Don’t say that like it’s a habit! I’m not that hopeless.” Venti sighed and lowered his voice. “But... I may have the teeniest tiniest crush. Alright?”
“On who?”
“...the new guy.”
Dahlia put his head in his hands. “I knew it. I knew this would happen the moment I heard about the transfer students,” he mumbled.
Venti put a hand to his chest in mock offense. “You wound me.”
“Venti, you are a hopeless, predictable romantic,” Dahlia replied, sighing. “You’ve had more “teeny tiny crushes” than I can count.”
“Rude. But hey, think about it this way – you’ll get to find out everything about him through me! I know there isn’t anyone else you can talk to that’ll get you the gossip...”
Dahlia thought about that for a moment. “Hmm... true, true. Maybe I should consider encouraging you this time.”
Ms. Emilie clapped her hands at the front of the room, signaling to everyone to pay attention. The chatter in the room died down, but Dahlia poked Venti and lowered his voice to a whisper. “We’re talking about this later.”
Venti grinned at him and whispered back, “I know.”
Aether stepped out of the photography classroom with a long sigh. The morning’s events had taken everything out of him, and he was thoroughly exhausted and not in the mood to deal with people. At least the next period was lunch, and he could find a quiet corner to read in.
“Aether!”
He groaned and turned around. “Hi, Lumine.”
She put her hands on her hips and pinned him with a furious stare. “I heard you got in a fight.”
“...I didn’t start it.”
“And I didn’t say you did.” She glanced at the bruise on his cheek and her gaze softened. “Look, I’m sure there was a good reason. I know you. But please, for both of our sakes, be careful. I don’t want you suspended or expelled.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Lumine sighed. “It’s okay. How about we just go get lunch and forget about it, okay? Or we can talk later, if you want.”
He was about to agree when he remembered something else. “Um. Well. I kind of have lunch detention for the rest of the week.”
“Damn. Have fun with that.”
“I won’t.”
She walked off and he pulled out his phone with a sigh. He had absolutely no idea what classroom detention was in, so... maybe it was time to take Venti up on his offer.
Venti :P
12:30 / Hey, it’s Aether. Sorry for the trouble, but is there any chance you know where detention is?
He waited nervously for a moment before his phone pinged.
12:31 / hey!! and yeah, i do. wya?
12:31 / Outside the photography classroom
12:31 / ok! i’ll be there in a bit :)
He turned his phone off and leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. Hopefully this would be the last time he’d have to bother him.
“...and the trumpets were so out of tune it was embarrassing. I can’t believe we didn’t have to run that section again,” Venti finished with a dramatic wave that almost clocked Dahlia in the head. “Festival is going to be terrible if we keep playing like this.”
Dahlia frowned as they sidestepped a group of people stood in the middle of the hall. “I thought festival was in March? With completely different music?”
“Well, yes, but that’s not the point! We’re not a cohesive ensemble and some of our sections are really, really bad. The clarinets can barely handle sixteenth notes! It’s a complete mess, and I refuse to be scored a 2 my senior year.” Venti sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what to do."
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a notification from an unsaved number.
“Who is it?” Dahlia asked, leaning over his shoulder.
“Aether,” he replied, smiling as he read it.
“You gave him your number? I didn’t know you had it in you to be that forward.”
“Hey! It was purely out of the goodness of my heart.” He typed a quick response. “I think I’m going to be a little late to lunch, though.”
“Why?”
“I’ve got to show him where the classroom for detention is.”
Dahlia crossed his arms. “He’s the bad boy type, huh? That’ll make for interesting drama...”
Venti shook his head. “Don’t get the wrong idea. He’s only in there because of Childe.”
“Wow, really? It’s like a rite of passage for every student at this point,” Dahlia said, laughing. “But alright, see you later. Have fuuuuun...”
Venti smacked him playfully and made for the stairs that led down to the photography classroom. Aether gave him a rueful smile as he approached. “Hey. Sorry to -”
Venti raised a finger. “Nope. Don’t apologize. I told you there’s no reason to feel bad, right?”
“You did, but -”
“No buts.” He smiled cheekily. “So. Detention?”
Aether groaned. “I know. I think Ms. Signora just had it out for me.” He adjusted the satchel on his shoulder. “Oh, well. I can’t do anything about it now. Where are we headed?”
Venti pointed at the hall behind him. “That way. It’s on this floor, at least.”
They started walking that way, falling into step alongside each other. The hallway was quiet for once, given that everyone was either in class or at lunch. Venti eventually broke the silence.
“So… where’d you move from?”
“Liyue Harbor.”
“Wow, that’s pretty far. What for?”
“My mom got offered a better position in the company she worked at, but they wanted her to be closer to the company’s offices here in Mondstadt before she could accept it. And with me and Lumine going to college next year and all, she decided the extra pay was worth uprooting our whole lives.”
“You sound a little bitter about it,” Venti observed.
Aether sighed. “I know, and I’m trying not to be. I do understand why she made that decision. But it just kind of sucks, y’know? Losing everything you had and all the relationships you’d formed just because of a paycheck. Especially because it’s not like we were doing terribly before.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Lumine keeps telling me to make the most of it and find some friends, but it isn’t that easy. At least, for me.”
Venti stared at the floor. “Yeah. I get it. I’ve moved around a lot, and it doesn’t get any easier each time. It always feels like you lose more than you gain.”
“That’s a good way of putting it.”
Neither of them really had anything to say after that, so they walked the rest of the way in silence. Venti eventually stopped them in front of a closed door and gestured to it.
“Ta-da! Welcome to the room where delinquents are turned into functioning members of society. Or so they’d like to believe.”
Aether smiled at him, and Venti didn’t know what to think about the way his stomach flipped at that. “Thrilling. And thank you – I probably would have spent all of lunch looking for this place otherwise.”
Venti smiled back. “No problem. I’m gonna go grab some food, so… hope you enjoy staring at the wall for half an hour!” He gave a joking salute and headed back down the hall. He felt strangely giddy, and his chest swelled with a fluttery warmth.
Ugh, Dahlia is going to tease me so much, he thought. But there are worse people to have a crush on, I guess… at least he’s cute.
… I just hope he isn’t straight.
Aether had hoped Venti was joking about the whole “staring at the wall” part of detention, but it was unfortunately accurate. The teacher at the front of the room had claimed silence with no distractions was necessary to “reflect on the choices that had brought them there,” and so, there was really nothing else to do but fix his gaze on the white, poster-covered wall and lose himself in his thoughts.
He had never been more grateful to hear the ring of the bell as he stood up and threw his bag over his shoulder.
That was thoroughly awful. His stomach rumbled, and he made a silent reminder to get food before detention the next two days. It was looking like it would be a long week.
Thankfully, the rest of the day passed without anything eventful. He made his way down to the parking lot, the chill autumn air swirling around him. Fall was by far his favorite season – the colorful trees made for beautiful photos, and there was something satisfying about sitting at home with a book and a warm drink, safe from the cold and craziness of people.
Lumine wasn’t at the car yet, so he pulled out his phone to occupy himself for a few minutes. It opened up to his texts with Venti and he paused.
Oh, right. I should probably thank him again.
Venti :P
2:40 / Hi! Just wanted to say thanks again for today. I would’ve been so doomed without your help
He went to press send, but hesitated, thumbs hovering over the screen.
Is that weird? Would it look really pathetic to text him outside of school? I did only just meet him. He seemed nice and we were talking a lot, so maybe he wouldn’t mind, but… it does feel a little awkward.
Before he could change his mind, he sent it, then turned his phone off. There was really no reason to be so nervous, but his fingers drummed anxiously on his bag anyway.
To his surprise, his phone buzzed almost immediately.
Venti :P
2:40 / hi! and yeah ofc, i’m happy to help. it’s not like i was just gonna let you fend for yourself lol
Aether smiled, the tension in his shoulders alleviating slightly. Okay. Good. It doesn’t seem like that was weird. He quickly typed a response.
2:41 / You could have. But seriously, I appreciate it
2:41 / and seriously, you don’t have to thank me. i got to meet the mysterious new student anyway, sooo…
2:41 / I’m mysterious?
2:41 / well. you were
Someone poked his arm, and he jumped, turning off his phone.
“Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?” Lumine teased, prodding him again.
Aether raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
She pointed accusatorially at his phone. “You’re texting someone. And smiling.” She grinned. “Did you meet a girl?”
“No, I did not,” he said defensively. Lumine just smirked and he raised his hands in protest. “What? I didn’t. They’re just some guy I met after my very unfortunate fight.”
Lumine slowly nodded, still smirking. “Oh, okay. You met a guy.” She paused. “…is he cute?”
Aether was left speechless. “Wha- I- uh- I guess? I don’t know, I wasn’t really thinking about that. I can give you his number if you’re that curious.”
She laughed. “No, you don’t need to do that. I wasn’t asking for myself.”
“…then why would you ask?”
She gave him a knowing look, and he finally caught on, shaking his head. “Lumine. He literally just showed me around the school. There is nothing romantic there. And for the record, I’m not gay.”
She shrugged. “You never know. Anyway. Hand over the keys.”
“Why?”
“You can’t text and drive, dumbass.”
“I wasn’t planning on texting.”
“Too bad. I’m not going to let you pass up the chance to get yourself out of the friendless state you’re in.”
“I – hey!”
Sensing there was no room for argument, Aether got into the passenger seat and pulled out his phone to see another message.
Venti :P
2:43 / sorry if that sounded mean, i meant it as a joke
Aether immediately felt terrible and responded as quickly as he could.
2:46 / No, you’re good, Lumine was just distracting me
2:47 / ah okay
2:47 / so watcha up to?
2:47 / Just driving home
2:47 / Well. I’m not the one driving, to be clear
2:48 / i’d hope not, lol
2:48 / What about you? Do you have anything planned for the afternoon?
2:48 / no, not really. i was gonna go out with xiao and dahlia, but xiao caught a cold the so we rescheduled it for friday
2:48 / That sucks. Hope he feels better soon
2:48 / thanks
“What’s his name?” Lumine asked, drawing Aether’s attention away from his phone.
“Huh? Oh – it’s Venti.”
“That sounds familiar. I think Lynnette might have mentioned him before.”
“I mean, it’s not a huge school, and he’s pretty friendly. I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone knows him.”
“Hm. Okay…”
“Lumine, stop being weird.”
His phone buzzed again and he looked down.
Venti :P
2:49 / you could join us if you want. we were just gonna go to this fontainian-style cafe downtown that xiao mentioned. they have good pastries apparently
Aether hesitated. Was Venti just asking to be nice? He didn’t know his friends at all, and he didn’t want to insert himself into anything.
With some reluctance, he declined.
2:50 / Thanks, but I’m good. I don’t want to impose
2:50 / nah dw you wouldn’t be imposing or anything like that
2:50 / i’m sure they’d like to meet you
That made him pause. If he were just being nice, why would he insist? And he probably knows his friends better than I do, so…
2:51 / Well, if you’re sure
2:51 / i’m sure!
2:51 / so… yes?
2:52 / Yeah, I’d love to come
2:52 / great!! i’ll text you more info later
2:52 / you don’t mind if I add you to any group chats, do you? just for future reference
2:52 / No, that’s fine
Lumine pulled the car into their driveway and he went to open the door, but it was locked. He looked over at her in annoyance. “Lumine. Unlock the car.”
She smiled mischievously. “Hm? What? It doesn’t seem like it’s working.”
“Can you just let me out?”
“Not until you tell me about your new friend.”
He sighed. “Is there any way I get you to let this go?”
“Nope.”
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
“I don’t know, anything! What does he look like? What’s he like? What’s he interested in?”
“I think you’re forgetting that I literally met him this morning.”
Lumine crossed her arms. “Just one thing. Tell me one thing and I’ll let you go.”
“…he’s friendly?”
“That doesn’t count, I could’ve guessed that.”
He leaned back in the car seat and stared at the ceiling. “Okay. Fine. He hates AP Lit. Happy?”
She grinned. “Yep.” The car doors unlocked with a click. “And now you’re free.”
“Great.”
Of course, that wasn’t the full truth, but she didn’t need to know that. He dumped his bag on the sofa in their front room and slumped onto the cushions, opening up his messages again.
Venti :P
2:55 / Are you completely sure Dahlia and Xiao won’t mind me being there?
2:56 / yes, i’m sure
2:56 / i wouldn’t have offered otherwise
2:56 / Okay. Just had to check
“Aether?” Lumine walked into the room, holding up her phone. “Mom and dad called. Do you have time to talk to them?”
“Yeah, I do. One sec.”
2:56 / Sorry, I gotta go.
He paused, then sent another text.
2:56 / Talk later?
2:56 / no worries. and sure! bye for now :)
2:56 / Bye :)
He got up and took the phone out of Lumine’s hand. “Hello?”
“Aether! How’re you doing, kiddo?” His dad replied.
“I’m alright. How are things over there?”
“Same as always, I’m afraid. Just work as usual. Your mom got called into a meeting, otherwise she’d be here, but she sends her love.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Lumine said you had a physics test today. How’d that go?”
“Okay, I think. We probably won’t get them back until next week.”
“Alright. Keep me updated then, okay?”
“I will.”
There was some muffled conversation on the other end, then a long sigh from his dad. “I think I’ve about used up my break, unfortunately. But you two can call anytime, okay?”
“I know.”
“Good. Talk soon, then. Love ya.”
“Love you too.”
The call ended with a beep and Aether handed Lumine’s phone back to her. She watched him carefully. “You okay?”
“Fine.”
“I know you’re still mad at them, but –”
“Lumine. Please. Not right now.”
“…okay.”
The rest of the afternoon passed in silence. Aether was buried in his Lit homework when Lumine knocked on his bedroom door.
“Come in,” he called, looking up from the poem he’d been reading.
She opened the door and stood in the doorway. “Hey. I made dinner.”
“Already?” He glanced at his phone. “Oh. It’s later than I thought.”
“Mhm. You coming downstairs, or not?”
He got up from his desk with a sigh. “I’ll come eat, don’t worry.”
He followed her downstairs into the kitchen, where she started ladling soup into a bowl. “Do you want to talk about what happened this morning?” she asked.
“This morning? Oh – it was honestly nothing. Basically, there’s this really nice junior in my physics class that I saw getting bullied, and I ended up stepping in to tell the other guy to knock it off.”
Lumine frowned. “And you got detention?”
“Yeah. Venti said the other guy – Childe, if I remember correctly – is close with all the teachers, so they don’t believe he could do anything wrong. Hence why I got called a liar and punished.”
“That’s dumb. I could always file a complaint, if you want.”
“No, don’t bother. It ended up being okay anyway.”
“Because you made a friend?”
Actually, he’d been about to say that it was okay because his punishment was fairly light, all things considered. But Lumine’s words made him pause.
It was true that if he hadn’t been an idiot and gotten himself in a fight, he wouldn’t have needed to see the nurse, and he wouldn’t have met Venti in the stairwell. And, strangely, he didn’t much like to think about that possibility.
Venti had been easy to talk to and kind even when he didn’t have to be, and it was thanks to him that Aether had a reason to leave the house for the first time in a while. It wouldn’t be wrong to call him a friend, would it?
“...yeah,” Aether eventually answered, staring into his bowl.
I made a friend.
Hey!! Thanks for reading - I've attached some artwork I made using the links below. Please let me know if they don't work, I have no idea what I'm doing.
