I am not entirely sure why the students at the nearby tables look at me with a mixture of pity and amusement.
I'm starting to feel as though it has something to do with these three, however. There's something about them that is akin to predatory and I am beginning to realize that I am their target prey. I find myself shrinking back at the sight of flirtatious smiles and lopsided grins. A part of me feels as though I should recognize the white haired boy, but I don't know why and it bothers me.
The blond to my left is immediately established as a touchy person. His knee bumps mine and I know it's all too intentional; instinctively, I shift to the other edge of my chair. He leans forward and I habitually find myself leaning back. His sapphire eyes do not waver and his whimsical smile grows.
"Ah, so you are the new student," he drawls out in a lilting, heavily accented voice. "Where did you come from, hm?"
So he's French. And he's touching my leg again; I scoot away. Is personal space such a hard concept? Already, a part of me absolutely screams to leave and not answer anything these three have for me, but I find I am glued to my chair and my legs aren't quite cooperating. I swallow and glance between the three again, slowly, hoping Ludwig and Feliciano will come soon.
"Japan," I say, tentatively. "Can I help you with something or are you just curious?"
An obnoxious laughter makes me jump and my head swivels around to look at the white haired boy. Immediately, I lurch back in my seat – he had leaned forward and was far too close for comfort, now. Beside him, the brunette of the three is leaning forward slightly as well, arms resting on the table. He rests his upper body slightly against them, watching me through curious green eyes.
The red eyed boy completely disregards my question. "He's just as shy as West said!" He laughs. "And smaller than I imagined!"
His accent sounds distinctively German, albeit a slightly different one than that of Ludwig. I'm not sure why I'm comparing the two, however, so I quickly shake the thoughts from my head instead. Really; they were already making quite the rude impression. I can't say I have a very good impression of at least two of them, so far. Namely the Frenchman and the albino; the brunette has yet to make an absolutely terrible impression on me.
The blond touches my shoulder and this time I make an odd sound and scoot away again. "Please don't," I mumble, glancing down with a sigh.
"Ah," his lips curl up at the corners. "I forget you Japanese are odd about that kind of thing. I can't help myself, mon cher; tu es beau."
I frankly have no idea what he means and I'm not entirely sure I want to. I manage a tight, nervous smile. I don't doubt they've been waiting for an opportunity to corner me like this, but I've been spending all my time with Feliciano and Ludwig. A part of me immediately decides that Ludwig is the most likely reason they haven't approached until now. At least the Frenchman isn't touching me for the time being.
The brunette grins and leans back. "Hee-eey," he drags out the word in something like a sing song voice. "Your name is Kiku, yeah?"
I'm not sure I want to know how they already know my name. Nonetheless, I slowly nod and jerk to the side again as I glimpse the blond leaning a bit to close. Less hooked – less curious, I internally rephrase – now; he's admittedly attractive and I don't doubt he knows it, but none of these three really don't seem to know the meaning of a personal bubble. The Spaniard continues before I can comment on it.
"Ask me about my dinosaur," he says, grinning a lopsided grin.
My eyes are drawn to his shirt, which reads the same thing. I'm rather cautious to comply; who knows what he's planning? Though I don't even know their names, I find that I am very cautious about these three already. That nagging feeling that I should recognize the albino makes itself known again. I ignore it, because I'm quite sure I've never seem someone like him in my life.
Rather wishing I could shrink in on myself, I instead clasp my hands together in my lap and shift my legs away slightly because the blond's knee keeps bumping mine and I know that can't be a constant accident. Against my better instincts, I ask the brunette about his dinosaur. Apparently, he seems to have been waiting to be asked all day, for his shirt promptly comes up over his head and reveals a T-Rex head imprinted on the inside of the shirt.
Ah, there's the third bad impression I was missing.
Said Spaniard pretends to roar at the same moment I shriek and half fall out of my seat. Heat rushes to my face.
"P-Please lower your shirt!" My voice comes out much higher than I intended it to, but I hardly care right now.
"Oh?" The Frenchman chuckles and leans forward again, eliciting a rather undignified squeak from me. "Is little Kiku afraid of a bit of nudity?"
I don't have to speak for him to know the answer to that. The three of them laugh and I shrink down in my seat, hiding my face in my hands. When I dare to peek out, the brunette doesn't have his shirt pulled up anymore, thankfully. Abruptly, the white haired boy jerks up and half trips out of his seat, cursing. His beanie falls off and his necklace – a pair of silver and black dog tags that I hadn't noticed before – swings out.
"West is coming!" He says, snatching up his hat and taking off to one of the cafeteria side doors.
"See you!" The Spaniard laughs, taking off after the white haired boy and grabbing his headphones as they nearly fall off.
Now that I see his pants, they look to be something like a mix of track pants and leggings with pockets, a dark gray in color. His gray and black shoes squeak against the linoleum flooring as he sprints away. Beside me, the blond stands with a flourish and blows a kiss in my direction as he starts quickly after his friends.
"Adieu, mon cher!" He says with a wink and that same flirtatious smile, before he follows the other two out the door.
It strikes me as odd that they would abruptly run out like that, though I am not complaining. I'm more confused than anything, but the blond's farewell has me fairly flustered. Nonetheless, I turn to find that the cause of their retreat is none other than Ludwig and Feliciano, approaching the table.
Ludwig sighs as he drops into the seat the red eyed boy had occupied only moments ago and Feliciano sits beside him, in the seat the Spanish boy had been sitting in. Ludwig is shaking his head and irritation radiates off of him in waves. He mutters something in German that I clearly fail to understand and Feliciano is grinning, oddly enough.
"I apologize for not arriving sooner, Kiku," Ludwig tells me, looking up. "I wasn't aware those three were targeting you. I suppose I should have expected it though."
"It's alright," I tell him; I'm just glad he came before they decided to push anything further. "Who were those three?"
Feliciano pipes in, now. "They go by the Bad Touch Trio!" He chimes. "Remember how I told you Luddy," Ludwig sighs at the nickname. "had an older brother? It was the one with the white hair and the little chick on his shoulder although I guess you might not have seen the chick because his shirt was just as yellow as little Gilbird is- anyways, the brunette was 'Toni, or, uh, Antonio – Hernandez? - no, no, Fernandez Carriedo. You know, the one I mentioned hangs around Lovino a lot. The blond one was big brother Francis! His name is actually Francis Bonnefoy and he's not related to fratello and I at all but he's kind of like a big brother to us even though he's a junior just like we are and so is 'Toni but Gil is actually a senior now which kind of sucks because that means he's leaving this year and-"
Ludwig only gives him a withering look and Feliciano immediately stops chattering again. My head is spinning; the Bad Touch Trio? What kind of odd name is that? More importantly, I want to know why they've taken such an interest in me specifically. Surely, there has to be other somewhat new students they can bother instead.
Now, at least, I realize why I felt that nagging recognition when Gilbert showed up; Feliciano had mentioned him just today. It baffles me that someone that seems as rambunctious as him is related to someone as straitlaced as Ludwig appears to be. Ludwig proceeds to advise me to avoid the three troublemakers, and I don't hesitate to take the warning to heart. That certainly won't be an issue.
I'm not entirely sure what to think of them and at this point, I'm quite sure I don't want to find out.
Ludwig's advice to avoid them is in my best interest. The subject is directed away from the trio of troublemakers and to classes and how I'm fitting in. I finally admit to them that I've already managed to make enemies with the possible valedictorian of our year and his boyfriend; Feliciano pales at the mention of Ivan, which hardly surprises me. Ludwig shakes his head at my sheepish confession.
Soon enough, with no trace of the three known as the Bad Touch Trio, the concern is temporarily pushed to the back of my mind. I do not doubt that it will resurface later, but for now I don't think about it.
Given that they arrived much later than me, I am the first done, despite being the slowest at eating. Feliciano is busy chattering to Ludwig about something that happened in one of his classes and I don't really think they'd notice if I left now. Nonetheless, I inform them where I'm going and both acknowledge me, before Feliciano gets right back to his story. I doubt I'll see much of them for the rest of the day.
I gather my trash and the box I keep my lunch in, along with my DS, go right back into my bag. I pull it over my shoulder and head out of the cafeteria. I don't think Yao will still be at the library, so I head in that direction, fully intending to spend the majority of the rest of my day there. Libraries are peaceful and I could do with peace right now. The route there is something I know I am going to grow accustomed to quickly. I already have it down and I do not doubt I will spend a lot of my spare time there.
It can be a home away from home, in a way. Books are comforting to me. Admittedly, I suppose I am a giant bookworm. Back home, I remember sitting home all day in a track suit in at least fifty different positions as I read. The memories are becoming nostalgic, already.
Still, there's something about this place that I am really growing to like.
As expected when I enter the library, the table Yao had previously been occupying is now taken up by a brunette with violet eyes that is dressed more like an aristocrat than anything. I shake my head and wander into the aisles of books, deciding to glance at another one or two. If I try hard enough, I can just take one off the shelf and have it done by tonight, before curfew.
I take my time browsing through the aisles and nothing in particular catches my interest. Finally, I decide to go see what the fantasy section holds; it's been a while since I've read anything of that particular genre. The library seems to be quite barren around this time, so I round the corner without much regard and run smack into another student. They, like most – if not all – of the other students are bigger than me, so I am the one who ends up on the ground.
"Bloody hell," the British boy starts, looking downright enraged.
Panic swells in me; I don't want to make another enemy so soon. "I-I'm sorry!" I manage quickly and scramble to my feet, bowing deeply. "I wasn't paying attention, so I ran into you. I apologize for the inconvenience."
The blond haired boy blinks slowly, seemingly at a loss for words. I glance up from beneath my hair. His silence either means that a crisis has been averted or I have managed to create an entirely new one. But then he waves dismissively and I sigh in relief, feeling like a weight is lifted from my shoulders.
"Well, yes, it's alright. I suppose I should be the one apologizing, actually. I wasn't paying attention either," he tells me, green eyes curious. "So I believe we're both at fault. Apology accepted, nonetheless. The name is Arthur Kirkland and I don't believe I've seen you around."
"I'm still somewhat new," I admit. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Kirkland-san. I am called Kiku Honda."
Arthur raises his eyebrows – if those could even be classified as eyebrows; I inwardly scold myself for the impolite thought – at the name, but he doesn't bother to correct me. Instead, he stoops down and picks up the books he'd been carrying. Luckily, it isn't too many. I pick up the one closest to me and hand it over to him.
"Right, then, ah, Kiku," my name sounds odd, torn apart by his heavy accent. "were you looking for something in specific?"
"Not particularly," I respond, gaze shifting up to the rows of colorful books. "I just couldn't find anything interesting in the other aisles, so I decided to come here and see what I could find."
"Well, what about fairy-tales?"
He reaches up and pulls a book down, followed by a few others. I don't recognize the author – well, authors. The Grimm Brothers are unfamiliar to me, but Arthur seems quite pleased with himself as he gestures for me to take a look. I hesitate a moment, before flipping the book open and skimming a few of the pages.
Bluntly put, this is absolutely morbid.
Arthur laughs at my expression of horror. "Most of those fairy-tales that those cheesy Disney films come from? They're based off of The Brothers Grimm's stories- Bloody hell, Alfred, stop texting me," he suddenly mutters, reaching into his pocket and clicking the power button on his phone before he continues. "They're absolutely amazing – albeit a bit morbid; I do hope you have a strong stomach or a weak imagination – if you take the time to read them."
"Ah, I see," I murmur, nodding. "Alright, I'll give it a try. What are you reading?"
Arthur's eyes light up when I ask and he immediately launches into an extremely detailed explanation of a particularly complicated fantasy book. Nonetheless, I take the time to listen and fall into step with him when he gestures for me to come with him. We retreat to a table and sit with our books.
The rest of the day is spent in those seats, chatting about said books and reading them all the while. Arthur is a bit of a short tempered person, but he seems nice enough – to me, at least – and perhaps could be a potential friend. When curfew comes, we walk together to the dorms and say our goodbyes on his floor, two below my own.
Newfound fairy-tales tucked under my arm, I retreat to my own room for the night.