Authors Note: Hey guys, thanks for checking out my fic. If you like it, I would appreciate a review, even a small one to let me know that you guys have enjoyed the story. This is simply a test story, but I will continue it, should people like it. Again, thank you for taking the time out to read. I wrote this when I was ill in bed with flu, so excuse any lack of flow to it there may be.
Dragging his feet along the desolate corridor -painted in dreary off-white from floor to ceiling- Cloud Strife hoisted his backpack a little higher on his shoulder and reached up with his free hand to adjust the black beanie hat, sat atop his head and flattening his wild, unruly spikes to his scalp. His narrowed cerulean eyes scanned the hall, looking for some indication that he was even in the right department when he caught sight of a white sign in his peripheral vision, directing him down the length of corridor and towards a row of doors.
'Well, at least I'm headed the right way' he idly thought to himself as he trailed the tips of his fingers along the wall at his side, feeling the rigid little bumps in the bad paint job as they slid over the pads of his digits. With a grimace, he resisted the urge to withdraw his hand and wipe his palm off against his pant leg, removing any dirt or grime from his fingertips and instead swallowed down his discomfort and slowly lowered his arm to hang limply by his hip.
The place didn't look bad. Not per se, but it wasn't exactly homely or welcoming. It looked like your archetypal expensive school that only the folks with money attended but no one really bothered to look after the place all that well. Deciding to simply let it deteriorate to a certain extent before patching over the cracks in the bricks with a lick of paint and a few badly hung painting of kings and queens from days gone by. No, it wasn't a bad looking place, but you could smell the money off the very walls of the building and the marble floors that lay under Cloud's feet as he made his trepid journey down the hallway.
The castle-like school his mother had sent him to this time around was silent but for a couple of far-off mumbled voices that the blonde imagined to be teachers, educating their students. Sighing softly, the sound resonated around Cloud as his shoulders slumped in a dejected manner. That's where he should be right now, in class, learning. The place was so damn huge though that he had easily found himself lost in a matter of moments, even after he'd assured the kind receptionist that he knew where he was going and had studied the map the night before he arrived. It was a lie, and he wished in hindsight that he'd decided then to be honest and admit that he hadn't even taken the slightest interest in the school, assuming he wouldn't be here long enough for it to have any kind of impact at all on him. Still, he should have at least glanced at the map.
"Where the hell is this damn classroom?" The young male muttered under his breath as he cast his gaze to the right before following that direction with his feet and breathing a heavy, frustrated sigh. He really disliked having to uproot from his old life and move almost a thousand miles from the place he tentatively called home to this new city, but with his mother's demanding job, he had no choice on the matter. Regardless of how much he wished he could have remained where he was. It was where he had spent the most time out of the past two years and he'd made a friend there that he considered his best in the world. The idea that he would be without him from here on out was depressing.
He doubted that he would ever make a friend like that here at Kokoro High, but he had to give it a go. Even if the prospect of joining a new school halfway through the year did bring about a violent shudder that racked his entire frame as his jaw clenched and ached whilst he grit his teeth. He had to grin and bear it. Even if just for his mother's sake.
One day he would like to finally settle somewhere long enough to make some kind of deeper connection with others, maybe even meet someone that he could try sharing a relationship with. Someone he could love and would love him in return, but for now, this place would have to do. Lord knew how long he would be in this city and he was determined to make the most of it. He always set out this way, with the desire to make the most of his stay in each town or city he lived in, but his enthusiasm was relatively short lived once he actually met the students he was expected to mingle with.
The other pupils were for all intents and purposes, snobs. He had no idea why his mother enrolled him in such places, after all, she knew more than most people that Cloud detested those with wealth, but not an empathetic bone in their body. In fact, he disliked anyone that regarded their own importance above all others and he didn't like to have to associate himself with those people. His task was made difficult with these school's he had to attend.
Glancing down at the piece of paper clutched in his right hand, Cloud's forehead creased as a frown pulled at his lips before his gaze rose to the thick, plywood door before him. He had arrived at his destination it appeared and he was less than eager to enter the room and discover just what kind of people he'd be spending the next year avoiding, but he couldn't evade the inevitable forever.
With a groan that he played off as a simple clearing of his throat, Cloud's fingers curled around the knob and twisted to free the lock before he pushed the door open. Met with pairs of eyes in almost every colour as the students littered throughout the room, stared at the new arrival, Cloud blinked a few times and allowed his hand to slip free from the handle of the door as he cautiously stepped into the room. Every single person had turned their heads to bore right into the blonde with narrowed, curious eyes. He really hated this part.
Feeling like a fish out of water, the young blonde male offered the crowd a small, teeth baring grin where his lips barely quirked at the corners, but he always managed to pass off as a genuine smile.
"Uh hey… I'm looking for…" The words died on his lips when he realised to his horror that he couldn't for the life of him, remember his English teachers name. Inwardly cursing, Cloud wracked his brain as his mouth moved soundlessly around unspoken syllables and his eyes widened almost comically, offering amusement for his fellow students as the room tittered with muted laughter.
"Mr Kean?" A voice interrupted his thoughts and dragged his attention from his feet where his gaze had drifted to in a vain attempt to hide his flushed cheeks. The blonde lifted his head and cocked it as he looked over towards the elder male that had suggested the name of the man he was looking for. Correctly too, he observed. Cloud parted his lips to slide his tongue out and across the plump flesh, moistening them slightly in a nervous habit, then issuing a faint, shy smile at the male who had spoken.
"Y-yes." Scratching the back of his neck, the blonde dropped his attention to the floor once more as he shifted his weight between his feet, betraying his discomfort. "Sorry, I am forgetful at times." Flicking his gaze up to the bearded man leaning against his desk with an amused smile tugging at thin lips, Cloud continued on. "I'm Cloud Strife, your new student."
"Ah, well it's a pleasure to meet you Mr Strife. Why don't you introduce yourself to the rest of the class?" Mr Kean suggested with a flippant flick of his wrist in the direction of the rest of the room.
Internally, Cloud could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage as though trying to burst free from its confines and just kill him now so he could avoid the shame that would undoubtedly consume him when he opened his mouth to speak to the room of his peers. Whilst externally, his face het up to dangerous levels, flushing his cheeks a deep crimson and highlighting his embarrassment. Public speaking was the thing he hated most and if he could avoid it at all costs, he would. Unfortunately for him, this teacher either wanted to see the new young student's demise, or he was completely unaware of just how distressing the very idea was for Cloud. He figured his stammering and inability to remain in the same spot for more than two seconds, would have given him away. It appears not.
"I-introduce myself?" He muttered and cast a confused look towards the older man urging him to share. His azure eyes as wide as saucers and his hands balled into fists at his sides, causing his blunt fingernails to bite mercilessly into the delicate skin of his palms, Cloud was desperate for a way out of this.
"Yes. Tell the class a little about yourself." Mr Kean simply smiled and nodded his encouragement at the blonde as he picked up some scattered papers from his desk and began fixing them into some sort of order.
Inhaling deeply, Cloud's nostrils flared with the action and his mind began racing, a million thoughts of exactly what he would say flooding his brain as he worried over just how he would deliver the words whilst his eyelids fluttered momentarily shut. He could do this, he knew he could, but that didn't mean the concept didn't scare the life out of him.
He cleared his throat and straightened his back, trying to appear taller than his small stature of 173cm, it somehow helped to soothe him somewhat. The very notion that he stood a couple of centimetres taller than moments before when he his posture was slumped, increased his sense of confidence as it rode over him like a wave; sudden and undeniable. With one last fleeting look around the room, he opened his mouth and began to speak. Almost as though he was on autopilot and with his voice low and hurried, his words left his lips in almost a whisper that his classmates would have missed, had they not leant forward on their desks to hear what the young male said. He didn't care. He was talking and that was the main thing.
"My name is Cloud, I moved here last week with my mother, from New York City. I am seventeen years old, my best friends name is Zack and I have a dog named Rogue. I don't know how long we will be here, but I don't imagine that I will get to know very many of you very well at all. My mother's job has us moving a lot and I've lived in about ten different houses in the past four years alone… which I hate, but its whatever." Dragging a deep breath into his lungs and feeling them inflate to swell his chest, Cloud's rambling paused as his eyes searched the sea of faces for any signs of glee. When met with only raised brows and confused expressions however, he felt his blush fade as a sigh of relief left his lips. A least they weren't laughing at him.
"Okay… um, thanks Cloud. You can take a seat now." Mr Kean urged the blonde with a reassuring smile and a nod of his head towards the far right of the room.
Cloud bobbed his head quickly in return and stepped in the direction his teacher had gestured, hurrying over to a desk with a spare seat and another student sitting in the taken chair. A friendly smile played on his lips and was mirrored by his new table mate as he took a seat beside the guy. The other male was wearing thin, wired framed glasses and wore his hair spiked up at the front in an unusual manner, not that Cloud could call anyone out on their extraordinary hairstyle choices, considering his own was as unruly as a rats nest at times. Today though, only light tufts of blonde peaked out from beneath the rim of his beanie to keep the spikes at bay, at least for his first day. He wanted to make a good impression after all.
Studying the dark haired guy at his sides features for a moment, Cloud decided at once that his new associate looked interesting and friendly enough. The kind of person he could see himself hanging out with in the future.
The bespectacled male leaned towards Cloud as he set his bag down onto the floor at his feet. The blonde didn't notice his desk buddy move at all, but the sudden warm breath that ghosted against the side of his neck, raising the tiny hairs there was such an unexpected sensation, that the blonde gasped and turned his head in the way of the whispered voice, almost bumping noses with the other man. His eyes widened and a deep flush coloured his cheek as he stuttered a faint, "H-huh?"
Backing away slowly with a light, airy chuckle escaping his lips, the brunette male smiled softly and shook his head gently, "I said I'm Ignis, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Y-you too." Cloud quickly quipped as a sheepish grin lifted the corners of his lips, glad that the other didn't call him on his blatant shyness when their noses practically touched.
Ignis' smile widened, stretching across his lips in an infectious manner as he nodded, bowing his head slightly in a semi-formal greeting, to which Cloud returned the movement, his own smile growing as he stared deep into sparkling blue eyes. He could definitely see himself befriending this guy, he seemed nice.
Moving to lean down and rummage through his backpack again, the blonde felt his smile lift with sincerity. 'It won't be so bad here.' He thought whilst grabbing his phone from a side pocket to send a quick text to Zack, letting his best friend know how things were going. Granted he'd only actually spoken to one student so far, but that was all he needed. Just one friend would see him through for the rest of the year and this Ignis seemed nice. Not a hint of selfishness about him… so far anyway.
'I'll be fine here.' Cloud mused as his fingers moved deftly over the keypad of his phone while he sent the message to his friend, a warm, contented smile, playing on his lips.
Unbeknown to the young blonde, he was being watched intently from the back of the room. Cobalt eyes bore into the back of his head and a smirk quirked thin pale pink lips as the male rested an elbow on the table in front of him, propping his chin up in his palm and admiring the new student silently.
'Cloud… well this should be interesting.' The other man thought to himself, a glint of amusement shone in his eyes as he wrapped a knuckle against the thick wood his hand was rested on, grabbing the attention of the golden haired male beside him.
"I want him." The brunette student whispered, his voice low as he spoke in a hushed tone and raised his hand, uncurling his fingers and extending one in the direction of Cloud. His gaze remained firmly locked on the unsuspecting blonde before him while he tilted his head a little to the right and watched the other male.
His companion merely raised a finely shaped golden eyebrow and followed his friends gaze towards the blonde, his interest piqued. If only because he was bored and English wasn't a class he particularly enjoyed. "Why?" He asked in a murmur, turning his head and looking round at his spiky haired confidant.
The response the fair headed man got was a light, one shouldered shrug before the dark haired teen met the others eyes and narrowed his own. "He belongs with me…you'll see."