Chapter Text
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It was a still afternoon at school—as still as an primary school can get. The buzz of traffic outside played an unpleasant ballad of impatience and urgency.
The building was practically empty by then, and you could've sworn you briefly saw a tumbleweed rolling around the vacant place.
Summer days were the worst. Your mother's job required her to work even more than she usually does. So you found yourself patiently waiting for her to pick you up—not like you had another choice.
You couldn't wait for your eighth birthday. The second you're allowed to walk to and from school by yourself, you'd never wait another moment for her to pick you up this late.
This was ridiculous! All of the other kids had already gone home—well... almost all of them...
There was a boy who seemed around your age waiting—all curled up in the corner.
His golden blond hair crept down past his ears and he was wearing a teal long-sleeved shirt.
Squinting at him, you found yourself not able to recognize him. But you wouldn't know for sure since his head was down.
Your mother was almost always late, so you were pretty used to waiting by now. The seated boy who had started weeping certainly wasn't.
Looking around, all the receptionists and teachers seemed too tired to notice him. It wasn't like his voice was that easy to hear in the first place.
No car in the parents' parking lot was in sight either.
It had to be tough on him. You thought, remembering how it felt the first time your mother picked you up this late.
By the time you looked back at him, he was already choking on his own cries.
He hugged his knees close to his chest, his shoulder-length hair fell softly over his arms and despite not knowing him, you felt a strange need to reassure him.
You took a deep breath, then grabbed your yellow Peanuts backpack and hesitantly approached him.
You stood before him, gazing down at his shaky, sobby figure.
He probably didn't notice you, he wouldn't notice you unless you said something.
That was easy, you've said a lot of things before. A piece of cake, truly.
He stopped crying and froze, slowly raising his head to meet your eyes.
You too froze in response. Every last word in the dictionary abandoning you as he noticed you before you could work out something to say.
The thought of your build blurring in his teary vision brought you slight comfort. No way he'd notice the nervousness scribbled all over your face with those soaked eyes of his.
"Um..." you started, having nothing else to add.
He narrowed his glassy orbs at you.
Dang it! Was he judging you now?
"Hello?" You politely smiled.
The boy's eyes widened as soon as they met yours. He quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve before properly facing you, revealing a red swollen face, half covered by a fringe and dark framed glasses that hid pools of blue beneath.
You blinked. You had just went up to a crying kid despite having no idea how to comfort others.
"I... uhhh..." you stuttered, indirectly buying time for yourself while you thought of a way to stop his tears.
"Did you know... earlobes serve no actual purpose?"
What the heck was that?! That was such a weird way to start a conversation, you thought. Other kids would talk about their weekend plans, video games, or even introduce themselves to new people. While you just said a random fact you heard on television the other da—
"What?" he chuckled, wiping a tear that had just formed—probably not a sad one this time.
"Human earlobes serve no purpose..." you repeated yourself—quieter now.
"No, I've heard you." he sniggered even harder.
Your face reddened—was he making fun of you?
You mumbled something that was left unheard before you turned away. Returning to your uncomfortable waiting seat felt like the best option at the moment.
Why did you think this meanie needed comforting? You're too kind for your own sake.
"Wait!"
He reached out from where he sat and grabbed your ankle.
You stopped, your lips parting as you looked back at him.
"Did...did you know butterflies taste their food using their feet?" he blurted, tripping over his own words as his face continued to pinkly flush.
"Yeah actually, I did know that." you lied.
His eyes darted to the floor, searching his mind for something else to say.
"Well then... did you know that ketchup was sold as medicine to cure upset stomachs?"
"Yes..." Not wanting to seem stupid, you lied, again.
Upon your response, his expression switched from giggly to a slightly panicked one.
"Uhh.. Did... did you know—"
You guffawed before you could stop yourself.
"Hey! Were you making fun of me?" he lightheartedly called you out.
"You did it first!" you managed between giggles.
A textbook next to him grabbed your attention, labeled by his name and class—that seemed to be your class as well. Had he always been in the same one? How come you've never noticed until now?
"Oh this?" He grabbed it and placed it on his lap. "I was just doing the maths homework while I wait."
Math homework...? Oh shift! The maths homework!
You had completely forgotten about it until this moment.
"Don't tell me you haven't done it yet..." He tilted his head knowingly.
"Umm..."
"You can't keep doing this every time. Your grades will fall apart." he scolded.
Who did this smarty pants think he is? At least you were now certain he was in the same class as you.
"I uhh.. I tried to do it but it was too hard. Could you maybe help me, Ar... Armeen?" you read the name written on his textbook.
"It's Armin." he corrected you calmly, gently patting the space next to him for you to sit.
"Sorry. Armin." You sat next to him, taking out the same textbook and handing it to him.
As he flipped through to the page, he held a surprised expression.
"What?" you raised an eyebrow.
"This isn't a sketchbook, you know?" he commented as he continued flipping to the page, "You never solve anything!"
"You didn't even try to solve this one!" He pointed at the page assigned to you.
"Yeah, I did!" You pointed at eraser marks near the first equation. "See?"
"I'll explain it to you in the simplest way possible, okay?"
Explain? Dang these nerds! You only wanted to copy off of his work.
You nodded anyway and he started going step by step on how to solve the first question.
A small smile crept up your face when you realized that you managed to stop his cries. Maybe you were as cool as your older sister after all.
"Got it?"
He asked, catching you lacking.
"Yes!" you quickly replied.
"Okay then.. try solving this one on your own." He slid the book over and pointed to the second question.
You held the coursebook and read the question over and over.
Q2: 41-29
He got you. You had no idea how to subtract single-digit numbers, let alone multi-digit numbers!
"I don't have a pencil." you pouted and put it down.
"There." he handed you the pencil that was in his pocket.
You had no excuses this time, you sighed before picking it up and staring at the equation some more.
Who even keeps a pencil in his pocket? You thought. Even you wouldn't do it.
"Wait! You're left handed?! Awesome!" you exclaimed after a brief silence.
When you turned to him you saw that he was already looking at you.
Your smile dropped at his scowl.
"You wrote nothing!" he called you out.
"That's because I was thinking." you grumbled before turning your attention back to the math problem.
As much as you tried, you simply couldn't focus when the dust motes that danced before your eyes in the dim lighting interested you than whatever you were forced to solve.
You tapped your pencil against the page, begging your mind to come up with something.
The font the letter "S" was written in a font that made you think of the Superman logo, stealing your attention a second time.
"Who's your favorite DC hero?" you asked him.
"Are you having trouble focusing?" he asked, noticing your struggle.
Slightly disappointed, you turned back to your question, giving it your all this time.
You drifted around again. "What's your favorite sea animal?"
"Octopuses, they're crazy!" he gushed, finally answering. "What's yours?"
Your expression brightened at his response. You had finally found his sweet spot.
"Dolphins! My sister says I look like one." you replied excitedly.
"I don't think that's a compliment" he chuckled.
To think he was interested in marine life... it weirdly suited him.
Just as you were about to ask him about his thoughts on sirens, a lady in a suit with medium length messy blonde hair and a slim tall figure entered the reception, grabbing both her sunglasses and your attention.
Armin's eyes instantly lit up when he saw her. He stood up and snagged his bag before stopping and looking back at you.
"Sorry I couldn't help with your homework."
You almost asked, 'What homework?’ before remembering what he meant.
"Ah. Don't worry about it." you said, waving it off.
He smiled at you before running off to his mother.
You watched as they hugged, and she carried his backpack, tenderly holding his hand while asking about his day.
A part of you was glad he went home before you and a small, relieved smile left you.
You glimpsed at your homework with only one question solved lying beside you, then realized he'd forgotten his pencil in your grip. You instantly looked up and he was gone.
What even was the purpose of weekend homeworks other than ruining your few days of rest?
Oh well... It wasn't like you were planning to do it anyway.
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The weekend had flown by as quickly as a fun summer night. The classroom started filling up with students who looked so alive while you fought sleep.
You relaxed your shoulders, letting sunlight give you a second bath this morning and breathing it all in. You softly tapped your rainbow-gel pen against the desk as you let your gaze settle on your lively classmates.
A slightly taller girl proudly held up the Nintendo Switch she'd smuggled into class.
The other kids circled around her with sparkling eyes while they showered her with questions and praise, and she continued bragging with a smug smile.
Sometimes you caught yourself wishing someone would approach and invite you to join them in the fun you seemed to be missing out on.
But even your 7 year old self knew better than to wait for people to spot you when you didn't even try to stand out.
You knew you had to make the first move if you wanted someone to notice you, and you promised yourself you'd try someday.
Just not today.
"Good morning students!"
Class started and before you knew it, all the laughter faded into pesky mentoring.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
You rested your cheek over your hand, absentmindedly watching the lesson with restless eyes.
Last night was a tough one, you couldn't sleep because you were so afraid of a random flesh-cube Creepypasta you saw on YouTube.
The thought of telling your mother that you're scared and seek comforting from her did cross your mind, but then you remembered she'd probably ban the internet for an entire month if she found out why.
A quiet huff escaped you when you remembered how you spent your night talking with your older sister instead.
You looked forward for the day to end so you can spend the rest of it with her agai—
"Me! Me!”
A familiar voice snapped you back to reality.
You followed the voice with your eyes, and it led you to a boy sitting in front, practically jumping out of his chair as he raised his hand excitedly.
A scoff almost left your lips, no way geography class was that exciting.
As you took a closer look, you immediately recognized those golden locks; he was the octopus boy you met last Friday! What was his name again? Albert? Arson? Alert?
"Come on, Armin let's give someone else a chance." the teacher said, observing the classroom.
"Armin..." you whispered to yourself, so that was the octopus boy's name.
You noticed that he seemed to be sitting alone—which was weird. Why wouldn't anyone want a smart seat-partner?
Armin turned his head, his gaze instantly finding yours as if it had done it a million times—which would've been ridiculous since you had just learned his name a minute ago.
You automatically pressed your lips together and darted your eyes away, like the awkward little kid you were.
Your eyes didn't stop until they accidentally met the teacher's, reminding him that you exist.
You sneakily hid your face behind an open book hoping he wouldn't choose you.
"You! in the back." your teacher barked. "I can see you, y'know."
Your classmates broke into giggles as you timidly stood.
"Yes?"
When you found Armin again, you saw he was mouthing you something. Perhaps the answer?
You narrowed your eyes, focusing on making out the words he was mimicking.
"Still waiting!" The teacher impatiently reminded you.
"Wha—what was the question again?" you asked as you stretched out your shirt nervously.
"Since you obviously weren't paying attention, I'll ask again. How many continents are on Earth?"
"Uhhh..."
Your eyes darted to Armin's mouth.
Heaven...? Surf...? Seven...? Seven!
"Seven!" you beamed.
"...Correct.” He cleared his throat. “Now sit down and focus."
You sighed in relief and grinned at Armin before sitting back on your chair.
Two periods have passed and it was time for recess. You raised your legs over the chair next to you, leaning against the wall and took out your pink sparkly sketchbook.
You eyed the other kids as they left the classroom happily, then began working on completing your unfinished fanart.
Armin neared you, calling you by your name.
"Oh... hey, Octopus boy." you greeted, taking a sip of your mango juice.
"My name is Armin, Dolphin girl." He pouted.
You chuckled. "I like Octopus boy better."
"Hey, is that Doraemon?" he asked, pointing at your drawing.
"Oh this? Yeah."
"It's really good, looks just like him!" he complimented.
"Wanna see more?" you offered, lowering your legs off the chair.
"Okay." he agreed, sitting down as you flipped to the previous sketchbook page, avoiding the top corner—because a certain adult decided to lick their finger before touching it.
"I didn't know girls liked power rangers!"
"Why's that?" you questioned, slight offense reaching your tone.
"It’s just... my mum says it's too violent."
"Your mum wears suits."
"Yeah, she's a lawyer."
One conversation dragged another. Time seemed to fly as you two chatted about random topics including shared interests and school. And before you knew it, the stupid bell rang, announcing the end of recess.
Armin got up then glanced back at you as if he just remembered something.
"Wanna be my seat partner?"
You blinked—that was the first time someone had invited you to sit with them.
"T—totally fine if not!" he immediately added.
"Oh, no..." you countered. "Yes, I mean!"
Sitting next to Armin was nice, he matched your energy well and whispered the correct answers to you when teachers had aimed impossible questions at you. Your classmates were missing out for refusing to sit with him.
You got along in no time, and you soon found yourself officially able to call him your friend.
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