Chapter Text
Walking through the courtyard, beside his beloved prince Gion, Livio felt a sort of happiness blasting in his chest. Perhaps it was a sense of pride, being able to walk beside a prince who held you in high regard, even though he was nothing but a servant. Or maybe he was just happy that Gion needed him, as much as he needed Gion. (Though Livio was sure Gion didn't want to hear that.) Livio pushed open the classroom door and held it for Gion to enter, just like he always did. The once noisy classroom fell into silence, other than a few whispers here and there.
That immediately caught Livio’s attention, looking around for any clues of an attack on Prince Gion. Gion didn’t seem to notice the sudden silence, already at his desk reading. Letting out a sigh of relief once he confirmed that there was nothing that would cause harm to his prince, Livio wandered off to his seat. That was when he noticed it. His desk scribbled with all kinds of slurs, berating him for a secret he had only told a select few. Giggles and laughter echoed throughout the classroom upon seeing Livio’s paling face, yet he could do nothing but stare at the words on his desk.
“Being a servant wasn’t enough, but he’s an orphan too? He’s lucky to be Prince Gion’s servant, or he would have never had the chance to come here!” “I heard his mother killed herself because she couldn’t stand him any longer.” The mockery echoing around him was enough to drain all colour from his face, leaving him to feel disgusted. Plastering a fake smile on his face, he turned towards Prince Gion. “Gion… I’ll be right back.” He couldn’t even wait for Gion to answer, before rushing out of the classroom and into the bathroom.
Bile rose up to his throat, vomit spilling out into the toilet. He felt sick, disgusted, embarrassed. His secret was finally out, everyone knew. He didn’t know why he felt so disgusted with himself. This secret was part of who he was, right? Shouldn’t he have embraced it by now? But the thought of others slandering his mother’s name, muttering vile words about Gion, made him want to throw up again. Gion… the gossip would surely have reached Gion’s ears by now, it happened in the classroom where they were together, for God’s sake.
He exited the bathroom stall, throwing cold water on his face in an attempt to calm himself down. As he gazed into his reflection in the mirror, he found tears streaming down his face. Oh. Livio didn’t even register that he was crying, but now he just couldn’t stop, no matter how much he tried. After a few minutes of trying to hide his bloodshot eyes, he soon gave up and headed to the infirmary.
“Livio, what a surprise! Is something wrong? An attack on the princes? A- oh.” Jelena suddenly stops in her panic, staring at Livio’s red eyes and pale sickly skin. “Are you okay?” She asked hesitantly, as if afraid she would make Livio cry again. Seeing Livio like this was a rare sight, the always smiling and positive Livio was now crying in her infirmary. “Yes…” He managed to croak out, trying to smile. “I… think I’m coming down with something, can I stay here for a while?” Jelena nodded, gesturing for him to take a seat on one of the infirmary beds. “Do… you want to talk about it?” She asked, choosing her words very carefully. Livio bit his tongue, unsure if he should tell her what happened.
He gave his signature smile. “Nope. It’s fine, really. I… I’m just not feeling too well today, haha…” And Jelena accepted his answer, knowing nothing good would come out of her pushing him for more answers. Livio kept his smile up, while hiding his head in his hands, biting back the urge to cry. Why was this affecting him so much, Livio didn’t think he would ever know.
The bell finally rang, and Livio thanked Jelena for letting him stay in the infirmary. “No problem…” Jelena answered, her gaze lingering on Livio a while longer than usual. “If… there’s anything bothering you, you can always talk to us you know? It’s important for all of us to stick together. Any emotions that can put our masters in danger must be addressed so we have a clear head, you know?” She quickly added, trying not to show any concern. Livio only giggled at her franticness in response, waving away her concerns. “You’ll find out soon enough.” He laughed, hoping his words wouldn’t come true.
Walking back to class, he watched as the sea of students came pouring out of their classrooms, whispering and laughing together about Livio. He could hear them. They knew he could hear them. It was so unbelievably cruel. Hah… He was actually starting to believe their whispers, it wouldn’t be long until he couldn’t discern what was real or fake anymore.
He spotted Prince Gion chatting with Shintarou, at his seat. Oh. They were at HIS seat. Livio burst in through the door. “Prince Gion! Shall we head off to lunch?” Livio tried to move their conversation away from his desk. He couldn’t stand looking at it anymore, not when it reminded him of one of the darkest years of his life. Whether Prince Gion could sense how tense he was, or he didn’t care enough, the three of them left for the cafeteria.
Walking towards the cafeteria was no easy feat. All around them were whispers about Livio’s past, some giving him snide looks, some laughing at him, and some even refusing to look at him. With his role as Gion’s servant, there were already many who looked down on him, but with his past now out in the open, many would look past the kind and caring facade he had built. Now they could only see him as an orphan with no one to love him, his mother probably killed herself not because of the departure of his father, but because Livio was the product of what his parents used to have, and his mother couldn’t take it anymore.
The more he thought about it… that seemed like what actually happened, right?
...
Gion’s voice brought Livio out of his trance. “Livio. Are you paying attention?” “…Yes, Gion?” Livio answered, a little embarrassed about letting his thoughts wander so far. No way, he knew exactly what happened. His mother… Nevermind. “I said, let’s eat in the dorm today. Cook something up for us.” Livio bowed, “Right away, your highness.” Livio silently thanked Gion for that request. He wasn’t sure if he could take the judgemental gazes from his schoolmates.