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"May I come over to your place later today?"
That was what Apollo asked you earlier in class. You told him 'Of course' in a heartbeat and you see the way his eyes softens in gratitude. You had asked him if he was okay, but he was quick to shut you down as he excused himself from the classroom.
Now here you are, spread out on the couch of your living room, waiting for him to arrive at your doorstep. You feet tap impatiently against the wooden floor, the only noise you can focus on is the ticking of the clock mounted on the wall.
You hope he's okay.
When the sound of rhythmic knocks reach your ears, you were at your front door in a blink of an eye. Opening it in a rush, you eyes land on a very tired looking Ixian. His school jacket off, neatly folded and over his shoulder.
"Come in." You stepped aside. He gives you a nod as he takes his shoes off and walks past you, his uncharacteristic silence worries you. You offer to take his school jacket and he hesitate for a moment before handing it to you. You straighten it before carefully hanging it on your coat hanger. "Would you like water? Tea? ...Snacks?" You offer him.
He sits himself down on one end of your couch, immediately leaning back and letting himself get swallowed slightly by the couch. "No, thank you for the offer." He hums. His head turns to look at you as he pats the spot beside him, inviting... no, pleading you to sit next to him, if the look on his face is anything to go by.
Your legs move without you realizing, and in the blink of an eye, Apollo's head rests on your lap as your hand runs through his hair. "Do you want to talk about it?" You whisper.
He sighs. Heavy, tired. "...You said you're not from around here, yeah?" He asks you. You give him an confirming nod. His eyes look away from yours. "...Do you ever miss your home?" The question was asked so quietly that you could've missed it.
"Of course." You close your eyes, leaning back onto the couch. "When my parents sent me here to attend Blackmore, I said no. The thought of leaving the place I've grown up in for all my life for some rich school I didn't care about... it made me mad. My parents had to convince me that it's for my future. Blackmore students graduate and make it big in life." Your face scrunch up as you recall the memory. "I reluctantly agreed at the end. It wasn't easy... Leaving my friends, my family, my life." You stop yourself for a moment, gulping down the lump in your throat before continuing. "But, I'd hate to disappoint my parents. So, here I am." You sigh, opening your eyes back open, noticing how Apollo's now looking at you.
The two of you sat in silence after your ramble, your hand still idly running through Apollo's strands of hair. You can feel his posture ease up, looks like he's feeling somewhat better.
"I miss my home. My people." Apollo speaks up. "I wasn't even informed on what happened. Just sent here 'for my own safety'. What if they're in serious danger?" He frowns, one of his arms now rest against his forehead.
You hum. "Do you believe in your people?"
He sits up straight at your question, an offended look on his face. "Of course I do!"
You adjust your position on the couch as well. "Then believe in them. Believe in your father, he's a strong man, right?" Apollo’s expression falters. "Plus, you're training to be the best with that rapier of yours. I've seen what you can do." You smile.
He huffs, looking at you with a smirk. "I'm already the best." He tells you. "And I will be back the moment my father calls. And I will do anything for my people's sake."
You laugh. Not mockingly, but in agreement. "I don't doubt that one bit."
Apollo finally smiles. He makes himself comfortable next to you and you feel the way his tail sneakily wraps around you from behind. You pretend to not notice, but it still spreads a pleasant warmth through your chest. The silence return, and it made you reminisce on how the two of you met.
It was through a mutual friend. You had been feeling particularly down that day and had asked them to spare you their company throughout lunch time. They said yes without hesitation, bless their heart, and had practically dragged you to eat lunch. Recalling the offense on their face when you told them that you didn't bring any lunch always brings a smile to your face. After getting scolded, they shared their lunch with you, despite your protest. In the middle of your lunch though, someone had inserted themselves into the conversation uninvited and had asked your friend why they were absent from yesterday's session. It didn't take much for you to figure out the boy is the captain of the Blackmore fencing team.
Your friend had immediately apologized, even bowing their head in guilt. But Apollo was having none of it, he opened his mouth to scold them but you spoke up first. "Can't you see they're busy?" You huff out, annoyed. His head turns to look at you instantly, his eyebrow raised, mirroring your annoyance. "With what, may I ask?" He shot back. You point at yourself. "Me. We're having lunch, thank you very much." The singular laugh he lets out made your eye twitch. You were about to retort when your friend interrupted, waving their arms dismissively and telling you that 'it's fine, really.' and apologized once more to Apollo, saying they will make up for it next session. Apollo hummed in satisfaction as he left.
Though after that encounter, you made it your lifetime mission to annoy the guy whenever you come across him.
He hated you.
And you hated him.
So how'd you both end up here?
"Remember when we hated each other's guts?"
Apollo looks at you confused. "Yeah? Why?"
You shrug, "Just... reminiscing. Look at us now." You beam at him, nudging his side with an elbow. He rolls his eyes, pushing you away, making you chuckle as he can't help but smile fondly at you.
You can feel silence making it's way back between the two of you so you sat up, stretch, and look back at a tired looking Ixian. "So... do you want the snacks now?" You tilt your head. Apollo looks up at the ceiling in thought before shrugging. You hum, walking to the kitchen to see whatever you have lying around.
Opening a cabinet, you found bags of chips, a box of protein bars, a jar of cookies, and a bag of unpopped popcorn.
You picked the popcorn.
Apollo was half asleep by the time you were back with a bowl of popcorn. "Sorry, made you wait?" You giggle, sitting back beside him. He grumbles, cracking one eye open.
He reaches his arm over to grab a handful on popcorn, popping them inside his mouth. "Not bad." He nods after he finished chewing, reaching over to grab more. You fake bowed as best as you can, already getting too comfortable on the couch.
"...Thanks." Apollo says with his mouth full.
"Huh?"
He didn't repeat himself, only continuing to scarf down popcorn into his mouth. Even so, you give him a smile.
"I think coming here wasn't so bad." You shrug. "I get to meet you at least."
The expression he gives you made you snort and burst into laughter. Apollo gulps down his food. "That's the cheesiest thing you could've said." He groans, but the flush on his face tells you enough.
"You love me."
"It's unfortunate, really."