I just realized that I never posted this drabble on FF... The prompt was Childhood!AU

Beta'ed by lunarshores!

Guest (chapter 3): It was attempted murder :P And then the concussion made Marco act all weird- you can thank lunarshores for that part :D

Guest (chapter 4): I guess that I can try, if I get an idea for it. I doubt that you'll be seeing it anytime soon, though, cuz I'm pretty slow when it comes to writing :)


I never thought that I would see him again. Not here… Not ever, really.

But there he was, sitting in the first row, answering the Biology teacher's each and every question. He looked just like I remembered, albeit a little older. The same piercing blue eyes and uniquely styled blond hair. Huh. I wonder if he remembers me.

In any case, I don't think that my gaze left the back of his head until the bell dismissed us from class. I quickly gathered my stuff and left the classroom before anyone else had the time to stand up from their seat. I spent the whole break avoiding him. Avoiding Marco. It was stupid, I know. I mean, come on! We used to be the best of friends. Well, at least until I moved away…

I didn't know what I should do. On the one hand, I really, really didn't want to see him. It brought back too many memories, both happy and painful ones. On the other hand, though, I wanted to talk to him one more time, to remind him that I existed, even though we hadn't had any contact over the last few years.

I decided to go to the bathroom and splash some water over my face in order to clear my head. Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but wonder how much I had changed over the years. I didn't think it was much, but I was probably wrong.

At the moment, I really wanted to just disappear. All of these conflicting emotions were starting to give me a headache. I wiped my face with my sleeve, ignoring the few drops that slid down my neck and soaked into the collar of my shirt. The moment I walked out of the bathroom, the bell rang, signaling that it was time to return to class. I could only hope that I wouldn't have to see the transfer student again. At least, not until I figured out what I should do about him.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. I paid even less attention to the teachers than usual, which, of course, didn't go unnoticed. I didn't care.

I took my time leaving the school building. It's not like I had anywhere to be. Well, that, and the fact that I was waiting for Marco to leave first. Yep. I was still avoiding him. I spent a good 20 minutes hiding out in the library, pretending to be interested in some books that looked like they were at least a century old, before I decided that I had waited long enough.

The hallway was clear. I only saw two or three people on my way to the ground floor of the building. Thankfully, none of them turned out to be Marco.

I pushed the door open and took a deep breath. Fresh air. What a nice change…

"I was wondering when you'd leave." I snapped my head in the direction of the voice, already knowing who it belonged to. I guess I should've taken the back exit, though a small, traitorous part of me was happy that I would get to speak to the person that I had only been able to see in my dreams or in old photos for the past few years.

Anyway, when I didn't answer right away, Marco's expression lost some of the confidence that I had always admired in him.

"You remember me, right?" Oh, how much that hurt to hear. As if I could actually forget about him. Never in a million years, no matter how much I tried…

"Of course I do, Marco. It's just that… I'm not really sure what I should say." Marco took a step forward and reached out his arms, but they almost instantly fell back to his sides.

"I missed you so, so much Ace. This… All of this," he gestured around him, "It feels like a dream." I had to agree. I still wasn't completely sure that it wasn't a dream, though. It wouldn't be the first time my mind played such a trick on me. Situations like that usually ended with me waking up on a pillow wet with tears I shed without my consent.

It was at that moment that I decided that I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to spend a few moments with the person who I had loved for such a long time. Trying to hold back the tears that had been threatening to spill from my eyes the whole day, I threw my backpack to the ground, not caring whether or not my books fell out, and threw myself forward to embrace Marco. I usually wasn't one for close contact with other people, but this time was an exception. Besides, Marco wasn't just some stranger. He was my best friend. The best friend that I had, hopefully, just gotten back.

"I missed you, too."