Chapter Text
Having been called a freak, weirdo, you name it, by adults and peers his entire life, Lohen certainly didn't expect to be graced with this particular task from his class' main teacher
"Next week there will be a new student in our class. His name is Illuga."
Interesting.
"I would like to ask you to walk him around the school for a tour... perhaps become friends? He's had a rough time in his previous school, I really want to makw him feel at home here."
Lohen thought about the teacher's words for a moment. If he refuses, his social and school life will keep on being absolutely nonexistent, resulting in stagnation. If he agrees... There are two options - he'll either have another classmate avoiding him after hearing rumours from other peers or... perhaps finally make a friend.
What nonsense. Of course it won't happen.
Still, it wouldn't hurt anyone to help the new face a little?
"I'll do my best."
~~~
Illuga stood awkwardly in front of the school. It was quite big... a lot bigger than his old one. He felt intimidated and out of place.
He checked his watch. Twenty past ten AM. The "Lohen" person his new main teacher told him about should be here in ten minutes.
Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Early, are we?"
Illuga jolted up, ready to defend himself... but it wasn't a threat, but a boy his height, seemingly his age too. This must be Lohen! But...
"Our meeting was scheduled half past ten... you're early...?"
"So are you. We both like being ahead of the time, it seems."
Illuga couldn't really argue against that.
Lohen straightened his pose.
"Excuse my manners... Name's Lohen, from your new class. I've been attending this school since the beginning.. and you must be Illuga?"
"Yes, that's me." The white haired boy answered, a bit too fast for it to sound nonchalant. "Nice to meet you, Lohen.."
"Why nice to meet you too." Lohen turned to the gates. "But enough small talk. Why don't we go inside? The school inside is much more interesting than its exterior."
"Ah... if you say so..." Illuga followed Lohen into the school, looking around in awe.
~~~
"Your school... sure is quite large..." Illuga muttered, sitting on a bench in the school grounds. His legs were sore after so much strain and he felt slightly dizzy with all the new information he had learnt.
Lohen snickered to himself and sat beside him. Those small chuckles was something that constantly accompanied his speech. It was quite charming, Illuga had to admit.
"You'll grow used to it. We don't have classes in half of the classrooms anyway."
Illuga's form visibly relaxed in relief.
"That's good... I'd hate to constantly have to run between floors before classes, that'd be tiring..."
Lohen chuckled again.
Illuga heard the rumours about Lohen, of course. Everyone did, even himself, despite having just joined the school. Rumours that said he watches gore for fun, rumours that say he once murdered a stray bunny and dissected it. But none of these can be true, right? They sound like "My Story Animated" type of blabbering. Pure fiction!
Perhaps he'll ask his new classmate about these rumours one day.
"So? How is the school's first impression?" Lohen broke the silence, looking at Illuga. The new student genuinely couldn't tell if the teal-haired boy asked sincerely or out of courtesy.
"A bit intimidating, I'd say. But better to have too much space than too little."
"Hah! I like your point of view." Lohen laughed and looked away. "But don't worry about that... there are bigger fish to fry here."
"Fish...? For example?"
"Oh, I dunno, like... students? Most guys here are assholes. And don't get me started on the girls..."
Lohen sighed dramatically, putting his chin in his palms like an overdramatic poet mourning a particularly tragic ballad.
Illuga grew curious.
"It can't be that bad..."
"Oh, but it can. There was this one girl who hung herself in the girls' bathroom a year ago and my male peers said... "Oh, she was never pretty anyway... her neck was always too long." Haha. Very funny." Lohen's grim face indicated that he didn't find it funny at all.
"Oh my... that's awful..." Illuga suddenly felt very insecure about the decision that led him into this school. Guys mocking a girl's death...? "And... what did the girls say?"
Lohen scoffed.
"They pretended to be sad for two days but then forgot her. Oh, no, wait... they couldn't, because they tried to rob her old locker just a week later." He spat with disdain. It was clear he wasn't a great fan of his classmates.
"That's why I stand in the corner most of the time. Talking with these pricks is about as enlightening as analyzing a manual on how to switch on the light inside a room." He sighed and looked at Illuga again.
"I won't stop you from talking with them... But seriously, don't get too attached. They'll use the fact you don't know much about them against you. Might as well be cautious."
"Yeah, right... thanks, I guess..." Illuga cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Hey, Lohen... perhaps... can I get your number? So it's easier to communicate, you know."
Lohen looked slightly surprised at the suggestion. His number? He had, like 20 numbers saved in his phone, in which 15 was family. It wasn't common of someone to ask him that.
He quickly pulled out his phone and showed his phone number to Illuga, who started typing in the digits into his own device. "Here".
"Thanks... for the tour and all, by the way." Illuga's bright gaze met Lohen's dark one.
"Haha. Don't mention it. Basic human decency." The teal-haired boy answered.
And this is how Illuga and Lohen became friends.
~~~~~~
It's been a week since Illuga's first day at school. Unsurprisingly, he didn't make a lot of friends during his first days. He wasn't surprised, he wasn't exactly the most sociable type either.
But it didn't mean he didn't have any companion at all. Every lunch break, with no exceptions, he would be approached by Lohen with an offer to hang out. Illuga himself was surprised when he realized over time that he always agreed.
Normally he'd avoid new people like the plague. Now he found himself... looking forward to meetings with Lohen? It was strange, he'd never felt anything like that before.
The way his chest felt tighter everytime he saw that teal ahoge in the crowd. The way his heart rate slightly sped up everytime he thought about him. But this time it wasn't distress or nervousness.
It was anticipation.
Despite his initial doubts, Illuga couldn't deny that he was, indeed, very much growing attached to Lohen. Fast.
Does he feel the same way...?
"Birdie? Hello!"
Illuga's eyes went slightly wider as he was snapped out of his thoughts by the familiar sly voice. It was Lohen again.
"Sitting here all by yourself, begging for my company?" The teal haired boy sat next to Illuga without even asking if he can. He didn't need to, he knew he had the latter's permission.
"I'm not begging for anyone's company.. You don't have to sit with me, you know." Illuga answered while sipping his juice.
"But what if I want to? Besides, anyone else would propably just stand up and leave with their food if they saw me approaching."
"Really? Why?"
Lohen just smirked mysteriously. Of course he wouldn't tell him.
"That's not important~ By the way, would you like to hang out together after class? Get pizza or something? My pay."
"Really? You'd want to... hang out with me?" Illuga asked, surprised.
"Hell yeah! Wait for me outside the male restroom next to the room 30C after class." Lohen winked to him. "Gotta go now, see ya later, birdie~!" He stood up and left.
Illuga was speechless. Positively.
He couldn't wait for the classes to end!