A/N: Greetings! Fi here. This is my first installment for The Promised Neverland fandom, I hope I didn't get it too OOC. Oh, and may I warn you that the rate might change into T in later chapters. Some parts of this story are a huge reference from the manga and some doujinshis. Shout out to Arakawa/新川, Udon/うどん, Artem/あるてむ for their amazing and inspiring doujinshis!
.
ただの幼なじみ
Just Childhood Friends
A 'The Promised Neverland' fanfiction by FiDhysta
Disclaimer: Neither The Promised Neverland nor its characters belong to me. I do own this story and the cover picture though.
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Drama
Rated: T
Pairing: Noremma/ノマエマ
Warning: School AU, Typo(s), OOC! Forgive my grammar, English is not my mother tongue. Please bear with me
Don't like it? Feel free to click 'back'
Happy reading
.
.
Summary: One birthday. One present. One game of hide-and-seek. One decision that changed their lives forever. One goal. All for the sake of protecting a precious childhood friend.
.
.
Chapter 1: A Little Changes
少しの変化
.
"Hey, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Me? Let's see... I want to be stronger."
"Stronger? Because you used to be so feeble?"
"Being stronger isn't always necessarily physical, is it?"
"You got a point... So, in what way?"
"Hmm... In a more capable way, I might say."
"Capable? For what?"
"..."
"Heey~~ Why don't you answer me?"
"I just did."
"Huh? I didn't hear anything..."
"I said it silently."
"Eeeh? Why?!"
"Hehe. Let's keep this a secret for now."
"Geez, now you make me curious. Why are you being so secretive all of a sudden?"
"...Because I have one goal I want to achieve no matter what."
.
Morning. Another start of a day, which went on in pretty much the same pattern everyday. Most people didn't like morning routine, thinking of it as something annoying that ruined the beauty of a good-night sleep. It was quite the opposite for one particular teenage girl though, as she thought morning was the time to fill energy to the fullest to be ready for the rest of the day. Thus, it wasn't surprising to find her so hyped up early in the morning.
"Morning, papa! I've finished making breakfast, with extra eggs for you! Come have a seat!"
The loud cheer of his daughter was the first thing the middle-aged man heard as soon as he entered dining room. He chuckled and greeted her back, watching the ginger-haired girl wash her hands and take off her apron.
"Why, are you trying to give me high cholesterol first thing in the morning?" he joked, but couldn't help but salivate by looking at the sandwich. He pulled out a chair and sat on it. "I see you're already full of energy today, Emma," he commented as she also sat on the chair across him.
"What are you saying? Emma is always full-charged even after waking up. Just ask Carol how it feels like to be woken up with loud greetings every morning," the mother said as she joined them to the dining room, a pouty little girl in tow.
"Sometimes it's annoying. Onee-chan's always so noisy when she wakes me up," little Carol grumbled, emanating laughter from her family.
"Sorry, sorry. But being energetic right after waking up is a must, you know. Trust me, it helps you maintain good mood throughout the day! Here, special tomato sandwich for my cute little sister," Emma consoled the girl, and it worked. Carol's face brightened up upon seeing her breakfast.
"Whooa.. Your cooking skill has gone up, hasn't it? It looks so appetizing."
Emma rubbed her orange head shyly at her mother's compliment. "I did it just like Ray told me. I still can't make more complex dishes, but at least I can make something edible now," she grinned.
"As expected from Emma's incredible memory. No wonder you always get full marks on your tests, it almost sounds like cheating to me, honestly," her mother joked while eating her sandwich delightfully. At this, Emma waved her hands dismissively.
"No, no, it's nothing compared to Norman! As if his photographic memory isn't enough, he also can calculate complex math in his head! He's the real cheater here!" she raved excitedly, moving her arms around to exaggerate her point.
The other three laughed heartily at her complaint, and the house was filled with joy.
Indeed, today was just another ordinary day. Another morning routine some people might think as boring, but for Emma, this was the peaceful life she loved very much. She loved waking up early to annoy her still-sleepy little sister, she loved helping her mother making breakfast—or making it all herself sometimes, just like she did today—she loved chatting with her family during breakfast, she loved sending her father off to work before saying goodbye to her mother and sister herself.
The weather was sunny today, just like how she loved it to be. Not that any weather would affect her mood, though—Emma was a girl who can still happily walked to school in a rainy Monday morning. She brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight as she walked through the usual path towards her school, eyes winced by the exposure. But only for a moment, as her eyes soon widened back—as well as her grin—upon seeing a tall figure waiting in front of the park.
He looked quite eye-catching with his platinum blonde hair, a white shirt and red tie under his favorite gray V-neck sweater, and a formal cream-colored jacket with dark brown collar and the school's insignia on the breast pocket over it. One of his hands was inside the pocket of his wine-colored pants.
"Good morning, Emma," the boy greeted with a warm voice, his smile so blinding that might put the sunlight to shame.
Emma quickened her pace and glomped at his arm, making the boy giggle. "Morning, Norman!" she greeted back cheerfully. He chuckled before starting to pull her to walk alongside him.
"Energetic as always, aren't we? I hope your mom didn't put too much sugar in your pancake this morning," Norman teased, his calm blue eyes meeting her annoyed green ones.
"How rude! For your information, I made egg sandwiches for breakfast today, so you can't say that I'm in a sugar rush," she pouted, but didn't loosen her arms around his arm in the slightest. He laughed again, his voice like bells in Emma's ears.
"I know, I know. I'm glad you are healthy today too, Emma," with his free hand, he reached out and stroked the orange bangs covering her forehead. She blushed lightly at the touch.
Emma took a peek at the boy, now already facing forward as they walked, but that trademark smile never left his thin lips. She couldn't help but smiled warmly as well.
We are going out.
Emma thought back to the moment when it all started. It's been two months since she and Norman had agreed to go out. They were always together as best friends before, so to tell you the truth, there hadn't been much differences in their relationship—she was never reluctant to glomp or tackle him in a hug before, and she still did it now. But if she had to name some new things, she had to admit how she liked the way he touched her softly sometimes, like what he did just now.
Norman and I are going out, but our relationship is pretty much the same as before.
Well, except for the occasional soft caresses from Norman, and the fact that now she could link arms with him more freely, nothing had really changed. They still walked to school together, ate lunch together, walked home together, and play together.
As a trio.
I'm glad.
Yes, you're not mistaken. When other girls usually wanted something to change when they started a relationship, Emma was different. The fact was, she didn't really want anything to change in her life. Her happy, peaceful, perfect life. This was exactly the life she desired.
They were childhood friends—Emma, together with Norman and Ray, had made an irreplaceable trio—and she held dear both of them equally. For Emma, they weren't just simply friends—they were also siblings who had grown up together in the same orphanage. They had never left each other's sides, before eventually they got separated after they got adopted, one by one. Sure, they went to the same grade school where they were able to see each other—still, they had a lot less time together than they used to have back in the orphanage.
The real separation occurred when Norman went to study abroad after that. Emma was a bit devastated at his decision, since Norman was the first to be adopted among the three, making their time with Norman being the least. But then he promised her that he would be back after three years, and that reassured her.
She couldn't be happier when he had fulfilled his promise. She remembered how overjoyed she was as they were reunited at the entrance ceremony, finally all the three of them got into the same school again. She had been keeping in her mind that she would dedicate these high school days to make up for Norman's absence during three years of middle school. Now in high school, both of her two best friends were here, and for the first time in a while, she finally felt whole again.
And she didn't want that to change.
She wasn't sure if the other two were feeling the same, initially. At first she thought that Ray might stay away a bit to give the new couple some time together—the idea already made her feel bad for him—but it seemed like Norman already read her mind, as he often invited Ray along to eat lunch and other things with them. And by observing how their relationship went these past two months, she was positive that Ray didn't feel left out. And for that, she was glad.
In fact, Ray was rather emotional when they told him they were together and he kept congratulating them while holding back tears of joy like a proud mom attending her son's wedding. He was also the one who occasionally suggested that they should go on a date more rather than hanging out as a trio.
Emma's mind made a rewind to that particular day two months ago. It was summer, the last week of school before summer vacation. She was sitting in a couch in the student council room, waiting for Norman to finish his paperwork. Having nothing else to do, Emma talked about how everyone being so busy even though vacation was just around the corner.
.
"This year's summer vacation will be boring, I assume," Emma murmured between her folded arms on the armrest. The sound of pen scratching on paper didn't stop, but she knew Norman was listening to her. "You're going to help your dad with his research, aren't you? Ray also said he had to work. I guess I'll just stay at home playing with Carol, then."
"That's new to me, seeing you complaining about spending time with your family," an amused tone came from the only boy in the room. "Who are you and what did you do to our Everyone-Is-Family-and-I-Love-Family Emma?"
Emma lifted her head from the armrest to take a look at the boy, and she was greeted with a smirk and playful glance behind those half-rimmed glasses.
"Don't get me wrong, I do love spending time with Carol, mama, and papa. But we don't have plans on going anywhere this year," she turned her annoyed look away from him and pouted. "I'm not a student council, I'm not a daughter of a genius neurologist and scientist, and I don't have a family restaurant to work at like Ray either. You can't blame me for being a little bored."
Norman replied with a chuckle. "Ray and I won't be working all day throughout summer vacation, you know. We can always make appointment to play somewhere," he reassured her.
Emma rested her chin back down, her mind recalling what Gillian and the others had talked during lunch. "Appointment, huh..." she uttered slowly.
Norman turned his full attention to the girl upon noticing the change in her tone. Her head was facing the other way, so that he could only see her ponytail falling around her right shoulder.
"Is something wrong, Emma?"
The girl didn't respond right away, her mind too busy thinking about the gist of what Gillian had said this afternoon. After a minute or two of silence, she finally let out a sigh.
"I talked with Gillian and the others today about vacation plans. When I said I didn't have any, they shrieked and scolded me not to waste such opportunity. They were yapping about something like 'believe in summer's magic' or those kinds, and persisted that I'd better off go find some love."
She continued with high-pitched voice, impersonating Violet's words, "'I know that you're free to be friends with everybody, Emma, but we're already in second grade, at least have some fun while you're still a teenager,' they said," she closed her eyes for a moment, imagining Gillian and Violet's irritated look.
"At first I thought it didn't even make sense, but now that I think about it, they actually got a point. Next year we'll be third graders, there's no doubt we'll be busy preparing ourselves to enter university. Suddenly it hit me—Am I being too free as a girl? Is it a double-sided sword for me to think all of my friends as family?"
With a loud thud, Norman stacked the last bundle of the paperwork on top of the finished ones. "It's not a bad thing to care for all of your friends, Emma. To tell you the truth, that is one of your special traits that can't be found in anyone else," he commented.
Emma smiled weakly at the compliment. "Still... I got the feeling what they were trying to say is that special trait of mine would prevent myself from becoming a normal girl—a girl who can fall in love and enjoy summer vacation just the way they do."
A silence. Emma registered back what she had said, then gasped embarrassedly after realizing she had brought a rather heavy topic.
"Ah, don't mind me. Actually, this kind of things don't really bother me. I have a wonderful life—and I really am content with my family and friends. I don't need anything else, really," she waved her hands dismissively, turning to face him. She noticed that now he had stood up from his seat and was proceeding towards the couch she was in.
"Then shall we try it?" Norman asked, removing his glasses as he approached her. She froze, oblivious but at the same time understanding the implication behind his question.
"Eh...?"
"Wanna try going out with me... Emma?" he clarified in a softer tone, confirming Emma's surmise.
At first she considered the possibility that he might be joking, but she quickly brushed away the idea. There's no way he could be joking with such a sincere gaze and soft smile on his lips. The way he sat on the armrest, with both hands inside his pockets and upper body slightly leaned down to her wasn't helping, as well.
Emma was dumbfounded. This was so sudden, she wasn't prepared for this kind of development. A rush rippled through her heart and she held her breath. She had always thought of Norman as her best friend, nothing more... maybe. She had never fallen in love before in her life, but somehow she felt like she knew how would it feel like to have a crush, deep down inside her.
And what she felt towards Norman right now was nothing like that. The tickling and tugging feeling inside her chest was different from how she knew it. She looked up at him again.
But this was her best friend. Her precious, irreplaceable best friend. Emma didn't want to make him sad. If she turned him down right now, would it ruin their relationship? Would he awkwardly look away from her whenever they passed by each other at school?
Emma cringed inwardly. The thought of his hurt expression scared her even more than anything, and she wouldn't let that happen. So she smiled up at him, and gave him her answer.
"Yes..."
The mixed emotions of relief, excitement, and awe from his beaming eyes almost hit Emma with guilt. She was being cruel, she knew, but this was better than throwing him into despair by turning him down.
It's okay, Emma thought, Even if it's not in the way how it suppose to be, I do like Norman. We're still best friends. Nothing will change, we'll always be together.
Her only mistake was that she didn't realize how she didn't find the slightest bit of regret from her decision, or how happy she was feeling when she welcomed Norman's outstretched hand. And little did she know, the wheel of change had already started to move.
.
The couple was waiting for the green light at the first intersection. Emma looked far across the street, and frowned as she saw something was lacking from the crossroad. She turned to the boy beside her. "Ray isn't waiting at his usual spot?"
"No, he has morning job with the other student council members to take care of," Norman answered without looking at her, his smile unwavering. Emma blinked.
"Student council...? Then why are you here, then? Shouldn't you also—" widening her eyes as realization hit her, Emma's jaw dropped and she stopped in her track. "H-HOLD IT! You didn't ditch your job just to walk me to school, did you??!"
Unaffected by her loud outburst, Norman just simply simpered and said calmly, "I'll treat Ray some sweets today to make it up later. Must be tough for him to be a vice-president," he ended his sentence with a chuckle.
"B-but you can't abandon your duty just like that! I'm fine walking to school alone, you know that! You irresponsible president!" Emma yelled. "Ugh, now I feel bad for them..." she murmured in worry.
Another chuckle was heard again, and Emma wondered how this guy could take things so lightly. Too lightly. "It's okay, Emma, don't worry. It was Ray's idea to begin with, and I agreed because we just can't let you walk alone. At least one of us has to be your guardian, no?" his voice became more somber as he added to himself, "We can't let something like that ever happen again."
Emma knitted her brows, not catching his last sentence. She studied his expression hoping to get some explanation, but there was none. He had this vacant, faint sadness in his eyes while gazing into the distance. Disappointed, she casted her languid gaze to the pavement.
There were times where Norman—and even Ray—looked like this, that she didn't know what the cause was or what's behind that distant gaze. She tried to ask them a couple times, but they always dismissed the topic, telling her not to worry with a forced smile. It happened all the time to the point where Emma's curiosity gave up—well, or rather, they left her with no other choice but to trust them and just let them deal with whatever it was.
"Besides..."
She snapped from her reverie at his usual light voice and looked up almost instantly. She was met with his blue orbs, now already back to the soft and tender gaze, staring back at her.
"Don't you want to enjoy a little extra time for us together, just like this...?"
She didn't know if it was that smile, or that soothing voice, or those cerulean eyes filled with kindness. She was so used to this side of him—Norman had always been so kind and soft—and yet, there was something preventing her from staring into those eyes for too long. She quickly looked away, her face warmed in the process. If she had stayed staring at him a little longer, she was sure her face would have burned.
"Yeah..." was all she could mutter before he took her hand and pulled her to match his steps.
Emma didn't want their relationship to change. She wanted to forever cherish the friendship between the three of them. They were a very important part of her life that made her life perfect.
And yet, ironically, the gear was involuntarily moving within herself, as her own way of seeing Norman had started to change.
.
.
Grace Field Private Academy was a prestigious school that consisted elementary, middle school, and high school to educate elite students and prodigies. It was also famous around the prefecture as a reputable college prep school—students who graduated from this school were known to have good records and high chances to enter well-known universities.
While the majority of the students were quite remarkable enough compared to other schools, on top of that Grace Field also had its own jewels. They were none other than the three students who got perfect scores on the school's entrance exam—but their accomplishments didn't stop there. Ever since last year's opening ceremony, those three names were always displayed as the top three on each exam result every semester. That was what made them quite famous around the school as 'The Three Full-Scorer of GF'.
"Norman, make sure to buy a proper lunch for Ray later. And I mean no plain melon bread, you hear me?" Emma, the third place of The Full-Scorers, reminded her boyfriend with a stern voice. "Whether it's your agreement or not, you're still skipping your job. Period."
Norman knew Emma wasn't bluffing when she defended someone. There was a reason why she was known as the most considerate person and a big sister figure for everyone, and of course she wouldn't overlook any kind of discrimination. Apart from her big heart, people also admired her because of her fast-learning brain, photographic memory, and impressive athletic ability that made her the ace of the archery club.
"I know, I know, got it," the platinum blonde giggled, although he already predicted that Ray mostly had brought his own bento from home. He was a good cook, after all. His eyes wandered around as they entered the school grounds, and found the boy in question outside their school building, holding a folder in his hand.
"Morning, Ray. Thank you for covering up for me," he called out, catching the boy's attention. His lazy eyes peeked from beneath his long, black bangs that covered the left part of his face.
Ray, the multitalented vice-president as well as the runner-up of the top-scorers. He was also said to be the only one to match Norman's intelligence. His slightly ignorant and cold demeanor usually made people think twice before approaching him, but not for his close friends. They knew beyond that exterior, Ray was actually a very caring person.
"Yo. Glad to see you two made it here safely," he greeted back, which made a certain ginger-haired pout.
"Ray, please don't do that again. I know you're worried about me, but that's not necessary, really. You know I can take care of myself," Emma protested.
"No complaints, Emma. A promise is a promise, and a kid isn't supposed to be left alone. We all know you're still five inside," he teased, smirking.
Emma's face reddened in annoyance. "I'm not a kid! I'm seventeen just like you guys!" she fumed, then turned to the giggling boy standing by her side. "Norman, say something! I'm not that childish, right?" she whined, trying to find a defense.
"Yup, of course you're not. You've grown into a cute young lady, Emma," Norman replied with a goofy grin, patting her head. Emma grinned widely and leaned into his touch.
"Stop spoiling her, you guardian!" Ray yelled irritably, then cleared his throat after noticing their random antics were drawing people's attention. "Well, whatever. Here you go, Teiou. The rest is yours," Ray passed the folder in his hand to the other boy, who accepted it without asking. "Please check it out and we will re-evaluate after lunch," he then turned to enter the school building.
"Right, thanks again, Ray!" Norman called, which Ray replied with simply waving his hand. He opened the folder and read its contents as he began moving to enter the building.
"You're having a meeting after lunch? It means you'll eat your lunch in the office during recess, and start the meeting right after that, right? You'll have roughly 20 minutes to discuss until the next period starts," Emma guessed. She glanced at the boy beside her, and found that he was already focused on the papers. He never ceased to amaze her how fast his facial expressions changed every time he came to work.
"Exactly. That's Emma for you, you caught up pretty quickly," he glanced down to throw a proud smile at her before going back to check on the files.
Emma silently studied how his eyes slowly moved as he read, his brows slightly furrowed in concentration. His usually smiling lips were now thinned in a straight line. Now this was the face of their student council president, the leader who was respected and adored by the student body. That's where he got his nickname— Teiou, or Emperor, because his charisma and leadership never failed to gain other people's respects and supports.
Norman was not just an ordinary smart kid. He was a true prodigy with a record of constantly taking first place in mock exams, with unparalleled brain capacity that allowed him to learn multiple languages quickly and to solve complex math problems in his head. Being the smartest student in this prestigious school also came with a huge responsibility he couldn't neglect, and that's why he always worked hard so as not to disappoint the trust people had placed onto his hands.
"You'll get dizzy reading while walking like that. Won't you wear your glasses?" Emma asked as she noticed he was squinting his eyes.
"...No, I'm fine. It won't take long," he replied without taking his eyes off the paper.
Wordlessly, Emma linked her arms with his right one, lightly leaning her body against him. The action surprised Norman, and he threw a curious look at the girl. She smiled up innocently at him.
"If so, let me guide your steps then. A genius among geniuses aside, you still can be clumsy sometimes. What if you trip and fall disgracefully in front of your followers? The last thing we want to see is our Teiou humiliating himself," she tilted her head so that her ponytail hung to the side, her eyes glinted playfully.
Norman couldn't stand this cuteness of his girlfriend. Forget Emperor—at the end of the day, he was still an ordinary young man in love. Madly. With his childhood friend.
He covered his warm face with a hand that wasn't holding the folder, but the blush still visible on the tip of his pale ears.
"She's killing me..." he murmured to himself, his voice muffled by his palm.
Emma perked up at his faint voice. "Hm? What did you say?"
"Nothing..." he squeaked. He inwardly thanked Emma's supporting arms on him, or else, he would have fallen due to his wobbly knees.
.
.
The thick wooden door to the student council room opened, and a platinum blonde boy walked in with a bright smile.
"Wassup! Ah, it's just you, Ray. Where are the others?"
The black-haired boy looked up from his lunch box to nod at his friend. "Not here yet."
His eyes caught two plastic bags in Norman's hand, one of which was placed in front of him before he could ask any questions. He peeked inside and found his favorite canned coffee.
"I promised Emma I'd treat you lunch to make up for this morning. I knew you'd bring your own bento though, so I hope this will do," Norman explained as he took a seat on the couch beside him and opened the package of his sandwich he had bought earlier.
Ray grinned. "Black. Right on point. Thanks, you saved me from falling into depresso," he joked, earning a chortle from the other boy. Norman knew pretty well how much he craved for caffeine.
"You spoil her too much, don't you think? I bet you'd never say no to her," Ray muttered after swallowing his food.
Norman looked at him with a raised brow. "Do I?" He moved his gaze to the ceiling for a moment, then chuckled. "I just want to do anything that will make her smile... Well, maybe I do spoil her a bit," he admitted shyly.
Ray sighed at his poor, love-struck best friend. He knew Norman had always liked Emma ever since they were living together at the orphanage, but he didn't expect that this calm, cool-headed genius could also turn into an idiot when finally dating Emma.
"Haven't you heard? Don't fall too deep or you'll drown. —Ah, I'm not telling you to stop feeling this way for her, just..." he quickly cleared up the moment he saw Norman's brow furrowed suspiciously, "...you really need to keep your cool once in a while. You almost lose it every time Emma smiles at you," he peered lazily at his friend. "Remember, you have to keep your dignity in place, Teiou."
Norman laughed at his words. "Emma said similar things," he munched on his sandwich and swallowed it before he continued, "I can't help it, you know? After all, I'm just a teenager full of weak spots. But that's why I have you guys by my side, right? You always know when to pull me back on track."
Ray rolled his eyes at his friend's simple excuse.
"That aside, about this matter regarding the paperwork," Norman spoke with the 'president tone' he always used whenever he was talking about work, making Ray turn his full attention to him, "I'm afraid we won't make it on regular time. It looks like I won't have time to revise during lunch break because of the meeting, so I'll have no choice but work late after school to meet tomorrow's deadline," he finished, meeting Ray's dark-colored irises seriously.
"You know what it means, Ray. I'll leave Emma in your care," he finalized his point.
Ray nodded. "Got it. You can count on me," he replied, slouching down his back in the couch. "I bet she's gonna protest yet again, rambling about how much stronger she is than we think and so on," he sighed, but didn't really complain about it. He clearly understood what Norman was implying behind the weigh in his words just now.
Norman, on the other hand, didn't argue with him. Ray's response might sound like he was in a drag, but he knew better. Ray was, as much as himself, thinking of this matter as something they couldn't turn a blind eye on.
"I don't care. I never doubted her abilities, and I trust her when she says she can take care of herself. However... Letting her out of our sight is a completely different story. We both have no chance to fail," he said bitterly, gripping the fabric covering his knee. Ray saw this and looked down at the floor, sighing.
"Yeah, of course," he uttered, his own eyes dimmed. "Don't worry. Whether she likes it or not, she's not going home without me today. You just focus on your job," he assured, and Norman granted him a grateful smile.
"I trust you."
Ray smiled back, and they said nothing afterwards. They just ate their lunch in silence, neither of them tried to start another chat. Both of the boys knew pretty well what the other was thinking, for it was written in the dark expression on each other's face.
The answer lay in the past, when that terrifying day had changed their lives forever.
.
.
To be Continued
A/N: More chapters to come soon. Let me know what you think! Ciao!