#poor étienne has to handle the two dumbasses

[all-yn-oween]

Ksbsksbskbsks i love this way too much XD

The ultimate found family !!!ksnsksnsk

I absolutely LOVE their relationship!!

[myselfinserts]

❝ I’m surrounded by amateurs. ❞

It was nearly six in the morning when Regi woke up with a throbbing headache and his eye swollen shut. His body ached from sleeping on the floor, and he was sure he’d probably catch a cold sometime in the next few days if he didn’t make sure he got medicated when they returned to the dorms tomorrow morning.

But he immediately pushed all those aside when his phone alerted him to a text from Tanith.

> Which of these should I wear for picking up my friend today? I need to know which one will make her like me more.

Attached to the message was a photo of two outfits laying on her bed. On the left, her school uniform with its pastel pink sweater, white blouse, and dark red skirt. Next to it was her favorite orange shirt paired with a pair of chocolate brown jeans that he knew for a fact would be paired with her best pair of steel-toed boots and leather vest.

He tried his best to stay quiet as he sat up, trying his best to type up a message despite how hard it was to see. Between the broken glasses and the black eye, he was not having a good time of it.

So he decided to just roll with it.

> ou look goos in eitger. Amd O lnow yoir ftuend wpll loke yoi alfedy.

> I’m going to assume you just woke up and lost your glasses again.

> Sorry. Bur yeag. Kindsa.

> lol you dummy.

Regi smiled. He carefully got up and made his way over to the desk, putting the good lens onto his eye as best he could like a monocle. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to finish the conversation.

> it’s a bit early for you to be awake, isn’t it? It’s what, almost 4am?

> I’m too nervous. I really want L to stay for the visit like we planned. But...

> Tan?

> you remember what happened the last time, right?

He couldn’t forget. That kid from Yorkshire had a lot of nerve. Regi almost kicked his ass for that monster comment.

> this won’t be like the last time. You have two great friends in Elmo and Raph, and Luci and Mari are there too. And Uncle Elbert. You have me, even if I can’t be there physically. And I know, deep down, this pen pal of yours isn’t like the others. She’s going to adore you. I just know it.

> you really mean that? You’re not just saying that because you’re my brother, right?

> Tan, I would never lie to you about you. You know that.

I only lie to you about me. Like a hypocrite.

> Thanks Regi.

> Not a problem.

> Still need to pick an outfit tho.

> ....and you really think I’m the one to ask?

> Good point, but still. Please?

> Okay, okay. Go with the orange. It’s your lucky color.

> Orange it is! Thanks bro! TTYL!

> Luv you!

> Luv you too~!

With a sigh of relief, he set his phone and the broken glasses down. With his sister’s fears taken care of, he decided to take the opprotunity to get cleaned up before his roomie’s alarm went off. He turned and headed for the the bathroom, reaching out for the door handle with a bright, confident smile.

Only to miss it by half a foot and walk right into the door, falling backwards with a loud thud.

“Motherfucker!”

Regi looked over at the bed, managing to catch a glimpse of Étienne setting the bedside lamp back down. Before he had a chance to apologize, the blond got out of bed and grabbed him by the collar, shocking him with the sheer strength he had in one hand. Regi was six foot two, and at least fifteen stone from all the training his uncle put him through.

Damn. Allard’s pretty strong. It’s...kinda nice to be lifted.

Wait, why am I thinking that?

“I’m surrounded by amateurs, morons, and bumbling buffoons.” Étienne made him sit on the bed, anger radiating off of him. “Wait here.” He turned to head to the door, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm getting the teacher," Étienne spat. "Your eye is completely swollen shut, and I'm not looking after your ass all day so you don't walk into shit."

Regi reached out in panic, grabbing his arm tightly. "Please don't! I have something to fix this, just please don't…don't tell Rosine."

Étienne glared at him. "Let. Me. Go."

"S-sorry." He took his hand off him, looking away shamefully. "Look, I have some of my sister's healing water in my med kit. I didn't want to use it on my eye since I only have twelve ounces on me and-"

"Shut the fuck up."

Regi stopped talking.

"Good. Now stay there. And don't move." Étienne walked over to Regi's suitcase, quickly throwing it open and pulling out the medical box. "Short answers only. How much of this stuff do you need to heal an eye?"

"No clue," Regi mumbled. "Normally I just take a swig and it works. I'd have to ask Marianne how much-"

"What part of 'short answers only' is so beyond your comprehension?" Étienne let out a sigh, looking through the kit. "Well, now we're going to find out an exact measurement. Looks like your kit has clean droppers." He took the bottle out, along with a dropper and a pair of gloves before he returned to where Regi sat. "I'm going to apply this directly into your eye. This is probably going to hurt like hell, but please try not to be a baby about it."

“Okay.”

Once his roommate was done preparing for the treatment, Regi closed his eyes and forced himself to remain still as Étienne tilted his head upwards to get a better look. His fists clenched tightly in his lap when he felt a slight amount of pressure, a pair of fingers assessing the damage and testing if he could gently coax his eyelids open just enough. When he seemed satisfied with the assessment, Étienne filled the dropper and started to apply the first drop.

As soon as it hit his eye, Regi could already feel his headache easing a little.

His hands are a lot like Marianne’s. They don’t shake. But...there’s something off. His hands are gentle but...unnaturally still. Is it his quirk? Soft hands? Gentle grip? Something like that?

Étienne applied another drop, waiting before preparing a third. “I slept fine, by the way. Until you oh so rudely woke me up. Actually got a proper rest without being irritated.”

“Huh? Oh.” Regi managed a small grin. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“Stop smiling, you dolt. Makes it hard to treat you.”

“Sorry.” He stopped smiling.

“And stop apologizing. That’s almost as annoying as your wake up calls. Running into the fucking door. Dumbass.” Étienne‘s golden eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How the hell did you even get this injury anyway? And what happened to your glasses?”

Regi felt his stomach flip. “I stepped on them by accident,” he lied. Baxter had stepped on them after knocking them off his face. “After I tried getting up after falling over.”

Étienne paused.

“What?” Regi asked.

“Gladstone.”

Oh god. Why is he saying my name like that?

“I’ll ask one last time,” Étienne warned. “And I want the truth. How. Did you. Get injured?”

Regi swallowed thickly as his voice grew soft and broken. “It...it was Fielding. He knocked on the door and I thought it might have been Madame or housekeeping, so like an idiot, I answered.” He braced himself for any oncoming insults. “I should have checked the peep hole.”

“Indeed.” Étienne added another four drops. “Never liked the bastard. Knew he was an idiot the moment he chugged this stuff in class.”

“...that...that was him, wasn’t it?” Regi couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “I was having such a bad day that day it almost slipped my mind. Probably one of my worst.”

“I can’t imagine what could possibly have happened to you if you consider that day your worst, especially given the assignment in class.”

Regi stared at him with a dead, listless stare. “My horror movie obsessed girlfriend stalked me all the way to Paris after promising to look after my uncle and sisters while I’m here, all because I told her I needed to cut contact for two weeks to focus on class work.”

Étienne seemed to nearly drop the water, managing to regain composure and add another few drops. “How have you not broken up with her already?”

“It’s complicated. Hero publicity politics, poor finances, the fact that she doesn’t like the word ‘no’-”

“Grow a pair, Gladstone. If you can’t break up with a girl that desperate you’ll never last the rest of the semester, let alone a day in this field.” He shot him a warning look. “If that girl comes anywhere near me-”

“I promise, I’ll deal with her as soon as the trip is over so that doesn’t happen.”

“You fucking better. People like that are almost as bad as Fielding.” His lip curled into a tight scowl, his frustration radiating in pulsing waves. “Desperate people like that piss me off.”

“A lot of people seem to piss you off.”

Crap, why the fuck did I just say that?! I just made him angrier at me!

Étienne raised an eyebrow, his scowl morphing briefly into a smile, but he didn’t reply. Regi couldn’t help but wonder if he was angry or...did he actually like that comeback?

He decided he didn’t want to know.

After about a total of fifty-nine drops, Regi’s eye was completely healed. All the pain was gone, and his skin had cleared up entirely. Étienne handed him the dropper, tossing the gloves into the nearby bin before turning to the restroom. “I’m using the shower first since you woke me up. In the meantime, clean this place up. I don’t want to see bedding on the floor, understand?”

“Étienne, wait-”

Étienne turned on his heal, looking almost ready to strangle him. “What the fuck do you want now?”

Regi took a quick breath, steadying himself. “I wanted to say thank you. For helping me. That was very kind of you.”

“You better realize I didn’t do it because I wanted to be nice to you, of all people.”

“I understand that. But I still appreciate the help. Thank you.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “And about the other night...we...we don’t have to be friends if you don’t want to, but-”

Étienne rolled his eyes. “You are such a pain in my ass.”

Despite the sting, Regi held his ground. “We don’t have to be friends. We don’t even have to talk to each other. After this trip, we can pretend none of this ever happened if you want. But at the very least, can we at least be cordial with each other when at school? Somewhat civil at least if we happen to cross paths?” He felt his ears burning. “We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other in class anyway. What’s the point in added frustrations of actively trying to avoid each other with an unstable wall? A sturdy draw bridge would be a bit more efficient, wouldn’t it?”

He wanted to be friends. Regi wanted at least one person in the support department to talk to that wasn’t the teacher. Someone he could talk theoreticals and experiments with. Maybe even someone he could share his uncle’s coding books with. A lab partner to do a few tests with on the weekends. No one in the department would even approach him. 

Regi just wanted a friend in his field. 

But if he couldn’t have that, he’d settle for an acquaintance. 

The room remained silent for a minute before Étienne turned back towards the restroom. “Your analogies are abysmal. Get your fucking mess cleaned up.”

The door clicked shut, and Étienne locked himself inside. 

Defeated, Regi let out a sigh and proceeded to start cleaning up the room as best he could. 

It was worth a shot.