First Day

To some, high school was an important milestone. It's the start of new beginnings and where people can meet friends and learn about the world.

Vali, unlike those optimistic people, saw high school as a terrifying world he rather stay away from.

Vali stared up at the large brick building above him. Teenagers flew to and from the doors, chatting and laughing back and forth without a care in the world. They made it look so easy. Most of them even made it look fun but as Vali stood there and watched them, he couldn't help but feel the claws of anxiety hooking into him.

"The doors are right there, Val."

Startled, Vali jumped at the sudden voice. He blushed as he did so, feeling like a fool for being so jumpy.

"I know." Vali hefted his backpack over his shoulder. "I just...I need a moment."

At that, three heads popped out of his backpack, two being his uncles and one being his father.

"You can do this," Gabriel reassured. He was proud of Vali for making it this far and was willing to let him throw in the towel if it was too much. "Just take a few deep breaths." But Gabriel really wanted Vali to keep going.

"Easy for you to say," Vali snapped back, though not really meaning to. "Why do I have to go to school. You guys don't."

"Sam tried." Castiel was speaking, his big blue eyes trained on Vali's. "He gave up after the last couple goes at daycare."

"Not to mention that we have a duty to devote every ounce of our time to finding our brothers and sisters," Balthazar added. "Even though 80% of the time we're just watching Netflix."

"Then why-"

"Because it'll be good for you." Vali raised a brow at his father and the archangel mirrored him. "You didn't get the chance to be a kid back on Asgard," Gabriel reminded. "You left long before and..." The archangels eyes lowered. "Well, I guess it's my fault but you never really made many friends."

The frown on Vali's face faded and he reached over his shoulder, patting his father's head. "Sorry," he apologized. "It's not all your fault, dad. I..." Vali let out a tired breath. "I never really did much to help the situation either." His eyes roamed back to the school. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You can." Gabriel smiled reassuringly. "I know it."

"And we're right here with you," Balthazar added. He held his hands up and wiggled his fingers. "Your own portable cheerleaders."

Vali snorted and let his eyes roamed over the front doors of the school again. There were only a handful of teens running through them now and Vali could hear the ring of a bell within the building.

Classes were about to start.

Following his dad's advice, Vali took a few deep breaths. It helped slow his frantic heartbeat and cleared his head. In a matter of seconds, Vali actually felt okay. He didn't feel great but he at least didn't feel like he was going to have a panic attack.

"Okay," he said to himself and made his way down the sidewalk to where the school's front doors waited for him. His backpack shifted as he walked, his dad and uncles hiding within its folds and behind his books. The jostling was uncomfortable but at the same time reassuring.

Vali wasn't alone. His family was with him.

The principal was a gentle woman with bright red hair like Charlie's. Though, hers was shorter and styled. She was understanding towards Vali and talked him through the rules and his schedule before escorting him to his first class.

To Vali's discouragement, the class was huge. Every seat (except a few near the front) was taken and everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare right at him. Even the teacher, an old man with salt and pepper hair was looking at him over the pages of a thick textbook.

"Everyone," The principal started while pressing a gentle hand to Vali's shoulder. "This is Vali Mills. He just moved to the area so please be good examples and fellow alumni." She turned to the teacher then. "Sorry for the interruption, Mr. Krogstad, carry on."

With that, she left Vali alone in front of the entire class with a cloud of anxiety hovering above his head. Vali's heart sped up again, hands shaking as he struggled to think of what to do next.

Thankfully, he didn't have to.

"Have a seat at any open desk, Mr. Mills," Mr. Krogstad said over his book. "There should be a textbook by any empty seat. We're on page 43 reading the paragraph on Bunker Hill."

Nodding, Vali hurriedly went to an empty seat by the window, keeping his head down as he went. He set his bag down by his feet and flipped the textbook on his desk open. As soon as he was seated, Mr. Krogstad started reading.

Vali wished he could pay attention but the dozens of eyes on him were too distracting. They carved into his back, making him squirm and shift.

Someone tapped his shoulder and Vali turned wide blue eyes onto soft brown ones.

"Hey, name's Grayson, the owner of the brown eyes whispered. "But you can just call me Gray." They held out their hand. "Wanna be friends?"

Vali looked the student up and down briefly. Gray wore a light gray T-shirt and worn out jeans. Their hair was a mess, looking like the thick black locks hadn't been washed in days. In all, they didn't look threatening and their eyes didn't hold any ill will within them either.

He shook Gray's hand and Gray's eyes sparkled.

"Great! What class you have next?" Gray leaned in a little closer. "I've got Bio with Mrs. Heddings. She's a real piece of work but if you do what she says you won't have a problem."

"I..." Vali nodded. "Yeah, I've got Biology too."

"I'll walk with you to class then," Gray decided. "I doubt Principal Gerbil showed you around much."

Vali's head tipped in confusion. "Uh...Gerbil? I thought her name was— "

"Miss Linde?" Gray nodded. "Yeah, that's her name. But a few years ago some kid stole one of the gerbils from the science room and hid it in her office." Gray chuckled. "She was talking on the intercom when it popped out and she started screaming like she was in a horror film." They started giggling then and Vali couldn't help but smile, his tension draining away little by little as he listened to Gray talk.

"Mr. Mills and Miss-"

"Mx is the correct term, Sir, not Miss," Gray corrected.

That got them a few chuckles and eye rolls around the room.

"Either way please refrain from disturbing my class. Mr. Mills I'm sure will be free to visit with after class."

"Yes, Sir," Gray sighed before slumping back in their chair. They gave Vali a large grin and a wink when he glanced back and Vali couldn't help but mirror the smile before looking to his textbook again.

Something pulled at his pants leg after a moment and Vali looked down at his pack. It had zipped open a little and his dad and uncles were peaking up at him with giant smiles. They held up their thumbs, mouthing at him words Vali could barely catch at first.

First friend!

Great job!

They're a keeper!

A blush ran over Vali's cheeks at their words and he turned away from them to focus on the reading. Still, he only managed to catch a few words from his professor. His mind was somewhere else or, more specifically, someone else. He had met his first friend and the big bad world of high school suddenly seemed a whole lot better.