September 12th and 13th
Yuri grabbed his bag, shoved his lunch box in it and paused for a few seconds, staring thoughtfully at the second box on the table. Then, shrugging, he shoved it inside the bag as well and headed out for his second week at the university. It was 9.45, which meant he still had fifteen minutes left before his project management class started; that was enough time for him not to hurry up. Not that he'd ever hurry up to go to school anyway.
The mere fact that he was following some curriculum was quite surprising in itself, given how he disliked those institutions where you always had to follow some rules and fulfil annoying requirements in order to be acknowledged. He often wondered why he was even bothering to attend school, yet the answer was quite simple: he was bored, and he couldn't simply make a living out of part-time jobs only. Therefore the solution came naturally; he had to get a degree somehow.
The orphanage had seen to it that all the children attended school until high school, and most of them usually stopped after that but Yuri, out of boredom, had decided to continue. Truth be told, he hadn't even thought about the major to pick and had ended up choosing the first one he had seen on the list.
Well, somehow school life wasn't that bad and the environment was quite different from the orphanage. At least there wasn't anyone to beat up any person who dared befriend him.
As he reached the entrance of the university, he spotted a familiar figure walking in front of him, not too far away.
Flynn was talking with two other students – male ones, surprisingly – and Yuri didn't have any trouble guessing the topic of the conversation as one of the students pointed at the violin case the blonde boy was holding. Yuri merely followed the small group to the lecture hall, looking at them absent-mindedly until something unexpected happened: Flynn laughed.
Yuri had already seen him smile – or pretend to – but it was the first time he actually saw him laugh. And for some reason, Yuri couldn't help but find it charming. Realizing his thought, he quickly shook his head. 'Of course, in order to be absolutely perfect, Mr Perfect must have a perfect laugh as well.'
On a closer look, Flynn looked pretty cheerful and Yuri wondered if it was music which was putting him in that good mood. Now that he thought about it, he had never inquired about Flynn playing the violin or about any of his hobbies. It wasn't like they had known each other for long enough to know each other's tastes.
Well, it wasn't like Yuri was particularly curious about them either. Yet, somehow, there was something within him which kept whispering at him that it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get to know Flynn better and – why not? – become his friend. Somehow, the reluctance he had to create relationships with people was fading a bit more every day under the argument that what belonged to the past couldn't influence his future.
Yuri shrugged. He had been used for too long not to be involved too deeply with anyone that it would be hard to give up on the habit.
"So you're not feeling too stressed for the concert?" a first boy asked.
"A bit, but I hope everything will be fine." Flynn replied with a smile. "We've been rehearsing quite a lot, so there shouldn't be too many problems."
"I remember last year's concert, it was awesome! I'm sure you'll do even better this year!" the second boy exclaimed enthusiastically.
"We'll do our best."
"Say, how long have you been studying music? And you've always played the violin?" the first boy inquired, pointing at Flynn's case.
"I started at five, and yes it was only the violin."
"Wow! Five! No wonder you can play that well! Are your parents musicians too?" the second boy asked, not noticing Flynn's sudden though slight stiffening.
"No, they aren't." he merely replied, still keeping his smile.
"Oh really? Then how come you got interested in music?"
"Pure luck, one could say."
"But damn, you never thought of going to a music school? You know, to become a conductor or to play in big orchestras or something like that."
Flynn shook his head. The thought had crossed his mind from time to time, but circumstances had prevented him from considering the path any further.
"I'm not good enough for a music school." he explained. "For me, music is more like a pastime than a real occupation."
"Damn, and I was already imagining you conducting an orchestra and boasting to everyone around that I'm an acquaintance of yours and sucking up to you for money." the first student said with a lot of histrionics. "Conductors get rich, right?" he then asked, unsure.
Flynn blinked, then laughed.
"I guess they are." he replied, still laughing.
"I wish I could play an instrument too. Girls like guys who can play something." the second student sighed. "Flynn, I've never seen you with a girl. I mean, not all those girls who stalk you night and day. You don't have a girlfriend?"
Again, Flynn merely shook his head.
"You know, if you got one, you'd get rid of your stalkers!" the first student said jokingly. "Well, you'd break their hearts too, but that's their own problem."
"Hey, there's that girl, Estellise, you know? She doesn't look bad at all, and I heard she's very nice. What do you think, Flynn?"
"I'm not interested." the blonde boy let out a small sigh. That was the kind of conversation he had never felt at ease with.
"Then what about one of her friends? Or Judith?"
"Judith?" Flynn asked. He had never heard that name before.
"Come on! The nurse who has her shift at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 6!"
"You call her by her first name?"
"I bet she's barely older than us. And you know, she's hot." the first student said, nodding.
"She sure is." his friend added, nodding as well.
Now Flynn wished desperately to reach his lecture hall as quickly as possible to be spared the end of the conversation. But it was something else – or rather, someone – who saved him from the delicate situation. He felt a hand on his shoulder followed by a familiar voice:
"Flynn! Here you are. Say, do you have a few minutes? I'd like to discuss the next assignment. Mind if I borrow him a bit?"
"Oh, hi Yuri! Sure, we'll be going on first then." the first student greeted before moving on, followed by his friend.
"See you in class!" the latter replied as well.
"You owe me another one for this." Yuri said with a smirk as soon as the two others were far enough. Flynn frowned, not understanding immediately, but then it clicked and he sighed:
"I guess I do. Thank you."
"But damn, I didn't imagine girls could make you feel that uncomfortable." Yuri went on, deciding to tease the other one a bit. It worked.
"I just find those kinds of talks completely pointless, that's all." Flynn replied dryly. "Now if you don't mind, perhaps we should go to our class."
"Yeah, yeah. But you know, you should loosen up a bit sometimes. I was just teasing." Yuri added, patting the other boy on the shoulder sympathetically.
"And you should put some discipline on yourself sometimes." came the sharp reply. "Even the way you dress is neglected."
"Oh? And how so?" Yuri asked, slightly offended.
"The collar shouldn't be open and the tie shouldn't be loose, for instance." And your hair should be tied, he wanted to add, but refrained.
Yuri rolled his eyes. How could he have imagined even a single second that it could be a good idea to befriend that person?
"Girls like it more that." he replied, smirking.
Flynn glanced at him in exasperation then shook his head before opening the door of the lecture hall. He simply wished for the course to be over so he wouldn't have to deal with Yuri anymore.
"There are microwaves at the cafeteria, right?" Yuri asked out of the blue right after the class was over.
"Yes."
"You're gonna eat there again today?" Naturally, Flynn didn't expect the question at all and his face showed surprise.
"Yes, I am." he finally replied.
"Let's go together then."
"Didn't you bring your lunch today?"
"I did."
Flynn frowned slightly, but out of politeness decided not to question it too much even if he couldn't help but wonder about the reason why Yuri would want to accompany him. As they reached the cafeteria, Flynn started heading for the queue but the other boy stopped him:
"Let's find seats."
"Can you save me one while I'm-"
"Come on, I said." Yuri cut him in, pulling him by the arm.
"W-Wait!" the blonde one protested, yet didn't put up too much resistance as he was dragged away to an empty table. What the hell was going on with Yuri?
Rather confused, he watched as Yuri put his bag on the table, opened it to produce his lunch box, then plunge his hand in the bag again to produce another box which he handed to Flynn.
"It's Bolognese pasta. With lots of pepper." he merely explained. But it only made Flynn even more confused. Seeing that the latter wasn't planning to move, Yuri added with a sarcastic tone:
"Don't tell me you also want me to heat it for you?"
"N-No, of course not!" Flynn replied hastily as he took the lunch box. "It's just that I didn't expect you to..."
"I just happened to make too much of it yesterday, so I thought I may share some with you otherwise it'd have been a waste." Yuri shrugged before heading for the microwave.
A few minutes later, both boys were sitting at the table and ready to dig in. Flynn couldn't help but look delighted, as if he was contemplating a particularly precious jewel. The sight almost made Yuri laugh.
"It's absolutely delicious, Yuri." Flynn complimented after a first mouthful. Given his own lack of talent in the area, he had always admired people who were skilled in the art of cooking, and his surprise was even greater as his first opinion of Yuri wasn't a very positive one.
"Thanks. But you know, it's damn easy to make. I can show you so you can make some yourself whenever you want." Yuri replied, amused at how easy it was to please Flynn's papillae.
"I fear I'll have to decline your offer as I'm pretty sure everything I'd make would end up being a catastrophe. And I don't have much time to spare for cooking."
"Because you're more into music, right?"
Flynn smiled, which confirmed Yuri's thought that music was the best topic to bring up to put the blonde boy in a good mood.
"It's my main pastime." he replied. "I don't know what I'd do if not music."
"You have a rehearsal today?"
"Yes. Do you plan to come to the concert on Wednesday?"
"Maybe... I don't know. I've never been to one, always thought they're boring and for old people." Yuri replied, laughing.
"They're not! Well, I can't force you if you don't want to come, but it's free and there will be a firework as well."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll see on Wednesday. Will depend on my mood."
Flynn sighed and remained silent, taking another mouthful of pasta. Both boys merely ate their lunches during the next minute, not bothering to talk.
"Hello Flynn, Yuri." a soft voice finally broke the silence.
"Good afternoon, Estellise." Flynn nodded to the girl who was carrying a tray of food.
"Hey, you're alone today?" Yuri asked as a greeting.
"Ah, yes... My friends don't have any class this morning. May I have lunch with you?" the girl asked a bit nervously.
"Sure! Take a seat." Yuri invited her. Estellise put the tray down next to Yuri before sitting down, her cheeks slightly pink.
"Thank you." she said, then glancing at the boys, she asked: "Oh, you made your own food?"
"Actually it was Yuri who made it." Flynn replied. "And it's really good."
"Really? Yuri, you can cook?" Estellise asked with a genuine smile. "That's great! I can too, but I prefer baking cakes." she added with a timid voice.
Yuri almost felt like head-desking. Was it so strange for a guy to know how to cook pasta?
"How about you make one someday so we can taste it?" he suggested happily, making Estellise blush a bit more.
"I'd be happy to make you some. For you too naturally, Flynn!" she added quickly.
"It'd be my pleasure to taste your cooking." the latter replied politely.
For Yuri, it felt like two nobles talking to each other, with manners and etiquette; which made him laugh inwardly. Seriously, those two would match together terribly well. Yet, strangely enough, the thought disturbed him slightly, but he quickly dismissed the feeling.
The three of them kept talking about trivial matters in a very polite atmosphere that tested Yuri's ability to refrain from laughing and telling the other two to loosen up. By the time Flynn finished his lunch, Yuri and Estellise had been done for quite a while.
"Sorry for taking so long." he apologized. "It was really good..."
"I won't blame you for savouring my cooking. I'm such an awesome cook after all." Yuri boasted shamelessly.
"And very modest, too." Flynn added, laughing and making Estellise chuckle.
"Thank you for noticing it. Anyway, I guess it's time I go to my next class, and I'll probably skip the one after."
"It's only the beginning and you're already skipping?" Flynn asked, and disapprobation could be heard in his voice.
"You should try attending your classes as much as possible." Estellise advised.
"I finished my work late yesterday and I want to get some sleep." the other boy shrugged. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, Flynn. Estellise, it was a pleasure having you for lunch today." he waved at her as he walked away, therefore not noticing the red on the girl's cheeks.
"Don't forget we have to meet at 3 pm tomorrow." Flynn reminded him.
"Yeah, yeah."
As Yuri left, Estellise picked up her stuff and addressed the blonde boy:
"Is Yuri working outside school?"
"Yes, he told me he works part-time but I don't know where."
"Oh, OK... Well, I'll be taking my leave as well. Have a nice afternoon, Flynn. Oh, and I'll make sure to come to the concert!"
"I hope you'll enjoy it." Flynn replied, smiling. "Have a nice afternoon too."
He then grabbed his bag and his case before heading to his next class, trying not to pay too much attention to the very faint yet strange feeling that stirred him inwardly whenever he thought about how Estellise would blush in Yuri's presence.
At 5.30 pm on Tuesday, Flynn took mercy of Yuri and decreed that they had worked enough for the day. He had a rehearsal at 6 anyway, and Yuri silently thanked the heavens for it.
"Could you finish the first part for tomorrow? I'll take care of the second one."
"Yeah." the long-haired boy replied very unenthusiastically.
At the same time, Flynn's phone rang, and as the latter looked at who the caller was, Yuri saw him become gloomy. The blonde boy picked up the call while motioning Yuri not to wait for him. Despite his curiosity, the latter complied; yet, as he opened the door of the study room and stepped outside, he still managed to grasp the first word:
"Mother."
The word had been pronounced with a coldness which was on a very different level than the usual dryness with which Flynn would sometime talk to him.
It seemed that the rumour about Flynn not getting along with his parents was true, after all. Now Yuri's curiosity was definitely aroused, but he doubted that Flynn would be willing to tell him anything about it.
For now.
xxxxx
A/N: Woot! Another chapter done. I'm trying to get Yuri and Flynn to be a bit more like in the game, i.e. Yuri not caring much about authority and such while Flynn will be sticking more to rules and discipline. Somehow...
