Chapter Text
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.
Varian groaned groggily as he grabbed his phone and turned off the alarm. It was seven in the morning, and Varian did not want to be up this early. He wasn’t a morning person, and usually woke up - times when he actually slept, that is - around midday.
He sat up, rubbing his sleep-infested eyes and blinked, trying to get the blur in his vision away. Ruddiger had started to snuggle into the boy’s thigh, but Varian pushed him off and to where he was previously sleeping moments ago. He had to, unfortunately, get ready to go back to school.
The two-week holiday all the students of Sun Stone High School clearly wasn’t long enough in Varian’s eyes. He was dreading walking through those glass doors and being greeted with another term of teasing and shoving all the ‘nerds’ and ‘freaks’ had to go through from insufferable popular people.
One thing Varian was looking forward to though was the science labs. Of course, Varian had many supplies for his experiments and research, but he was lacking certain stuff Rapunzel or Eugene had said no to keeping when he moved in with the couple. The school labs had everything.
He was interrupted from his thinking when he heard three loud knocks on his bedroom door, it opening and revealing a very tired Eugene.
”Varian, you awake?” He asked, leaning against the door frame.
”Uh, yeah. Just about to get ready now.” Varian answered, staring up at the older man who was stood in his bedroom doorframe.
Eugene didn’t answer verbally, just nodding then heading towards what Varian guessed was the bathroom. He sighed, mentally preparing for the horrendous noises that were about to come that he and Rapunzel called, ‘Dad coughs’. It wasn’t a pretty sound, to say the least.
Varian had finished getting ready, grabbing his bag and walking down the stairs. He went into the kitchen and seen Rapunzel, cooking some pancakes from what Varian could see. She turned and instantly smiled at the younger boy.
”Good morning, Varian! You ready for school? Are you excited to go back? If you want any friends over, you know they’re always welcome! I don’t mi—“
”It’s fine, Rapunzel. I just wanna get the day over and done with…” Varian said, cutting Rapunzel off from blabbing on and staring at the floor.
He looked back up at the brunette only to be met with a sort of half-frown-half-tryingtostaypositive expression, which made him quickly add on,
”Only because I, uh, want to carry on working with my experiments… Y’know. Alchemy.”
Rapunzel’s previous frown/whatever it was face disappeared after he said that and she smiled again.
”Okay, great! Eugene will drop you off when you’re ready, unless you want to walk, which is perfectly okay. It’s just cold, that’s all. Winter, am I right?” She laughed, looking back at her half-cooked pancakes on the pan.
Varian felt a pang of hurt in his chest at the word, ‘Winter’. It was silly, being affected by a word that was literally a season. But Varian hated Winter. It just reminded him of when he was fourteen and just… everything. Overall, not a good time in his life.
”Yeah… Winter,” He spat the word out like it was personally insulting him, shaking his head and changing his tone immediately, “I’ll just walk. Eugene looks tired anyway.”
Rapunzel nodded then plated the pancakes, handing them to Varian.
”Come on then, eat up. You’ll have to go soon if you’re walking,” She hurried him, air-pushing the raven-haired boy into a chair on the dining table.
Varian took the plate, eating them as soon as he sat down. He shook off the feeling the word ‘Winter’ had made him feel and focused on the pancakes, and - trying - to listen to whatever Rapunzel was rambling on about. He didn’t really understand though.
After eating the two pancakes he’d been served, Varian slipped his coat on and wrapped a navy blue scarf around his neck. Rapunzel wasn’t lying when she said it was cold, so Varian wanted to stay warm on his way to school.
”Bye Rapunzel! Bye Eugene!” He shouted, waving before leaving the house and closing the door behind him.
The walk to school wasn’t particularly nice, almost slipping on ice or falling into small snow piles near the road had put him into a mood. After about twenty minutes or so, Varian had arrived at the hell people called school, and started walking towards the doors he dreaded opening the most. Once he stepped through them, he’d be trapped for six hours in an overwhelming jungle full of maniacs and annoying popular people. The place was infected with them at this point, he couldn’t escape them no matter what corridor he went down or which turn he took.
Varian huffed, staring up at the building, ignoring other students walking past him and into it.
Get a grip, Varian. Just go inside, it’s only a few hours.
He swallowed then walked up the stone stairs and opened the two glass doors. And just as he expected, he was met with loud chattering and suffocating school air. He felt as if his heart was in his throat already and the first bell hadn’t even gone off. This was going to be a looooong day.
He pulled his backpack and walked in the direction his locker was located. Varian kept his head down, he couldn’t be bothered for anyone teasing or even talking to him right now. Not this early. He was still shocked at how hyper some people were near the entrance.
For the second time today, Varian was pulled out of his thoughts when he bumped into someone. He leant back on his arm from the floor, rubbing his head then looked up to see what or who had interrupted his very important thinking.
Green jacket, a darker green patterned scarf, blonde hair tied into a ponytail with a horrendous undercut at the side, obnoxiously big glasses with gold at the rims… Varian closed his eyes for a minute.
Hugo fucking Rottewange.
Great. This was just who he wanted to see eight o’ clock on a freaking Monday morning. Hugo, who was his sworn enemy, had given him shit last term. And the term before that, and basically every day since they started High School. The constant teasing and picking on made him go mad. Hugo literally went through ten different boys and girls in a month. He hated the stupid blonde with a stupid undercut with everything he had.
Varian stared hard at the blonde looking down at him with a shit-eating grin on his stupid pale face.
”Well, I didn’t expect you to be the first person I see first thing in the morning. Was that on purpose, Hairstripe?” Hugo said, sarcasm very clear in his tone as he held a hand out for the boy he was talking to.
Varian scoffed and rolled his eyes,
”As if I’d purposely bump into you,” He looked at the hand then pushed it away, getting up himself.
”You don’t know,” The blonde sang in that annoying voice he constantly did when he was teasing people, “Some do whatever they can do grab my attention. Seems like you wanted it bad.”
“Keep wishing, beanpole.” Varian snapped back and dusted himself off.
He bent down and grabbed his bag from the floor, receiving a whistle from the infuriating blonde next to him. Varian groaned in disgust and shoved his bicep once his backpack was back on.
”You’re disgusting,” Varian said bluntly.”
”Been called worse, Freckles. Got anything better?” Hugo replied, arms crossed.
Varian glared then shoved past him, carrying on his long and boring journey to his locker.
RIIIIIIIIIIIIING.
The first bell had gone off, indicating that students head to their first lessons. Varian has chemistry first, which was one of his favourites so he didn’t mind. Usually when a new term starts, seating plans change, and Varian was desperate for a new one.
He currently sat next to a girl called Sienna, who just annoyed him and called him names the whole lesson and tried to distract him instead of actually doing what they were assigned to do. She was also another annoying popular girl. He wasn’t joking when he said Sun Stone High was infected with them.
Varian walked into the classroom, the teacher, Mr Edison, smiling at him from his desk and gesturing to stand at the back with all the other students who had arrived. He stood in a corner, looking at all the people near him. Despite it being his favourite lesson, Varian didn’t really have close friends in this class. Though he kind of liked it that way, as nobody could distract him from his work. (Apart from fuckass Sienna, but he was sure she wasn’t going to be sitting next to him this term anyway.)
Mr Edison stood at the front of the lab, hands clapping together to silence all the talking.
”New term, new seating plan. Okay? I’ll start from the front row,” He explained, then picked up a piece of paper with a seating plan on, and started telling everyone where they were sat, ”… And Varian Ruddiger, you’re sat in that corner by yourself so far.”
Varian looked at where he was sat and smiled. Finally, he was sat somewhere where there would be no distractions at all. This was a dream come true. He sat on his chair, backpack hanging off the back of it.
So far.
What did Mr Edison mean by that? There wasn’t anybody else in the class left to sit next to him. Maybe there would be another teacher or visitor watching the class today or—
The door swung open and hit the wall behind it. Everyone turned their heads to look, and there he was again. Hugo.
But Hugo had never been in Varian’s chemistry class. Unless…
”Is this chemistry…” The blonde asked, eyes squinted slightly and looking down at a post-it note he had in his hands.
Mr Edison looked over, smiling at the boy who had interrupted his lesson,
”It sure is. Are you Hugo Rottewange?”
Nod.
”Ah, yes. I was told you’d be moving to this class. You’re sat just over there in that corner. Next to Varian, I’m sure he’ll be a great partner to you,”
Varian froze and his mouth opened a bit. No, nononononono. He can not sit next to Hugo for a whole term, and possibly the rest of the school year. He didn’t miss the smirk on Hugo’s face when the two made eye contact.
The blonde boy sat down on the chair next to him, elbows on the table and chin on his hands to look at Varian with that same stupid fucking smirk on his stupid fucking face he had in their earlier encounter.
”We meet again, Goggles,” Hugo said, his voice making Varian frown.
”We do.” Varian spat.
Hugo hummed in response, looking at the whiteboard Mr Edison was writing on. Varian narrowed his eyes at him when he wasn’t looking.
Varian focused on the lesson for the first half, ignoring Hugo’s existence as much as he possible could. But when the activity came, it was in pairs. Varian huffed then got all the supplies they needed, placing it on their table and setting it all up.
Hugo tried to move things where he thought they should go, but Varian wafted his hand away, even hitting it away at times. He was doing this experiment by himself when possible, only working with Hugo when he had no choice to.
Hugo crossed his arms,
”Goggles. Y’know it’s a partner task, right,” Hugo huffed out, flicking the pair of goggles Varian wore on his head.
”I know what it is, Beanpole. I’m just doing most of it so you don’t have to.” He replied, not even looking up at him and still focusing on the experiment he was doing.
”I’m flattered, really, but I can do stuff too,”
Varian finally looked up at him, glaring.
”You’ll mess everything up. I’m not having another year where I can’t focus because of you. So-“
The school bell went off. Was class over already? It had gone so quick. Varian groaned then started turning everything off and packing up. Hugo didn’t help, at all. Instead getting his own bag and walking out, leaving Varian with all the cleaning/packing up.
Eventually, Varian walked out his chemistry class and towards his next lesson.
This was going to be a long and torturing year, he could tell.