#HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FIX MY SCHEDULE IF MY BODY REFUSES TO COOPERATE

[ra9in3z]

urghhhh cant sleep *bashes my head against a wall*

[prncesselene]

i love your kathony fics 🥺. are prompts still open? if they are then anything around that moment that is mentioned by edwina in the books - when kate says people will move on from her and anthony's *love match* gossip soon enough and edwina's like not as long as anthony looks at you the way he did at that ball, smouldering, pushing people away to get to kate. i love that because anthony is still in his denial phase but his actions are SO clearly the opposite xD

i am indeed still taking prompts! i’m working through them all ridiculously slowly, as my inactivity might indicate (lol), but i will be getting through everything that’s being sent my way, promise! :)

ao3

“There you are!”

Kate turned at the sound of her husband’s voice, her eyes widening. She hadn’t expected him to notice she’d even left the ballroom, much less follow her out. Her slowly relaxing heart took flight once more, a mixture of shame and embarrassment pooling in her chest.

They’d arrived back in London only a few nights ago, fresh off of their time in the country after the wedding. And though the time spent alone had been rejuvenating and enlightening all at once — Anthony was, in almost every way, a very attentive husband — returning to London as a bride had been a difficult adjustment. The height of the season was still upon them, and with it a number of events and social responsibilities that now asked much more of Kate than they had before.

And she wasn’t quite sure she was up to snuff, if she were being honest with herself.

Anthony crossed the hallway in three long strides and reached her side. “I turn around for just a moment and suddenly you’re gone. Practically knocked down half of the ton trying to find you.”

Kate’s chest warmed. The ballroom had been so full he would have had to have been keeping quite the close eye on her to notice something like that.

She shook her head immediately, dashing those childish, romantic notions away. He’d been very clear on where their marriage stood, and trying to paint his intentions as anything other than a gentlemanly interest in her well-being would only lead to heartbreak. She was already lucky enough, with the deal she’d been cut; asking for anything more than what Anthony could give her seemed selfish.

Once he was at her side, he tugged her elbow, gently bringing her in front of him. “Did something happen? Why did you leave the ballroom so suddenly?”

Kate began to fiddle with the buttons on his waistcoat, her eyes fixated on a string of fabric that had begun to pull from within one of them. “My, it's warm in here, isn't it? You need to take this to get fixed. I can arrange for your tailor to pass by tomorrow afternoon, if you can manage to clear your schedule. I know y–”

“Kate,” he warned, cutting off her nervous rambling, his voice more insistent. To their left, couples and families donning their finest gowns and suits entered and exited the ballroom, chatting amongst each other easily. “What’s wrong?”

She kept fiddling with the string of fabric, chewing on her lips until she was sure they would end up bleeding. Anthony’s hands came to rest atop hers, limiting her movement. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Kate sighed, gathering the strength needed for her admission. “Anthony, I don’t think I’m quite cut out for this.”

“Cut out for what?”

“Oh, you know, all of... this,” she emphasized, attempting to tug her hands away, but his grip only tightened.

“Marriage? It’s a little late for doubts like those,” he murmured.

“What?” Kate met his eyes then, surprised to find they were much more contemplative than she expected. “No, no. It’s not that. It’s just… well, I don’t really fit in, do I? I’ve never been good at the things that ladies are expected to be good at, have never managed to sit still or act demurely or... or anything like that, really and... well, now that is precisely what is expected of me.”

She paused, chewing her lip, taking her eyes off of Anthony’s to stare at the floor. “I know I’m not the kind of wife you expected. The sort that could smile prettily and charm everyone around her and be a proper viscountess.”

Anthony’s eyes narrowed with concern, his stance tightening. He took her hands firmly in his and held onto them, running a thumb over her gloved knuckles. “Kate, where is this coming from? Did something happen?”

Kate swallowed, her heart beating traitorously. It seemed no matter how hard she tried to convince herself of Anthony’s objectivity within their marriage, her body refused to cooperate. The simple gesture of him listening to her so intently, with such gentleness and care, made her knees weak.

“No one is saying anything, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she sighed, noticing the way he relaxed once more. Her face reddened remembering Lady Whistledown’s most recent column. “In fact… well, it’s obviously a bit ridiculous, but the consensus among the gossips of society is that ours was a love match.”

“Ridiculous,” he repeated softly. Not quite a question, but not quite a statement of fact, either.

“Yes. Ridiculous,” she said, her belly swooping pitifully. “Anyways, clearly, it is not. You need not remind me of that fact. That— it’s fine. But even if they think ours looks like a love match, they must think it’s an ill fitting one. I mean, I'm hardly a catch. I talk too loud, express my opinion too plainly. I keep meeting duchesses and countesses and realizing I... I'm nothing like that, Anthony. And I worry I never will be." 

For a moment, Anthony didn’t reply, and Kate feared he agreed with her. That he, too, saw their marriage as the farce that it was. That the one with doubts was him.

But all he did he was bring her hands up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.

“Never speak that way of yourself again, Kate,” he said, his voice serious. “For my sake if not yours. In fact, as your husband, I demand it.”

Kate’s fingers were warm underneath the gloves where he kissed her, her eyes wide.

“I can only speak for myself, but there is absolutely nothing about you that I would wish to change. You are headstrong, passionate, and absolutely everything a proper viscountess should be, all of those other supposed virtues be damned. If someone — anyone — cannot see that, then that is their loss and theirs only." 

He tightened his grip on her hands and made sure she was looking directly at him before continuing. "When you enter rooms you command the respect of others not because you are my wife, or a Bridgerton, but because you're you. And you are more than enough.”

Kate was at a loss for words. She knew that love would never be a part of their relationship. That even if her body felt most alive when it was next to his, even if she laughed and talked with him like she had with no one else before, even if she knew she was already halfway in love with him herself — that those feelings would have to be kept under lock and key.

But then, when he said those things…. When he looked at her like that…

It was, admittedly, a little difficult not to want to wrap her arms around him and show him exactly how she felt.

Kate released her inhibitions and embraced him tightly anyways, if only so that he wouldn’t see the errant tears that threatened to slip out of her eyes.

“Thank you,” she murmured into the velvet of his coat, indulging in the comforting smell of leather and tobacco and Anthony that she’d grown to associate with warmth and belonging. That she’d grown to love, little by little. "You needn't lie to me to make me feel better, but I appreciate it all the same."

“There is nothing I’ve said that I wouldn’t happily repeat in front of all of London,” he said, the smile in his voice evident. One of his hands wrapped around her waist while the other tipped her chin towards his. “Will you obey your husband and never disparage yourself like this again? Can I trust you to do that?”

Kate’s eyes narrowed as she bit down on her own smile. She was like a slice of jelly when it came to him, pliant and willing to do whatever he said. It helped, of course, that all he was asking of her was to be kinder to herself. That he seemed to really, truly believe the words he'd said. That he saw her that way. 

“I suppose.”

He smiled and leaned down to slant his lips against hers, taking advantage of the brief lull in hallway activity. The arm around her waist tightened and brought her closer to him as his lips explored hers tenderly.

“Anthony!” she scolded, giggling against his mouth. “This is most improper. What if someone sees us?”

Leaning his forehead against hers, Anthony smiled. “The gossip about us is already scandalous. Why not add to it?”

Kate laughed but pulled away, shaking her head. As much as she loved kissing Anthony, she'd had enough scandal to last a lifetime. “I don’t think there’s any need for that.”

Straightening her ballgown and tightening her gloves once more, Kate took a deep breath. It was time to go back to the ballroom, where she would once again have to resume the act of viscountess; to pretend that she knew what she was doing, that she belonged there. With Anthony by her side, at least, it almost felt manageable.

Anthony’s smile was warm when he extended his arm out to hers. “Ready to return to the fun, Mrs. Bridgerton?”

Dash it. With him by her side it was certainly manageable. She had a growing suspicion that with him, anything was. Love matches or no. 

She slipped her arm into his, remembering his words. His faith in her.

“Ready.”

[uwua3]

your name (pt.1)

❄️📚 tsukioka tsumugi

part 1 — part 2 — part 3

summary: being an adult is tiring, tsumugi knows that all too well.

warnings: class divide (struggling financially), food

author’s note: this is the first ever series i’m doing! please anticipate the next installment of the “your name” series tomorrow :D i’m so excited to share this since part 01 is my first ever wip for a3 ever 🤍 please enjoy!

word count: 2,932

music: kimi no na wa soundtrack – radwimps

Running with reckless abandon, a boy trips amidst the bustling public traffic in the station, books flying out of his arms from the sheer force of his turn. Passer-bys barely spared a glance at the panicked tutor as he bent down to gather his academic papers, all imprinted by strangers’ shoes. In a moment of lifelong embarrassment, the world continued to spin as nothing rippled the fabric of time.

Murmurs spread across the crowd, daily small talk between people who would never see each other again on the complex train system. Students shared personal gossip too loud for their own good as their prestigious private academy skirts flew past him. Businessmen burdened themselves with client phone calls as they were all weighed down by the same leather briefcase. Employees wore their customer service mask, smiling politely before dropping their act immediately afterwards when they thought no one was looking. As expected, there was no time in the schedule to stop and help a recent university graduate out of his clumsy peril. Everyone was too distracted by their own problems to consider breaking their routine.

Perceptive by nature, Tsukioka Tsumugi didn’t need to glance at his watch to know he was late to his study session. The automated female voice sounded dull over the speakers, announcing his designated train was to depart in five minutes in a monotone attitude. Tokyo was a busy city with no mercy for those who didn’t plan every second of their future. That much was understandable by the aspiring teacher who quickly pulled out his outdated flip phone as he carefully eyed the assignments back in his possession.

A single tone rang before a drawl was heard in poor quality, with a shit–eating grin Tsumugi knew all too well.

“Tsumu, did you finally realize I don’t need your tutoring?” Settsu Banri mocked, the distinct background noises of his new video game obsession making Tsumugi speed walk even faster. With his books held tight against his chest, he sighed and almost pinched the bridge of his nose before realizing none of his hands were free. Placing the phone in between his shoulder and ear, Tsumugi rolled his eyes as he attempted to organize his mess.

“Banri-kun, please refer to me as Tsukioka-san. I am your senior by years, if I may remind you.” Tsumugi reprimanded, noting Banri’s agitated groan and muttered under his breath about the age difference between them. Unlike the other students Tsumugi tutored, Banri was defiant. Over–the–top, lazy, and arrogant—but deadly smart. Ever since Tsumugi carefully took off his shoes in the Settsus’ overpriced apartment, Banri took it upon himself to make his life a living hell by refusing to do the work but getting every question right. The only thing Banri cooperated with was talking about video games, which distracted him from his innate ability to be the best at everything. So on Friday afternoons, Tsumugi would visit to recap the weekly curriculum and try his best to stay patient with Banri’s snappy attitude.

“Why’d you call anyways? You’re late, by the way.” Banri pointed out right before Tsumugi fell through the two closing doors on the train, tumbling into a displeased but silent group as he gripped the overhead. Spectators only stared for a second before turning away as Tsumugi blushed under the attention, stammering back a half–assed apology of how he was going to be twenty minutes late for their session.

“Hold on, am I talking to the right person? Tsukioka Tsumugi, late? Real funny, just tell me you quit or something.” Banri feigned a bothered persona, but it was nice to pretend he was actually worried over the possibility of not seeing Tsumugi. Apologizing quickly to a corporate worker he bumped into, Tsumugi fixed the bag slung too low on his right shoulder as he took the phone back in his hand. At the same time, the zipper on his decade old bag gave out as it took his foot’s entire strength to keep the folders in place. Great, another thing to replace.

Staring outside the window, the school year was coming to a close as the heat of incoming summer air made him grip the phone in case of vicious sweat. “Banri–kun, you know I value our study sessions together.” He didn’t respond, just a resigned hmph before hanging up as Banri started swearing into his gaming headset. Tsumugi closed his eyes, getting his minutes of shut-eye for the first time in days as the sun glowed. Time didn’t stop for anyone, especially not Tsukioka Tsumugi.

After being greeted way too properly by the Settsu chain of servants, Tsumugi could hear the exaggerated game sound effects throughout the rather empty mansion. Walking carefully into Banri’s wide open door, Tsumugi grimaced at the sight of the energy drink cans crushed and thrown haphazardly near the trash can. Junk food wrappers were kicked underneath the expensive furniture as Banri was focused on his two–screen gaming setup. The rainbow LED keyboard was smashed expertly by Banri’s quick fingers all without looking down, getting him a #1 win as he boredly stared at the victory. As expected of NEO-san, a top league player. Or so Tsumugi’s heard by his other student, Taichi, who dramatically cries every time he loses against Banri.

“Banri-kun, please excuse my interruption.” Tsumugi announced, holding up the textbooks he had carried with a strained smile. Banri didn’t even look over as he logged off, saying something about GG to his teammate by the name of “Taruchi” before pushing the cat headset down around his neck. Spinning around in his black gamer chair, Banri raised one eyebrow at Tsumugi’s disheveled appearance panting slightly in the doorway. It was unlike his composed, proper tutor to be... like every young adult out there? Tsumugi didn’t seem like he had all the wisdom and knowledge in the world, he looked more... confused than anything.

“Geez, Tsumu. Didn’t think you’d sleep in, watched the meteor strike last night?” Banri smirked, rolling his chair across the room to his school desk as he put his legs up, stretching his arms beneath his head lazily. How he hadn't changed out of his white t-shirt and sweatpants was beyond Tsumugi as he sat in his normal chair silently, unlike the loud high schooler who glanced at the folder of work with a yawn. Grabbing some trendy bucket hat, Banri shoved the brim over his eyes as he took a break from the flashing neon blue light from his monitor.

“Meteor strike?” Tsumugi questioned innocently, attempting to hold conversation as Banri hummed a game soundtrack absentmindedly. Nodding, Banri pulled up his modern phone that made Tsumugi wince thinking of the price of that thing. Shoving the screen in front of Tsumugi’s wary red eyes, he blinked rapidly to adjust to the bright overpowering pixels. Tsumugi noticed an event marked that raved about the phenomenal light show the day before. Thinking back on the train incident this morning, Tsumugi remembered the excitement buzzing through the students a week prior as they whispered about a new chance to wear their best yukatas to celebrate. It had been so long since he was in school, that he completely forgot about all the childish euphoria that came with change.

“I must’ve slept through it. I didn’t notice at all.” Tsumugi admitted, tilting his head as he tried to remember the news every morning the past week. He couldn’t remember a single story of the astronomical event, although every day felt the same as usual. It was peculiar; Tsumugi was awake all night, too. He couldn’t sleep without his medication... maybe he should have looked up for once.

Taking his phone back to check the game notification popping up on screen, Banri chuckled as he shoved a stick of chocolate pocky in his mouth. “Mhmm, said it was a historical event n’ all. Supposed to be life-changing.” Banri offered bare minimum detail on anything and everything, but it was enough for Tsumugi to have a slight understanding as he set up the workspace. Banri noticed the distant look in Tsumugi’s eyes, the tiredness stifled underneath the graceful mannerisms as it looked like he was going through the motions. Attempting to lighten the mood, Banri’s voice came off meaner than he intended. “Aren’t you like? 25? How come you don’t know this stuff, you’re no boomer.”

Tsumugi frowned, glancing at Banri who looked away immediately with a flustered expression. Leave it to Banri to overthink whether or not he overstepped a boundary but refuse to acknowledge it. Tsumugi kept the meme going, sarcastically deadpanning, “Haha” before tossing a new eraser at Banri’s mushroom hair. Banri caught the gift in one hand easily as he slowly turned it over, turning his body to fully face his tutor. His feet dropped to the floor with a bang, startling Tsumugi to straighten his posture and stare directly into Banri’s curious face that had a glint of... concern?

“What’s all this? A gift to make me like you or something?” Banri jokes, nudging Tsumugi’s foot with his own. Tsumugi couldn’t help but notice the tight death grip Banri had on the small, game controller shaped eraser he had found at his full time work as a florist. Across the street was a one dollar convenience store, where teenage workers stood at the register on their phones as Tsumugi checked out the stationary. Wearing his dirt–stained apron, he remembered coming across miniature, adorable erasers that made him think of his students. Especially the red and blue Nintendo Switch joy con erasers that made Tsumugi think of Banri’s whole rant about the superiority of Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Black Eagles for the potential wife girls. Sure, it was a hit on his already fragile bank account, but it was worth it to see Banri genuinely happy about something for once.

“You already do, I’m the longest tutor you’ve had.” Tsumugi didn’t need the thanks, because it was clear in the way Banri for once put something down without throwing it. Banri scoffed, mumbling a weak comeback as he flipped open his notebook. He even tossed his hat off his head, revealing the messy long hair tucked behind his ears. Oh, he did his homework for once, Tsumugi mused with satisfaction before trying to flip to the appropriate page in the school’s textbook. It was open to a section on meteors, and glossy colored pictures of the sky made Tsumugi’s eyes focus. The image seemed familiar. Perhaps he stared a moment too long, because Banri took the book himself and thumbed his way to the marked section, warily sparing a careful glance.

“Hey... you good? You don’t look... normal.” Banri roughly phrased, trying his best to emote like a normal human would. Tsumugi nodded, not convincing anyone he was off. Brushing his sweaty palms upon his jeans, Tsumugi pushed his hair back as he started reciting what he knew of the topic and reviewed the homework, failing to catch Banri’s attentive stare at Tsumugi’s cheap, hole-ridden pants and bag bursting at the seams.

Tsumugi went back on the same train. The people were the same, his schedule was the same. Banri was different today though, paid more attention today despite knowing it already. Maybe he just wanted to get it over with, probably some tournament tonight.

In the face of the orange sunset above the skyscrapers, Tsumugi walked home with a slow, natural pace that fit his time slot he allocated for transportation. The mental reminder allowed him to look up for once, seeing the birds fly together around the quieter part of the city as a golden haze reflected off the glass. Community members said their usual predictable greetings as he waved back, respectfully wishing good health to his elders and telling funny jokes to the youth playing sports. Yet, it didn’t bring him the fulfillment he got before when he was young. Being an adult, was tiring.

It was the same everyday, as Tsumugi left the residential area and climbed through the back alley to a slum part of town. Lights flickered as abandoned businesses creaked amidst the silence. He escaped the prying eyes of neighbors and unlocked the door to his dingy, unsafe apartment. Closing the door quietly, Tsumugi stared at the studio as silence overtook his surroundings. Dust floated in the golden hour as everything was where he exactly left it.

“Welcome home.” Tsumugi whispered, his own voice echoing in between his four walls. Alone, again. It was the same everyday.

Heating up the instant ramen expired in his cupboard, the microwave sparked every once in a while as Tsumugi leaned against the counter. Each surface he touched creaked with uncertainty, as if it didn’t know how long it could last. His one–room housing felt cramped despite the lack of furniture around Tsumugi. His run–down appliances, aged decor, and rising rent made the location even better as Tsumugi did the usual routine of eating half the calories he needed and staying up browsing job listings. This time, the ramen wasn’t as satisfying as the pastry Banri stuffed in his hand before he left.

“What’s this?” Tsumugi remembered asking, immediately feeling sick to his stomach once he saw Banri’s serious expression stare back at him. At the moment, it felt like Banri was his teacher. The sweet, strawberry mochi wrapped in plastic felt warm in his palm as Banri stood at the door of his own home, leading Tsumugi out with a gift.

“Mochi. You’re Japanese, dipshit. Just a thanks, I guess.” Banri bullshitted, rolling his eyes as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Tsumugi noticed they began to fidget a little bit as Banri tapped his foot against the welcome mat. “School punk named Juza bakes or whatever, has a family business so thought you might like it. Or whatever.” Banri elaborated, using one hand to tug at the already loose v–neck collar of his week old t–shirt. Was that a blush Tsumugi saw on his rather indifferent student? No matter, it wasn’t his business to ask about a troublemaker turned pastry chef.

He’d make sure to thank his student next time he tutored him, which would be (Tsumugi checked the wall calendar disappointedly) next week. Banri was a good kid, even if he had his teenage angsty rebellion phase for a while now. Privileged kids liked doing that, pretending the whole world was against them despite having everything, Tsumugi thought bitterly. Even he was slightly surprised and caught off guard by his own pessimism, before the microwave beeped, signaling its task was done.

When Tsumugi tried to pull open the door, the handle snapped off and a quiet sigh escaped Tsumugi’s lips. Guess no dinner for tonight, then. Tsumugi didn’t have enough fight in him to care, so he dropped the handle onto the counter with a clatter. Inside this studio room, there was nothing for Tsumugi here. Not even his own food.

So, Tsumugi sat down on the couch that groaned beneath his weight. Except, it wasn’t his own body that made his sofa creak—it was the stack of papers needing to be graded in his arms. With a red pen tucked behind his ear, Tsumugi began marking his students’ work. A minute passed before Tsumugi quickly turned the television on, letting the sound of the news distract him from the unbearable loneliness.

Sure, it was going to increase his bills but... the money would be worth it to make his thoughts quiet for a moment. Tsumugi had a job to do, and he wouldn’t let his mindset get in the way. Being an adult was something else, indeed.

When had he fallen asleep?

Tsumugi blinked slowly, finding that his cheek was resting against a substantially smaller stack. Another pile that was distinctly red ink was on the other cushion, the pen without its cap rolled across the carpet. Tsumugi subconsciously winced when he realized the T.V. was on, the same channel on in the background.

Lifting his head, Tsumugi tried to comprehend the visual of the screen through his blurry vision. Tsumugi’s glasses must’ve dropped somewhere; he hoped he didn’t step on them. From what he could hear, the duo of news anchors were animatedly discussing some supernatural phenomenon tonight. Tsumugi rubbed his eyes, leaning closer to the small box screen ahead.

There was no way he possibly heard that correctly. Yet, there it was on the T.V.: “Historical Meteor Shower Tonight!” in big bold letters at the bottom. Tsumugi could remember Banri talking about something like this, but it had occurred last night. Was there another one? How common was it for two meteor showers within a span of mere hours? Sitting up, Tsumugi watched the pair talk about the light show.

“This is said to be the first event of its kind in Japan!” The host exclaimed, the screen switching to a picture of the meteors. A sense of familiarity struck Tsumugi once more, the same feeling when he had seen Banri’s textbook earlier that day. “It’s said to be life–changing—” The other one replied, Tsumugi’s wide eyes focused on every single passing word and image. Could deja vu possibly last this long?

As Tsumugi fumbled for his phone, he made his way out onto his balcony. Something inside him was telling him to get some air as Tsumugi dialed Banri’s number. Before Tsumugi could confirm the call, a bright light appeared out of the corner of his eye.

Tsumugi looked up to see two bright meteors splitting from one another. At the sight, Tsumugi’s phone landed upon the balcony floor.

[cultix]

(Disclaimer just in case: I didn’t make this. I wish I could credit the original creator but I’m pretty sure they’ve deactivated. I haven’t deliberately changed anything but google docs may have messed up the way everything was in place, I’m fairly sure that it also changed any letter in italic to normal letters.)

Anti AU

(THERE ARE NO SHIPS IN THIS PLEASE THIS ISN’T A SHIP FANFICTION A SDF;AKJSDG;KHASDG;KAJSDFKL;SAJDFLKJASDF;KJAS)

Chapter 1:

September 1st, 1989. Dear Diary, I think I’m a good person. I think there’s good in everyone! But here we are, the first day of junior year! I look around at these kids I’ve known for like, a summer, and ask myself, ‘What happened?’ Cooper let the beginning of the musical Heathers play out in his head, modifying the lyrics as they went to better situate him.

He shook his head gently, scolding himself. No, I am not going to start a new year in a new school singing song lyrics in my head. I refuse.

That didn’t stop the melody from playing in the back of his mind, though. He looked up at the looming building in front of him, and just contemplated turning back. Politely ask the busdriver, ‘Excuse me, there’s been a mistake. I’m supposed to be going off a cliff right now.’

He huffed, letting the bad thoughts temporarily disperse. It’s just a new school! How bad can it be? Bad. It can be very bad!

Cooper continued his march toward the school, checking every five seconds to make sure he was headed to the right homeroom.

P-12, Cooper thought, That has to mean portable, right? Right?

He felt like a fool, the only junior that has to use a map to get around the school. Everyone else has been here for 2 years. They all know their way around the school. They know how to dress to impress. They don’t throw on baggy jeans and a striped shirt and why did he wear jeans it’s so hot outside and why didn’t he wear a better shirt and why did he wear his old Vans they’re almost falling apart and why didn’t he study the map more and-

“You’re lost aren’t you?” A voice said from next to him.

Cooper almost jumped out of his skin, turning fast to see someone standing next to him.

He was decently short, about a quarter of an inch taller than Cooper. He had messy brown hair, but it looked like an attempt was made to fix it. He also had brown eyes that were sharp and alert. He looked like he had been getting perfect sleep all summer. He wore a dress shirt and jeans, almost like he was trying to show he was kind of trying.

Cooper realized he was just staring at him. He snapped back into reality long enough to nod dumbly.

The boy didn’t smile reassuringly, just pointed to his left.

“Portables are that way,” He said blankly, “You could miss them, but it’s hard.”

“So I can’t miss them?” Cooper feebly said.

The boy looked at him, “No, I just said you could. Nothing is impossible you know.”

“Uh,” Cooper said, in slight disbelief, the joke went so far over his head, “Thanks, uh?”

“My name is Sneeg,” The boy said, filling in the blank, “And you’re welcome, Cooper.”

“How did you-?”

“It says on your schedule.”

“Oh,” Cooper said, nodding, “Right. Thank you, Sneeg.”

“Are you new here? Did you just move?” Sneeg questioned.

“Uh, no!” Cooper lied. Well, technically he wasn’t lying. He moved in just as school ended. He’d been here the entire summer. It was just he never left his room. When his mom made him, he snuck back in through the back window.

Sneeg nodded. “The bell rings soon, I’d hurry if I was you, and study that map, too!”

With that, Sneeg walked away quickly, like his only purpose in life was to make sure he wasn’t late to class.

Cooper tilted his head in slight confusion at the disappearing figure. Soon enough, Sneeg was just another person in the crowd. Cooper snapped out of his daze, remembering that Sneeg said to hurry. He anxiously held his already crumpled schedule close to his chest before fast walking to the direction the helpful stranger pointed.

You couldn’t miss the portables. It was either go to the portables or leave the entire campus, and Cooper didn’t want to be that kid.

He entered the room. It was already silent, but he felt like everyone stopped talking just because he entered. There were desks arranged into makeshift tables, paired by fours. He slid into one of the seats where there was an empty table, hoping no one was looking at him.

Time seemed to pass forever as Cooper sat there anxiously, just cycling through the same three apps on his phone. Eventually, more people started filing in. Cooper almost had a heart attack when a person sat at his table. They seemed almost the exact opposite of Sneeg.

He had an oversized dark blue hoodie that covered his hands. His bed hair was almost out of control, and the dark circles under his eyes suggested he hasn’t slept well since school ended.

He didn’t even acknowledge Cooper’s existence as he turned to look at the homeroom teacher, who had gotten up as soon as the bell rang.

And it was off, the homeroom teacher passed out more maps (to Cooper’s relief), papers that parents needed to sign papers that should be read, etc.

They were left with plenty of spare time, most of which people were on their phones. Cooper got anxious just looking at the battery percentage drop.

The bell rang out and Cooper jumped as the room was suddenly filled with movement as confident juniors grabbed backpacks and left, ignoring their homeroom teacher’s half-hearted wishes of good luck.

Cooper followed the crowd, checking his schedule, again and again, trying to burn the number of the first-period room into his mind. As he was looking at the number for a particularly long time he accidentally ran into a wall.

Or someone that felt a lot like a wall, until the wall took a few steps back.

Cooper craned his neck to look up at the person who he bumped into. His body felt immediately cold with dread. It wasn’t bad enough that Cooper was dwarfed by this guy- he barely came up to half of the chest height- but the guy himself was just intimidating as intimidating could be.

He wore a black leather jacket over a light shirt. He wore black fingerless gloves. He had dark brown hair pulled into a low ponytail. His eyes were a deep brown and cut sharp. A bandage covered the left side of his face for reasons unknown. He looked like the definition of ‘badass biker’. If you looked that up in the dictionary, Cooper wouldn’t be surprised if this guy showed up.

“Sorry,” Cooper muttered extremely softly, barely a whisper.

If the guy heard Cooper, he must not have cared because Cooper immediately lowered his head, walking fast away from the little scene that had just been formed.

He eventually made it to his first period uneventfully. It was the basis of every first day. ‘Oh, what’s your name?’ ‘Oh, sign this.’ ‘Oh, here’s what this class is about.’ ‘Oh, here’s course expectations.’

Yeah, no one CARED about that. By the end of the third period and the beginning of lunch, it was very obvious that everyone was very tired and wanted to go home.

Cooper frowned at the long line to get school lunch and decided that he wasn’t hungry. He found a round table tucked away in a corner and sat down by himself, cycling through the same 4 apps on his phone, anxious as he watched the battery percentage go down a little bit at a time.

At least, Cooper thought, I have no ties with anyone. I have no beef with anyone, and no one will want to fight me, right?

Haha, wrong.

Lunch ended long for Cooper, who was now tired AND hungry. Tensions were still tense in hallways as ex-friends glared at each other and turned to talk shit to their new besties.

Cooper sighed as he felt himself become more drained, just halfway through the day. Someone shoulder checked him, by what Cooper assumed was an accident. He let it go, even muttering a ‘sorry’.

Then a slight bump on his shoulder again, this time from behind.

People are anxious to get to class, someone’s just trying to brush by you. Cooper assured himself.

He took a few steps to the left to let the person pass him, but no one walked by.

Another push, this time harder. Cooper’s eyes widened as he stumbled forward. Anxiety filled him from head to toe as he looked back to see who it was.

A cocky smirk met his gaze. A guy with one eye a blue theme. He had blue skin and spikey hair, but his jacket was a dark blue.

“What’s new, freshie?” He said.

The first thing Cooper thought of was, I’m not a freshman. But of course, there was no way in hell he would say that. Instead, he just let his eyes flicker to the ground as he turned around and kept walking away, unsure of what to do.

“No, no, no,” The voice came from behind.

Cooper was grabbed by his shoulder and whirled around, pinned against the wall with nowhere to go.

“That’s not how this works,” He said in a low, quiet voice.

Cooper felt his fight or flight activate at once.

“So you’re the new kid, huh?” He said, not letting his stare break from Coopers, “Do you know how things work around here?”

Cooper, terrified out of his mind, didn’t answer. The boy lifted his hand and slammed it against the wall behind Cooper, “Answer me, freshie!”

“N-no?” Cooper finally stuttered.

“Well, freshie,” The boy said, seeming to enjoy his new nickname for Cooper, “the weak fear the strong. You’re a fish in a sea of sharks. I’m just testing to see how good you can swim.”

Cooper was starting to fear his life when a deeper voice called out, “Yeah, you’re right. The weak fear the strong, bottom feeder.”

Cooper saw his attacker tense up, turning stiff everywhere. You think you could just poke him and he would fall over, but instead, he straightened up.

“Travis!” He called, “Hey!”

“Don’t ‘Travis’ me, Ryan,” The newcomer said. Cooper’s eyes widened as he realized that Travis was the guy he ran into earlier.

“I’m just teaching freshie here how things work,” Ryan said, putting his hands up in surrender position.

“Yeah, but lay off him. I think he gets it,” Travis says.

Ryan’s gaze narrowed, “Now, that’s not fun.” His tone took a dangerously low step as he grabbed Cooper’s shoulder with his hand, not breaking stare with Travis.

Travis took a few steps forward, “Lay off.”

Ryan pushed Cooper back a few steps, pushing him into the wall.

“I said, lay off, bottom feeder!” Travis yelled, walking and pushing Ryan away from Cooper.

Ryan stumbled away, yelling indignantly. He swore mindlessly, shouting about how he was just joking around.

“I want you to listen here, Ryan,” Travis said, his low tone more intimidating than Ryan’s by tenfold, “You do not touch him ever again. If you do, every single bone in your body will be broken beyond repair. Do you understand?”

Ryan must have known this wasn’t a bluff, because he shakily nodded and slowly walked away.

Travis looked at the crowd that had formed around them. “What?” He shouted at them. The crowd started, before quickly dispersing, meeting everywhere but Travis’s death glare.

Travis glared down at Cooper, and for a moment Cooper wondered if he was even safe.

“You good?” Travis asked.

Cooper nodded dumbly.

“C’ mon, I’ll walk you to the nurse’s office. Ryan has a lot of goonies running around,” Travis said, offering his hand.

Cooper nodded again, taking it and walking forward. They walked in awkward silence, and the odd looks from the people in the halls made it look like Cooper just did something impossible, like he just tamed the beast or something.

Maybe he did.