Chapter Text
“John, I am going to keep us both here, stalemated in time, in midair, until the aura burns out of your system. I’m not leaving you…never.”
That was the last thing John heard before everything went white. He could feel the way that time and space bent over them, the power of his temporal barrier closing in on the two of them…but now, he finds himself waking up in a familiar bed. John slowly sits up and looks around as light filters into his room.
What…happened? Did I pass out…? John slowly gets up. Hang on…this is my house. The one I lived in before I was moved onto the campus. It’s all furnished again. John reaches for his phone on his bedside table, where he used to always keep it, and checks the time. It’s early, and…and… John feels his face pale. My phone…it’s the phone I had before Ventus and Meili destroyed it. John hurriedly unlocks the phone, shaking in terror. It’s the first day…my first day at Wellston. He slowly stands up from his bed. The day I met Seraphina…that clash of our powers, it blew me back all the way here? I don’t feel any weaker, either…this can’t be happening.
John staggers out and makes himself breakfast slowly. By the time he finishes eating, he’s certain he isn’t dreaming or hallucinating.
“Alright…” John mutters to himself. “So I’m back. Which means Sera might also be back. But I might be just as powerful as I was before going back…this…this could be good. A second chance. I could do better this time, stay hidden. I’ll do what I can to apologize to her…everything began with my reveal. And all of it led to…”
As John considers all of the terrible things, he also remembers the good. Planning with Remi, Blyke, and Isen, the fun of the Safe House, reconnecting with Evie and Roland, time on the roof with Seraphina…that electric kiss at the end of it all that still lingers in John’s mind.
But John shakes his head. The bad far outweighs the good. The Kingsmen, that strange third party, EMBER. And god, the fact of everything that he knows…but he can’t dwell on that. He can’t let himself be revealed. He’ll certainly have to talk with Sera, probably deal with the fact that Seraphina only did anything just so she could stop him…
Besides, even if John wanted to change anything, it’d be suspicious to do so now! By this point, he’d already convinced Vaughn to keep his secret and tell the faculty the same. Suddenly turning around would be unusual, and all John wants to do is blend in.
So…now he has a second chance. Maybe this time, he won’t waste it. John gets dressed in his uniform, and he picks up his hair gel…with a deep breath, be puts it back down without applying it. I’ve gotten…used to not wearing it.
~=~
John makes his way through Wellston, and it’s strange. To be back on the first day, a day when no one knew him. No one looks at him like a cripple or a god-tier.
Maybe this time I’ll decide to be a little less helpless… John muses to himself. After all, after his ‘Tyrant’ form, he’s passed the threshold into Level 8. His passive tells him more than ever before…part of him wants to keep it suppressed, but another curious part wants to see just how high his new limit is.
No time to think about it now… John shakes his head and plasters a polite smile on his face as he enters his first class for the day.
“Everyone, I know it’s a bit late in the year,” The teacher introduces him, “but we have a new student joining us today! Please introduce yourself.”
“Hello!” John gives a false smile. “My name’s John Doe. I, uh…hope we can all get along.”
Dammit, John thinks to himself, I rehearsed that first day! I barely remember what I said.
Either way, it doesn’t matter. The class has almost no enthusiasm, like he remembers…but he notices something strange. Seraphina’s seat by the window is empty…strange. Maybe she decided not to come and see him…he wouldn’t exactly blame her-
And then, since the universe loves proving John wrong, the door to the classroom opens, and Seraphina struts inside. She isn’t wearing the ponytail extension she did on the day they met…no, she’s wearing her uniform just how she likes it, and she’s apparently late because she must have been dying her hair and changing her extensions to the ones she now loves.
“Seraphina…” the teacher muses. “You’re late. I didn’t think that was possible.”
“I was changing some things,” Seraphina gestures to herself monotonously.
“Yes, I can see that…” the teacher mutters. “Well, take your seat. We’re about to begin.”
Seraphina sees John, and her eyes widen as she notices his hair.
Ah…yeah, I guess that’d be as much a symbol that she’s not along in this as her different attire is for me. John realizes.
“New student?” Seraphina observes.
“Uh…yeah,” John nods. “John.” He holds out his hand to her, because he has to pretend he doesn’t know who she is. The classroom gasps softly. Oh, cool it, it’s just a handshake!
“...pft,” Seraphina smirks and shakes John’s hand. “Seraphina.”
John heads to the empty seat that he knows is now his, and Seraphina goes to her window seat. All the while, John can see how Seraphina’s level has increased…she broke the perfect barrier she set for herself, the last remnant of the perfect life her family wanted for her. Now, she’s on her way beyond level 8, just like John. And who knows when they’ll hit their next wall?
~=~
Just as class ends, John feels a prickle on the edge of his passive. Did Seraphina activate her ability for a second…? Looking over, everything seems normal, and Seraphina is standing up as things come to a close.
“Hi, John!” Elaine’s voice suddenly pierces John’s head, and it is so jarring to hear Elaine’s voice when she isn’t either hating him or terrified of him. “I’m Elaine! Welcome to Wellston!” Elaine says innocently, like she isn’t about to turn on him on a dime. “How’s your first day so far?”
“It’s…okay so far,” John shrugs.
“Wonderful!” Elaine smiles. “So which school did you transfer from?”
“I didn’t,” John answers. “I was homeschooled before this.”
Just hurry up and ask the damn question… John resists the urge to glare at Elaine.
“Whoa, really?” Elaine ponders in wonder. “We’ve never had one of those before!”
“Yeah, well, Wellston has a good reputation,” John says.
“It certainly does!” Elaine smiles. A familiar grin curls across her face, the grin of the mid-tier protected by high-tiers, who thinks she can get away with anything. “So, John…”
Here it comes…
“What kind of ability do you have?”’ Elaine asks with an underlying tone of hungry curiosity. Seraphina glances at the conversation; it catches the attention of Blyke and Isen nearby. Practically everyone is glued to John, waiting for his response, just like that first day.
“Well, that’s why I was homeschooled.” John turns away, keeping his head down to prevent all instinct from making his eyes glow. “I don’t have one.”
John doesn’t need to look at Elaine. He can remember the way her expression twisted, as though he actually told her he was some kind of diseased vermin.
“What did you just say?” Elaine asks coldly. “I can’t believe this!” she stands up in a huff. “Ugh, gross…I can’t believe I just spent all that time talking to someone like you!”
“...well, you could have cut to the chase if that’s all you wanted to know.” John retorts with a glare, and Elaine stiffens up.
“Excuse me?!” Elaine exclaims.
“You asked me all those questions, when all along you didn’t actually care? Why the hell would you beat around the bush and then complain about it?” John criticizes her.
“How dare you!” Elaine moves to slap John, and he can feel the activation of Seraphina’s ability behind him…not intervening, but offering. John doesn’t accept the power, but he does smack Elaine’s hand away before it can hit him, and he stands up.
“Don’t fucking hit me, what’s wrong with you?” John scoffs. “If you don’t wanna be friends, we won’t be friends. I don’t want some two-faced snake as a friend anyway.” He says, and he truly can’t stop himself from giving Elaine hell. God dammit, I just can’t stop when I get started…
Elaine sputters, enraged. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?!”
“A mid-tier who thinks she’s hot shit?” John observes, which just leaves Elaine sputtering and speechless.
“I- you- how dare- I-” Elaine’s face is red and enraged.
“Elaine,” Seraphina’s cold voice says. “Come on. We’re going to next period.”
“Seraphina!” Elaine turns to her supposed bestie. “D-don’t you hear what this cripple is saying to me?! Aren’t you going to do something?!”
Seraphina turns her icy glare on Elaine. “Elaine, you aren’t trying to use me as some kind of shield, are you?”
Elaine freezes in fear, backpedaling quickly. “W-what? N-no! Seraphina, I-I’d never do that to you!”
“Then let’s. Go.” Seraphina orders and leaves, and Elaine huffs and grabs her bags.
“T-this isn’t over, you cripple!” Elaine hisses quietly and follows Seraphina.
“Did you see that?” “What is WRONG with that cripple?!” “Oh, he’s gonna regret that…”
John takes a deep breath and picks up his bag. Dammit…I’ve immediately made a bigger splash than I originally did. The hell is wrong with me? Why can’t I do anything right…?
As John steps out of the classroom, his phone buzzes. Curiously, he picks it up, and his eyes widen. It’s from Seraphina.
Seraphina: meet me on the roof
It has her name saved and everything… John gawks. Don’t tell me…did she freeze time, take my phone, enter her information, and put it back?! He takes a deep breath and can’t help but crack a smile. Well…I don’t really have an excuse to avoid her now. Well played, Sera.
~=~
John creeps his way to the roof, and he arches an eyebrow as he sees Abel. He was certain that he would have to sneak past him…but Abel, none the wiser, appears to have been frozen in time.
Well…she didn’t waste any time mastering that. John thinks to himself as he walks onto the roof. On said roof, Seraphina is waiting on her own.
“Are we alone?” Seraphina asks.
Still paranoid, huh? John looks around, using his passive to scan the area. “Yep. Just us.” He sighs. “So…uh…this is weird.”
“It really shouldn’t be possible,” Seraphina says. “My current theory is that some of the abilities you assimilated as the Tyrant amplified our abilities and allowed them to be used in tandem. That would be a total level of…at least 16 in Time Manipulation.”
“Which would only be theoretical at best,” John sighs in realization. “I don’t feel any weaker…do you?”
“Oh, our limits have definitely remained broken,” Seraphina smiles. “But, hey…it’ll be interesting, won’t it? A second chance.”
“Yeah…maybe this time, I won’t fuck it up.” John mutters, and Sera frowns.
“John…why are you hiding your ability?” Seraphina asks. “I thought you’d…well, I thought you might want to change things.”
“Seraphina, my ability being revealed was the catalyst to start everything!” John says.
“That is abundantly false and you know it.” Seraphina scowls. “Going to Kovoro Mall that day was the start.”
“Well…it was the start of the Wellston stuff…” John mutters.
“John, I don’t blame you.” Seraphina insists.
“Well, maybe you should!” John snaps. “Because I’m sorry! I just…wanted so badly for there to be someone who could stop me. But when you did stop me…I realized that the problem was losing control in the first place. I thought I’d be relieved that I could be beaten, but I just…felt so terrible that I had forced the people I care about to fight me.” He hangs his head and breathes deeply. “I…remember everything, Sera. I remember the people fighting me, running away from me, trying to talk me down. I remember what I did with your power, I remember everything I did with everyone’s powers…and you know the worst part? I found out something new about this stupid power. It makes me tired.” He leans against the roof’s fence. “Using it enough makes me so much more exhausted than I ever thought it could. Maybe that’s why I passed out back when I first lost control in New Bostin…but the exhaustion brings my sanity back. And crushes every ounce of guilt I feel onto me. It’s too much to bear…” Tears fill his eyes. “And in the end, if you hadn’t stopped me, I would have…” he takes a deep breath. “You saved my life in so many ways that day, Sera. But when I found out just how much you loved me back, to learn my feelings were reciprocated…the guilt I felt, knowing that I had essentially been training you to fight me, crushed me more than anything else I had done. It still does.” He shakes his head. “Look, I just…I’m no hero. Do what you want, try to remake the good we made for the world, but I don’t deserve to be there with you-”
John is interrupted by Seraphina slapping him in the face faster than the eye can see.
“Don’t you dare say that,” tears fill Seraphina’s eyes. “You think I could have done anything without you? Do you think you don’t mean anything to me? It wasn’t some last resort that stopped you, John, it was my determination to save you!” She gently places a hand on John’s cheek and reduces the damage of the bruise her slap caused. “I know you’re scared. I am, too, of so many things…but not of you. Never of you.”
“Sera…” John’s voice wavers.
“Don’t take yourself away from me, John. Please.” Seraphina begs.
John takes a deep breath. “...alright.” He leans into her touch. “I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good.” Sera smiles.
“So…how are we gonna do this? Do we just wanna stage our friendship’s start again?” John asks.
“Eh, too boring, we can just skip to dating,” Seraphina shrugs.
“D-dating?!” John exclaims with a red face. “I- uh- well-”
“Well, yeah.” Seraphina huffs. “What, did you think I’d just forget about the kiss?”
“Well, I mean…I-I’m not against it, Sera, I just…” John stutters and blushes at Seraphina’s unexpected insistence on a relationship. “Won’t it look a bit weird from an outside perspective?”
“John,” Seraphina grabs his tie and drags him down to eye level. “I have spent the past few months obsessing and trying to figure out what you mean to me. It has been a long, confusing, and aggravating process, and I will be damned if I have to even pretend to go through it again. So, we’re dating, and anyone confused about it can go fuck themselves. You cool with that?”
“...yep.” John nods with a blush. “Super cool. Totally cool with that.”
“Good.” Seraphina smiles and kisses his cheek. “Oh, and for the love of everything, at least use your ability a little.” Seraphina starts to walk away. She turns, and she winks. “You look good when you fight.”
Seraphina leaves John a blushing mess on the roof, now trying to figure out how the hell he’s gonna go about life from here.
~=~
Seraphina walks through the halls, and once she’s alone, she allows her face to blush. That was…a lot. But she did it! And now they’re dating. Seraphina takes a deep breath and sighs.
Well…that was just part one. Seraphina keeps walking, and she pulls out her phone.
~=~
Group Chat: Wellston Royals
“Time Queen” has changed her nickname to “SerAce”
SerAce: I quit, Remi yor Queen now
Jack (like the plug :D): WHA
King Arlo: Excuse me?
SerAce: yor excused
SerAce: goin for boba
King Arlo: It isn’t even lunch time!
SerAce: time is mine to command