implodes on myself because of all the work i have

hah... hah... i have three ongoing stories and yet i want to add another one WHOOPS well i don't really plan on dropping any so i guess that's a plus-? moving on!


Chapter Two

Who would've thought that something good could come out of this?


"Where are you?"

The voice, laced with confusion, sinks into Lien's mind slowly. She feels indignation rising up in her, and disbelief paints the tone of her voice as she responds slowly. "I'm at school, and you just ignored me." She pauses- it had been just a bit more than that. "No, I'll correct myself: you didn't remember me at all. And I'm sure that you weren't on the phone before you walked into school."

Scattered pieces of the puzzle take their time to gather in Lien's mind. Arthur is currently talking to her over the phone, clearly knowing of her existence, but the Arthur Lien had talked to did not know her. Arthur is supposed to be on the phone with her, but he was engrossed in his book when she saw him just a few seconds earlier. These two observations contradicted each other completely, so the only thing that makes sense...

... is that this is all a prank.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" Her voice is dry as a frown creases upon her face. At her expense, an elaborate prank was set up. How troubling.

"What?"

"Who are you?" Lien demands, grip tightening on her phone. "Stop this act now, I've figured you out. I know you're not Arthur. I don't know how you managed to sneak your number into my phone, but-"

"I am Arthur," the voice replies, and she can hear the frown in his voice. "I can assure you this isn't a prank. I'm right outside the school gates, and I don't see you anywhere."

"No one is at the school gates except for me," she says dryly, glancing around once to affirm her own statement.

"I'm right next to Gakuen High's plaque." The frustration is evident in his voice. "This isn't a prank. Unless you're the one pranking me."

"Impossible," she mutters. Looking to her left, the plaque is also displayed there clearly. They should be standing at the same place right now, so if the one she is talking to is Arthur as he claimed. Gulping nervously, Lien clutches the hem of her skirt. It has to be a prank, or else none of this situation would even be plausible. But what kind of prank would go this far, to insist that for once, Lien's keen instincts were deceiving her?

She knew where she was standing...

"I'm directly next to the plaque," the voice repeats again.

... or did she?

"... What?" She mumbles, a hand going up to rub the side of her head.

"Believe me, I wouldn't want to prank you, of all people," the voice insists. "Ah- wait! I see you. But you're not on the phone...?"

"I am on the phone."

"But... I don't see you on the phone. Are you on Bluetooth? I'm waving to you right now! Why aren't you looking over-?"

"That's not me."

Finally, the pieces start to click together. This person's phone number had somehow made it into her contacts list. This person sounds a lot like, if not exactly, Arthur Kirkland. The Arthur that she had just encountered did not recognize her... and the Lien this voice tried to get the attention of most likely did not know him. The realization slowly settles into her, but she's not too keen of accepting this as a fact.

"What do you mean, that's not you?" Arthur, the one on the other side of the line, interrupts her musings unknowingly, bringing her back to reality.

"Because I'm still standing next to the plaque of Gakuen High."

"Huh? You just went into the school."

"No, I didn't. I'm still outside," she replies calmly, his words now making her more certain of her theory. That is, if she can believe what he's saying is true. For now, she'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"I just saw you walk inside, so that's impossible!" He replies, frustration laced around his voice. "You can't possibly be outside-"

"Arthur," Lien says firmly, causing the man to halt in his speaking. "We're in different worlds."

The long silence that follows has Lien pulling her phone away to make sure they were still connected, before pressing the screen back to her ear hesitantly. She, too, isn't fond of the assumption, but if they're both telling the truth, this is the only logical conclusion.

"... Like, alternate universes?" Arthur responds slowly, voice wary as if agreeing with her would shatter the fabric of reality.

"Correct."

"..." Another moment of silence, before he responds again, saying the words she would have said if she was the one being told this type of skeptical information. "That's illogical."

"Yes, I agree." Leaning against the wall, Lien exhales. "But there's no other way to explain this, unless you want to admit that this is a prank."

"I'm not fond of pranks," he replies tiredly. "But I haven't done any magi-" Then he cuts himself off abruptly. Lien arches an eyebrow curiously, but chooses not to pursue the topic, seeing as there's more pressing matters at hand.

"I know it doesn't make sense... but this is the only conclusion I can come up with." The Vietnamese teenager rubs her forehead in irritation, disliking this elaborate conclusion, as it defied all aspects of reality. But she feels personally inclined to trust in the validity of Arthur's words, even if this is most likely a... different Arthur. Their voices were very similar, but also... different? It's hard to place into words exactly.

"Tell me about your world."

Again, breaking through her musings- and the timing's perfect. Any more thinking and Lien feels as if her head will explode.

"What do you mean exactly?" As in, what is she supposed to tell him that would help? Even the intelligent youth can't fathom the situation right now.

"If this is the only explanation, then there should be... some things that are different." It seems as if he's going to give her theory the benefit of the doubt, so his voice sounds more firm and analytic, in contrast to the baffled wariness it held before.

"Well... I'll state the obvious then. You have my number and I have your number," Lien says, giving herself a little mental slap for starting out the observations that way.

"The you I know doesn't know me, and the me you know doesn't know you," he affirms. The words seem to be quite the tongue twister, but she can comprehend it despite the whirlwind her mind is in right now. She and Arthur did pass each other in the same hallways, but she's sure he doesn't know her... so asking her to hang out after school should definitely be the last thing he would do. At least, the Arthur she knew.

"So... our positions are reversed," Arthur concludes over the phone, startling her from her thoughts. She had missed out on the other parts of his conclusion, but if he had decided the same thing as her-

"So you like Lien," she says. "... Well, the Lien of your world."

She hears him choking on the other side. "W-Well, it's embarrassing when saying it so straightforwardly..."

Lien isn't really aware of what social tact is, seeing as she's usually hardheaded and stubborn, saying whatever is on her mind. However, she realizes the weight of her own words and scratches her cheek sheepishly.

"I... It's true though, right?" It would've been embarrassing if she had made such a presumptuous assumption on her own.

"... mhnyeshnb..." The answer is lost in his mumbles, but she manages to understand what he's trying to express.

"I guess that means we're the same," Lien realizes. "Both of us... like each other's selves of the other world."

Confessing to Arthur seems too surreal... but since it isn't the Arthur in this world, it's fine, right? It's like speaking to Natalia or Elizaveta, in a way... though she supposes now that she's said it aloud, it's flustering for her as well.

"Er, how does that help?" She can imagine him rubbing the back of his neck, a habit she had noticed whenever he was taken aback by something. "We can't see each other-"

"Who knows ourselves better than anyone?" She cuts in, though she falters after that. "Ah, sorry for interrupting again. But this is an interesting development, you know? We can give each other advice on how to win over ourselves." Does it sound too arrogant of her to say this? No, she isn't assuming that the Arthur of this world will take to liking her, even with whatever advice she might receive. However, if she doesn't try... she knows she will regret it. Thus, she's being bold and making the first move.

Albeit, it's a different first move than what her friends had expected of her, but there's many tactics other than just directly confessing to her crush.

"You can tell me about yourself, and I can tell you about myself. To win over the ones we like."

There's a sharp intake of breath as he also realizes the validity of her words. "You have a point."

"I'm glad I make sense," she sighs in relief. "Elizaveta says I speak nonsense when I get too excited."

Arthur chuckles. "You seem close to her."

"Of course," Lien responses. "We're childhood friends with Natalia. We've been practically inseparable."

"That explains it," he says, almost thoughtfully.

The mention of her friends has her curious about Arthur's own friends. "What about Lukas and Alfred?"

"Ugh," his voice gives her the image of his face scowling. "Alfred's my cousin, unfortunately. Though, Alfred aside, Lukas is my childhood friend. We have similar hobbies and interests."

"Really? What kind?"

"..." He coughs. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you."

She arches an eyebrow, about to retort that they have just discovered that there's an alternate reality to their worlds, but she spots Elizaveta and Natalia in her peripheral vision. Elizaveta is wildly gesturing to the school and Natalia is giving her a skeptical look, as if Lien has just grown two heads.

"Oh...! School's about to start. I need to go."

"You're right." Arthur sounds just as surprised, and Lien wonders if he can hear her emotions in her voice like she can with his. "I have to go as well. I'll talk to you later, Lien."

She nods her agreement, slamming her phone shut before her Hungarian friend runs up next to her.

"Who were you calling?" There's a slyness to her voice as she grabs Lien's arm, tugging her towards the school in mild urgency. "Did somebody get a certain someone's phone number?"

Well... she isn't wrong. But with the circumstances right now, she isn't sure what would Elizaveta think about the Vietnamese teenager if she had told her about the alternate universe. Would she believe her?

"We were surprised when you weren't at your house this morning." When Elizaveta manages to drag Lien up to the front doors, Natalia decides to speak up. "Yao told us you got up early."

"I always-"

"Earlier than usual. You usually get up at seven."

Lien freezes, though she casts her gaze aside, avoiding the hard stare Natalia's cobalt hues direct at her. "I... enjoy the morning air. It's refreshing and I needed a walk."

"... Right." The skeptical tone of voice Natalia replies with has Lien on alert.

"Oh, that's the warning bell." By some aghast miracle, Elizaveta obviously interrupts the tense atmosphere. "We really should get going." Then she drags Lien again, although it's certainly unnecessary, going off about how her morning went. Natalia's side glance tells Lien the Belorussian has much more to say, though for now, it would be delayed.

Lien sighs to herself in relief, though Natalia's suspicion doesn't linger on her mind for long. Because the only one in it right now is Arthur.

xxxXXXXXxxxxxXXXX

From: Arthur Kirkland
To: Lien Nguyen
Have you received this text?

"Lien~ what're you staring at?" Elizaveta asks, hand leaning on her cheek as her green hues give the other a curious glance. "I've never seen you so... attached to your phone. What's up with that?"

Again, the skeptical look that Natalia gives her fails to go unnoticed by Lien. However, she's nervously doing her best to not acknowledge it.

"Mhn, new game," she mutters. Yeah, right. A small smile tilts upon her lips as she types out a reply.

From: Lien Nguyen
To: Arthur Kirkland
Yes, I have. Is something wrong?

"Earth to Lien!" A hand waves in front of the Asian woman, who remains unphased by the other's persistence. Her golden hues are fixated on the phone, mind swirling at the plethora of possibilities this connection created. Her phone could send pictures, so maybe Arthur's phone could too. Should she make use of that function...?

"You're staring," Natalia states bluntly. "And you look like an idiot." She jabs a finger at the other, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Lien opens her mouth to counter the insult thrown at her, but her phones vibrates and she's quick to redirect her attention, hurriedly opening the text.

From: Arthur Kirkland
To: Lien Nguyen
Ah, nothing's wrong. I'm eating lunch at the moment. Are you free to talk?

Without a second to spare, Lien springs up from her seat, gaze transfixed on the screen on her phone. "I need to make a call."

"... You need to what now?" Elizaveta blinks.

"During lunch? Really?" Natalia snorts.

"Yes, it's important." Her response is quite plain and curt as she makes her leave, but before acknowledging her friends with a small tilt of her head. Go to class without me, is the intent of her faint gesture, and her two friends are left exchanging glances.

"... I think she's hiding something."

"Ah~ Lien, our dear Lien, transparent as always."

xxxx

"How has school been?" Starting the conversation off simply, Lien retains a tone of politeness, leaning against the bathroom wall and occasionally stealing glances to make sure no one else enters while she's on the phone.

"Well, there have been easier days," Arthur laughs. "So I guess we can exchange tips now?"

"Yes-" Lien replies, a little too eagerly, much to her own embarrassment. "Er... would you like to start?"

"... what do I start with?" He asks, tone sheepish, and she can hear him cough just faintly.

It's amusing... and rather endearing to her. Lien manages another smile. "I'll go first then. My name is Lien Nguyen, and I'm a third year student at Gakuen High-"

"I knew that much, dear." There's a chuckle on the other end and Lien's cheeks flush, both at her foolishness and the other's laugh.

"... S-Sorry, I'm not good at talking about myself," she mutters. "I, uh, enjoy gardening. I have my own garden at home."

"Oh?"

"Y... yes." Fiddling with the hem of her skirt, Lien's shoulders relax from their tense position. Actually, despite her own nervousness, she feels more relaxed talking to this Arthur over the phone. She's not entirely certain as to why- maybe it's because he's different? In a way, he's still Arthur, but it's not difficult to talk to him, much unlike the Arthur that she knows in this world. Perhaps it's because this is a conversation over the phone... or because of their similar situations?

"I grow lotus flowers usually, but there's also daisies and roses. Whatever the season favors," she finishes up talking about her garden, anxiously awaiting his thoughts.

"I see. Lotus flowers do seem to suit you." His response is short and there's a silence that follows soon after. Lien waits for him to speak, but after a few more seconds, she hesitantly breaks the silence again.

"Arthur...?"

"Gah!" A definite noise of surprise. "S-sorry, love, I was just writing something down."

Her heart skips a beat. "... Are you taking notes about what I like?"

"..."

"That's... unexpected. I didn't think you would be this meticulous."

He clears his throat firmly. "Well... I'm serious about this, you can say."

She tilts her head to the side, imagining the air of mystery that veils most of Arthur's expressions. "Yes... I am serious as well. So why don't you tell me something about yourself this time?"

"R-right..." He pauses. "This might sound weird... but I love rain. I came from London and it practically rained every day. One would think it would feel liberating, but I was actually quite fond of it. When it rains here, albeit rarely, I go and talk a walk outside."

"I hope you take an umbrella," she says, frowning in worry.

"... Sometimes. I don't get sick easily, so don't fret too much-"

"Arthur..."

"I also like cooking!" When her tone edges on reprimanding him, Arthur quickly adds another fact in hopes of distracting her. It works.

"Oh! What if I came up to you and asked about that? Home economic projects involve cooking with partners a lot."

"Well... I don't think I'd be too keen on accepting. If a stranger came up to me and asked me to cook with them, I'd most likely decline."

"We're not strangers though?"

"In your world, we are." The reminder is gentle, but the reality that accompanies it is harsh. "You said you talked to me today and I didn't recognize you, right?"

"Er, yes."

"That could be bad."

"Eh? How?"

"Well, think about it, love. You're walking to school, and suddenly a stranger pops out of nowhere and starts talking to you, no less about talking with you over the phone last night..."

Like a train, the realization slams into Lien. "... Oh."

"Even if that stranger is cute..." He whispers inaudibly. Luckily, the dread that's starting to overwhelm her cloud her other senses.

"I-I even tried to ask Lukas for your phone number yesterday as well! You're going to think I'm some-" For lack of better terms, she channels what Elizaveta would say. "-some weirdo!" Well... good enough.

There's a moment of contemplation, before Arthur sighs. "I can't believe I'm suggesting this..." His voice is cross, but then he raises it so that he can ensure Lien could hear him. "Don't worry too much. If you talk to Alfred, he'll help you."

"... Why him?" Her mind stops swirling and disbelief settles upon her face, slumping against the wall in defeat.

"The git annoys me by talking too much for his own good. With that being said, I'm forced to listen to his rambles about how his days has gone and whatever people he's met these days. Talk with him a lot and he'll see that you're a good woman... which he'll then tell me about."

"..." Another sigh of defeat. "If that's what you say, then I'll talk with him."

"He's an idiot, but he'll help, so don't fret too much. I don't want you to worry about this."

"Right... thank you," Lien says genuinely. "I'll call you later. Lunch is just about over."

xxx

The opportunity to talk with Alfred hadn't come during the school day, so after the school hours ended, Lien's walking home with Elizaveta and Natalia, a routine that's practically ingrained into their bodies. As always, Lien is silent, so Elizaveta's chatter about the school day fills the air. Natalia's quiet glances towards Lien go unnoticed for now. This kind of silence is not usually customary of Lien... yes, the Vietnamese woman is usually a quiet person, but this time, the aura surrounding her seems a bit more... worrisome.

Though in her mind, Lien's dreading on the approach she should take to talk to Alfred. After their last encounter, the idea is even more appalling. Perhaps she has messed her chances up for good.

"Lien." Natalia's voice cuts through Elizaveta's ramblings and the Belorussian walks right in front of Lien. "I think it's time to spill. What's been bothering you? You've been weird all day."

The Vietnamese teenagers sighs heavily. "I'm just wondering, do the two of you know a lot about Alfred?"

They all stop walking, Lien because her two friends first stop their movements at Lien's declaration.

"... Is... he the reason you woke up early?" Natalia asks slowly, her perpetual frown shifting into that of disbelief.

"Please don't tell me you're in love with-"

"Wrong." Lien's response is a growl, before slowly relaxing her own defensive reaction. "I just... need to talk to him. I made a mistake by talking to Arthur this morning, so I'm certain he thinks I'm... weird." Again, for lack of better term, she's deciding to quote Elizaveta now.

"You're exaggerating."

"Am I?"

"Why talk to that blond idiot if the misunderstanding is with Arthur?" Natalia interrupts, hands placed on her hips. "Talk it out with him instead."

"Not happening," Lien disagrees immediately, shaking her head firmly.

"You're going to have to talk to him eventually. It's not hard."

"I-I know that," Lien grumbles. "I just said something strange to him this morning, so it's-"

"You're perfectly capable of explaining that to him."

"It's complicated," Lien repeats, standing firm on her stance. "Anyway, I asked was if you guys knew anything about Alfred. That's all."

"Fine," the response is hissed out and Lien flinches. "The idiot is in the newspaper club."

"... I'm sorry, Natalia." Lien reaches a hand out to touch the other on the shoulder, to which the beige-haired youth rejects by moving her shoulder away.

"What have you been hiding?" Her accusation is fierce, causing Elizaveta's curious expression to fade into anxious worry. They all knew very well that when Natalia is crossed... certain grudges could be held.

Lien looks down, avoiding the other's gaze. "... I'm not sure if I can tell you."

"What?!" Natalia glares at the other and takes a step towards Lien. Elizaveta rushes forward and places her hands firmly on the Belorussian's arms, giving Lien a shocked look of her own.

"Lien... we've been best friends since we were kids. What can't you trust us with?"

"It's not like that-!" Lien protests. "I just don't know if it's safe." Would the fabric of the dimensions be destroyed if more people involved themselves in this multidimensional matter? The paranoia haunts her- she curses Yao's superstitious rants every day- and she doesn't want her friends to be hurt if letting them know will overturn some kind of world order.

Not that it makes a lot of sense now, but something weird is already going on with Lien obtaining a cell phone number of another Arthur... so she knows she has to think this over if she's going to involve the ones she cares about.

"I-I'll let you know tomorrow. Promise." Lien dodges Natalia's lunge, thanks to Elizaveta's intervention, making her way down to her house. She turns around and keeps her solemn gaze on her two friends, when her Hungarian friend points a frying pan at the Vietnamese woman.

"We're not done with you yet. But we'll trust that you'll explain everything tomorrow." Elizaveta tugs on Natalia a bit harshly, to which the Belorussian lets out a hiss at. However, because of the bond they've shared since childhood, the normally aggressive European finally relents, her glare not fading in its intensity when directed at Lien.

"Alfred, your phone, your behavior... everything." Natalia's assertion is firm and Elizaveta snorts at the empty threat.

"We're just worried about you. You know how it is."

"I am not-!"

"Natalia, you can't hide it~~"

Lien merely offers a weak smile, nodding as she makes her way to her door. "... Thank you. Both of you. See you tomorrow then." Saying their goodbyes, grudgingly on Natalia's part, Lien enters her house and forces herself to walk upstairs. Explaining everything to Elizaveta and Natalia... there's no escape from that. She cares about her friends deeply, and letting them think that Lien is distrustful of them shouldn't last too long. She knows that she wouldn't be able to handle it if she thought Natalia or Elizaveta didn't trust her.

"I'm being selfish," Lien mutters, flopping onto her bed and rolling over with a tired sigh. She reaches for her phone, blankly staring at her screen. Then, she pulls up her contact list and, almost as if an automatic response, scrolls through the list to find just one single name.

"Arthur... Kirkland..."

Her voice is but a whisper as she dials his number, knowing that he can give her more advice on this matter.